Ah, the carrot. The carrot and our relationship first became notable with Bugs Bunny (at least, for some of us old folks). Throughout our lives, the carrot has been a staple of salads and party dips and sometimes it’s hanging out as a side to bar wings.

The carrot is just, well, underwhelming to most of us.

But are we “blind” to how healthy the carrot actually is?

Yes, you SEE what I did there, right?

Most of us like carrots and they are simple to prepare, so why aren’t we eating more?

Sometimes, when it comes to healthy foods, simple is king. And that’s the case with the good old carrot.

And here’s another thing…

That’s right, carrots are sexy. They make us sexy. Because carrots have loads of nutritional density that targets our skin, eyes, and weight.

Carrots Are Ripe With Plant Compounds

You’ve probably heard of carotenoids. A carotenoid is a potent antioxidant found in the carrot. Its one of the driving reasons that people will tell you to eat more carrots. But did you know that the carrot actually has six other powerful plant compounds?

I’m sure you had no idea.

When it comes to plant compounds and antioxidants in carrots, color is everything. The color of your carrot can tell you a lot about which antioxidants and compounds are more densely present in your carrot of choice.

Here’s what we think of when we think of a carrot.

That’s your “basic carrot.” It is orange.

But here’s what’s really happening with carrots.

Diversity!

Carrots can be orange, yellow, brown, even purple. And the diverse color schemes of carrots aren’t just for your kitchen’s display purposes, they give us insight into each carrots nutritional density.

What Is A Baby Carrot?

Once you begin adding carrots back into your diet, you are sure to be presented with the baby carrot. And you are sure to have a lot of questions over it.

Is the baby carrot just as healthy as a regular carrot?

Does the baby carrot taste the same?

Baby carrots are popular because they are smaller, making them easier to eat and easier to carry. Baby carrots can pack simply in a small lunch container and serve as a work snack to help fend off appetite for less healthy options.

Here’s the thing – baby carrots are regular carrots, they’ve just been cut, cleaned, and end up with a rounded appearance. So there is no difference in the nutritional profile. In fact, their convenience may make them the healthier option because people are more likely to pack them for a healthy snack.

Benefits Of Carrots

Expect to be surprised by a few of these.

Remember those carrot colors we discused above?

Here’s a list of antioxidants found in carrots and how often the corresponding colors tell us which has what:

• Beta-carotene – if your carrot is bright orange, that means it is loaded with beta-carotene. Cook that same carrot and the beta-carotene content is amplified. That’s right, this is one of those rare cases where cooking helps to bring out more nutritional density.
• Alpha-carotene – helps influence the production of vitamin A.
• Anthocyanins – These antioxidants are found in carrots that possess a deeper shade.
• Lycopene – Both purple and red carrots carry lycopene. This antioxidant could lower your chances for cardiovascular disease and cancer.
• Polyacetylenes – Potentially helps to stave off Leukemia.
• Lutein – Bolsters eye health, often found more densely in your orange and yellow carrots.

From a general perspective, here are some well-known benefits of carrots.

Weight Loss

Yes, carrots can help you lose weight. You’ve eaten a carrot before, right? You should know how dense they are. Carrots satiate your appetite but don’t fill you full of calories and carbs. While the science may be simple, many people don’t realize that adding carrots to their daily diets can truly help with weight loss goals.

Improved Vision

Improved vision is the most well-known benefit of the carrot. Pretty much everyone has heard that carrots improve vision. Carrots are high in carotenoids and Vitamin A, both of which influence improved eye health.

Fewer Cancer Risks

Cancer is the world’s biggest killer. Carrots may reduce the risk of colon, prostate, and stomach cancers. And women may improve their ability to fight off instances of breast cancer by eating more carrots.

Decreased Cholesterol

Carrots just may help to lower your bad cholesterol numbers.

Carrot Juice

Another easy way to take in your daily carrot is through carrot juice. Carrot juice tastes amazing and carries along with it the same nutritional benefits, except for one. It is typically missing the fiber, particularly if you run your carrots through a juicer.

The fiber is a big benefit of the carrot. This is why I don’t always recommend this method. Yes, carrot juice tastes awesome, but missing the fiber is a big loss.

Conclusion

Carrots are the perfect snack to help fight off “bad” cravings. They are easy to handle and taste great. They are super dense, making them an incredibly satiating. You can lose weight by adding in carrots to your daily diet.

Carrots come in a number of different colors, but they are all relatively the same experience.

Carrots can easily be added to salads or lunch boxes as a snack or party trays to help quell bad food cravings.

Their fiber content can help your digestion, while their dense nutritional profiles can help stave off cancer.

Cory

The Evil Scary Potato Is (Not So Evil Or Scary Afterall)

Potato benefits, according to many, are a mythical, completely non-existent concept. But those “many” are totally wrong.

