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4 Reasons You Should Start Eating Purple Carrots

Purple carrots provide unique health benefits specific to purple fruits and vegetables. Purple carrots are rich in powerful antioxidants known to fight inflammation and benefit certain health conditions. These type of carrots are considered Eastern varieties and the Eastern type carrots have been replaced by the orange Western types that are common in grocery stores today.

All carrots are packed with a variety of nutrients, such as fiber, potassium, vitamin C, manganese, vitamin A, and certain B vitamins. What makes purple carrots so unique is their content of the antioxidants anthocyanins. Anthocyanins belong to the polyphenol family of antioxidants. Antioxidants like anthocyanins help protect your body from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been linked to health conditions such as cancer, mental decline, heart disease, and aging. These brightly colored veggies not only pack powerful health benefits but can also add color and flavor to many of your favorite dishes. Here are some interesting reasons you should add some purple carrots to your diet.

May Have Anticancer Effects

• A study with 923 people with colorectal cancer and a study with 1,846 people without cancer noted that women with high intakes of purple vegetables and fruits had a lower risk of colorectal cancer than women who ate less purple produce (15).
• Test-tube studies observe that anthocyanins may inhibit the growth and spread of breast, liver, skin, blood, and colon cancer cells.

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May Promote Weight Loss

• Purple carrots are low in calories, but highly nutritious, making them weight-loss-friendly. They are a great source of soluble fiber, which helps reduce your appetite and food intake by increasing hormones that produce feelings of fullness like peptide YY (20).

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Metabolic Syndrome

• Metabolic syndrome is a condition characterized by a cluster of symptoms, including excess belly fat and high cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Metabolics syndrome increases your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and all-cause mortality (23).
• The anthocyanins found in purple carrots may help lower cholesterol and reduce high blood sugar… two symptom of metabolic syndrome (24).

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Colitis And Inflammatory Intestinal Conditions

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is defined as chronic inflammation in all or part of the digestive tract.
• Test-tube and animal studies show that purple carrots may benefit certain inflammatory bowel conditions, such as ulcerative colitis.

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How To Prepare Purple Carrots

Here are some ways to prepare and add purple carrots to your diet:

• Chop, grate, or shave and add to salad
• Cook and add to homemade hummus
• Grate and add to baked goods
• Slice and serve with a tasty dip
• Add to juices and smoothies
• Add to soup, stews, and broths
• Roast whole or sliced with olive oil, salt, and pepper

Well, we hope you enjoy adding purple carrots to your diet and daily life! Please feel free to share your experience in the comments below! Stay safe and God bless.