Carrots in your winter skin-care routine!

During the winter months our skin is faced with the damaging and drying effects of cold, windy weather and the low humidity of indoor heating. But there’s no point in spending a fortune on lotions and potions without making sure you are eating the right food as well. The old saying “beauty comes from within” really does hold true and following a healthy diet filled with anti-oxidant rich foods is the best medicine for getting your skin in tip top condition and preventing premature aging.

Top of your skincare food list should be the humble carrot. This delicious root vegetable is packed with a powerful antioxidant beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the body. In fact, of all fruit and vegetables, carrots are actually the best source of beta-carotene – an 80g serving contains more than twice the recommended daily amount (RDA) needed by adults. The antioxidant action of beta-carotene helps to act against age-accelerating free radicals, so that our skin remains healthy and elastic.

In addition to its skincare benefits, the Vitamin A in carrots is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system. This nutrient keeps the skin and cells that line the airways, digestive tract and urinary tract healthy, so they act as barriers and form the body’s first line of defense against infection.

And don’t worry if you’re not a fan of raw carrots, eating cooked carrots is actually a nutritional bonus. Research published in the European Journal of Nutrition showed that more beta-carotene was absorbed from cooked, puréed carrots than from raw ones*.

So make sure you pick up a bunch of carrots and get crunching. They’re great as a healthy snack with low-fat dips, and are endlessly versatile in a range of delicious dishes. Try out the winter warming recipes below or visit www.britishcarrots.co.uk for more recipe inspiration.

Some other top tips for looking after your skin in the winter include:

• Drink lots of water – when the days start getting colder it’s easy to forget to keep drinking your 6-8 glasses of water a day.
• Dress in layers – if you’re too hot, you will sweat, and that sweat will end up trapped close to your skin, making you itchy and red.
• Stick to a shorter, warm-water bathing routine – excessive hot water will dry out your skin.
  Continue to wear a moisturizer with SPF – just because it’s cold doesn’t mean the sun can’t still do some serious damage to your skin.
• It’s also a good idea to buy a lip balm with SPF to soothe chapped lips.
• Moisturize – it’s best to moisturize after your bath, applying body lotion all over while you’re still a bit damp.

And to help you boost your carrot intake, here’s a healthy recipe using carrots.

HONEY AND THYME ROASTED CARROTS

When you’ve got the oven on for a roast, why not pop the carrots in to? Roasted they have a wonderfully sweet, dense flavour and smooth velvety texture. Kids will particularly love ‘em!

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Serves: 4
Per serving: 76 calories, 3.1g fat, 0.4 saturates, 11.3g sugars, 0.07g salt
Price per portion: 16p

Ingredients

450g/1lb carrots, washed and trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few fresh thyme leaves or pinch of dried

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C/400F/Gas 6. Cut the carrots into thick batons – try and make them similar sizes and then they will cook evenly. Place in a roasting tin, add the oil, honey and lemon juice and seasoning and toss well to mix.

2. Roast the carrots for 20-25mins, stirring halfway through this time, until the carrots are golden and tender. Scatter over the herbs and serve warm.