The low-carb phenomenon we are experiencing in modern society has been beneficial to many people, most notably those who suffer from obesity or even conditions such as seizures. But the low-carb diet has also destroyed a great many nutritional cornerstones.

One victim is the potato.

The potato was once considered a superfood, ripe with nutrition, calories, and “good carbs.”

But now, according to many of our “Google Nutritionists,” potatoes are nothing more than evil carbs that only serve to make you fat.

But how could this be?

Modern obesity can be tracked to really taking off in the 1980s. Potatoes were a staple of early man’s diets. Potatoes and many starches remain a centerpiece of diets around the world. The Kitavan tribe is considered one of the healthiest sects of people on earth and they eat tons of starches.

So what gives?

Should we all be eating more potatoes?

The answer is, as you’ve already guessed, a resounding YES.

But let’s break all this down in a more easily digestible format because I know some of you are having massive carb related anxiety attacks.

Are Potatoes Evil?

I mean, let’s be honest, this is totally out of hand…

So are potatoes THIS evil?

No, they aren’t.

I’d say the science is wrong, but I more believe the war against potatoes is more an indicator of people being indoctrinated to low-carb diet propaganda.

ALL CARBS ARE BAD – They say, in unison, and loudly (usually while some of us are trying to enjoy a damn baked potato).

One of the biggest arguments that potatoes are evil is the whole “but potato chips are bad and stuff” crowd.

Yes, potato chips with trans fats that are baked in canola oil and/or loaded up with additives and preservatives and fake cheese are not good.

But what about potato chips?

You know, if you make them at home using simple avocado oil and some Himalayan salt, the supposed “evil potato” suddenly becomes pretty healthy. And extremely good to eat!

Are Potatoes A Superfood?

The term “superfood” is loosely applied more often than not. This is because marketers want to sell their products and they know that using the term “superfood” in the description enhances their chances.

Potatoes are a superfood, but only “kind of.”

The caloric density of potatoes, alongside their protein, carb, and nutritional density, means that you could survive a heck of a long time on just potatoes and water.

That’s pretty super, honestly.

You can’t survive that long just eating an apple a day, or dry spinach leaves each day.

Potato Nutrition

Potato Benefits

Immune Boost

Potatoes are loaded with vitamin C. In fact, the potato is one of the most potent sources of vitamin C. And I think we all have a pretty good idea as to what vitamin C is good for (um, immunity boosting).

Eating potato on a daily or weekly basis can mean improved immunity to cases of flu, colds, and so much more.

The good news is, kids often love potatoes, so you won’t have much of an issue getting them to eat them.

Post Exercise

The potato might be the most perfect post-exercise option on the planet, at least in terms of natural sources. When you work out, you deplete your glycogen stores that are found in your muscles. If you don’t replace them, your body might turn catabolic and eat its own muscle away. This also means a much slower recovery.

Low carb diets largely interfere with intense workouts because many people refuse to eat carbs at all.

But you need to replace glycogen stores or you’ll suffer the consequences.

The potato has a carb profile perfect for replacing those glycogen stores with fresh glucose.

And it doesn’t end there, potatoes are super high in potassium, an electrolyte that gets drained during workouts. If you’ve ever experienced muscle cramps, you’ve experienced low potassium.

Potatoes help replenish potassium stores. This will help prevent cramping later at night.

And wait, there’s more!

Potatoes have 3 grams of protein per serving. Protein, of course, is essential for building muscles and restoring torn muscles that are a result of hard workouts.

To be clear, animal proteins are probably top dog (this is a controversial topic and I don’t want to digress here). And you’d be doing yourself a favor to pair your post-potato with a solid protein shake mix, such as Rule One Protein Powder. But its good to know the potato can somewhat supply post-workout protein.

Resistant Starches

Potatoes have fiber, which is good.

But they also have a special type of fiber, which is even better.

Potatoes have what’s known as resistant starch. This is fiber that passes through the digestive tract without being digested. There are some caveats here, so please pay attention.

Resistant starches serve up the good bacteria in your gut with fuel. You can take all the probiotics in the world, but without resistant starches, or prebiotics as they are often called, the probiotics have nothing to feed on. This serves as a large disadvantage when taking expensive probiotics, or eating Kefir, pickles, etc.

Now, here’s some fun science.

The potato has the MOST resistant starch when it has been cooked and then cooled off.

That’s just something to keep in mind.

Carbs (Yep, Hold On to Your Hats, Its About To Get Real)

Carbs are not evil.

(take a breath, make it a deep one)

Ok, are you back?

Hello?

WHEW…

The human body actually needs carbs. It relies on them for the creation of serotonin. Have you ever known a low carber who hasn’t slept in weeks and is constantly temperamental? They are probably not getting enough carbs.

Did you know that low carb diets can also wreak havoc on the libido?

