In the summer months you hear a lot about it, because they are related to healthy tanning . But at no point in the year should we overlook carotenoids , or those vegetable pigments with important nutritional functions. Precursors of Vitamin A, they are subdivided into beta-carotene (very well known) and alpha-carotene, less known because it generates more difficultly the vitamin, but definitely more effective from the antioxidant point of view. A true elixir of long life. And where is this alpha carotene? The name itself says: in carrots .

Carrots for a feast of antioxidants

Making carrots is a panacea for the body. The alpha-carotene contained in them in abundance is in fact a very powerful antioxidant, so much so that some studies correlate it to cancer care and the lower risk of mortality due to cardiovascular problems. The antioxidant action is effective on many aspects, because it fights free radicals , harmful molecules that are formed in the body with aging. But also due to external agents such as stress, smoking, excessive exposure to the sun, chemical additives, pollution.

But how can we consume carrots to stock up on alpha-carotene (but also beta-carotene and lycopene)? Surely, munching them raw . Cooking greatly reduces the beneficial substances. As a pinzimonio, in salad. Grate inside fresh vegetable wrappers, or put in white yogurt. In this way you will also make a good feast of fiber. Alternatively, centrifuge the juice: in this way you consume even 4 or 5 carrots at once, perhaps with a drop of lemon juice to increase the vitamin C, another important and abundant component. However, consider that the carotenoids are contained in many other vegetables, very easy to recognize: it is all orange, yellow and red fruit and vegetables. So the melon, peaches, peppers, apricots. While in the winter months pumpkin, sweet potatoes, mandarin. In addition, carrot oil is also rich in beneficial substances.