Let’s be clear, there is a big difference between eating a potato and eating a Baby Ruth (yep, I went old school). Not all carbs are equal. Increased fiber alongside protein and fat (you know, a balanced meal) can help to improve the way the body handles carbs.

But you need carbs.

You especially need carbs if you work out.

Low carb diets have their place, but extreme low carb is sometimes nonsensical.

You can be low carb and still eat carbs.

If you’ve been on a super low carb diet for a long time, try eating a potato and see how you feel. And then watch as you don’t gain weight.

B6

Potatoes provide 10% of the recommended daily value of vitamin B6.

B6 helps you metabolize carbohydrates among many other things.

Sleep Like A Baby…

Carbs in general help your sleep, this is due to their assistance in producing serotonin. Seeing that potatoes are mainly glucose-based, as opposed to fructose based, its an even better situation. Protein and fructose can inhibit the production of serotonin. Yep, look it up.

Eating a potato before bed can help you both sleep better and be happier.

Conclusion

Potatoes are good for you, no matter what kind of watercooler wars have been waged against them. The low carb diet can be good for certain people, but potatoes are in no way contributing to the modern world’s obesity issues. Many cultures around the world eat potatoes and other starches as a staple of their diets and have extremely good health markers.

Potatoes boost immunity, help the body recover from stress and workouts, and provide clean fuel. They are also great to eat.

Cory

You’ve seen it on the shelves of your local grocery store. You’ve wondered, “what is this gross looking stuff?”

It’s kefir. And believe me, it doesn’t taste like cottage cheese soaked in gasoline. It just “sometimes” looks that way.

Or maybe you’ve seen it in a pretty strawberry and thought, “wait, that looks like an awesome Gatorade smoothie, it must be bad!”

But ah, looks can ultimately be deceptive (we learned this a long time ago). Kefir health benefits are extraordinary. So extraordinary that kefir is a legitimate superfood.

Sure, it isn’t commonly acknowledged as such. If you scour the internet for a list of superfoods, kefir is either far down the list, or nowhere to be found.

But it isn’t because kefir is a fringe superfood, it’s more because many people just don’t understand what kefir is and how extremely beneficial it can be to the human body.

The more you know about kefir, the more likely you are to stop bypassing it at the grocery store. Kefir is a sure shot of health. And one you need to understand more about.

What Is Kefir?

The essential starting point: what is kefir, anyways?

Kefir is a fermented liquid drink that’s derived from cow or goat’s milk. In order to make kefir, one must add lactic acid and yeast bacteria to the milk. 

From the point you add the bacteria, it will take a solid day for the full fermentation process of the natural sugars to occur. After which, you end up with kefir.

The bacteria is sometimes called “kefir grains.”

Kefir is more well known in places of its origin, such as Europe and Asia. But it is growing in popularity domestically in the U.S. That’s mostly due to major grocery store chains carrying it on their shelves.

The curious search the Internet. You’re “the curious,” it is how you ended up here at SuperFoodDrinks.org.

Fermentingforfoodies has a guide for making kefir. Here’s a picture from that guide.

Doesn’t look all that tasty, right?

Well, that’s all gonna change by the end of this article, I promise.

But first, we have to get a few basic things out of the way.

BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT…Here’s a kefir smoothie that uses kiwi…

kefir is not only full of amazing benefits but done right, it can taste spectacular.

Now, let’s get on with our show…

Kefir Nutritional Facts (1 cup)

• Calories: 110
• Protein: 11 grams
• Fat: 2 grams
• Carbs: 12 grams
• Sugar: 12 grams
• Calcium: 390 mg
• Vitamin A: 90 micrograms

What’s the takeaway with kefir nutritional facts? It’s a low calorie, low fat, calcium booster.

But that’s not all this superfood provides. Not even close, this is just our baseline nutritional density. This just means we are off to a roaring start.

Kefir benefits are amazing and potent and highly versatile.

Kefir Benefits

The benefits of kefir are surprisingly numerous for a superfood that’s not all that popular among the masses.

Will the secret to kefir’s vast vault of health benefits finally leak out?

Let’s have a closer look at some of the standout benefits. Remember, there are too many benefits to list, so I am just going to touch on a few of them.

Probiotic Super Powers

When we think of probiotics, we tend to immediately think of our “go to” sources, such as yogurt and pickles, or even probiotic supplements.

But wait, did you know that kefir is a more potent source of probiotics than our long-trusted yogurt? In fact, kefir blows yogurt out fo the water in terms of probiotic density.

Probiotics influence our gut health, which has some pretty powerful benefits for our brains, weight, moods, digestion, and so much more. Getting daily probiotics is a huge influencer of good health.

Lower Cancer Risks

Cancer is the number one most deadly illness in the world. Cancer is caused by bad cell replication.

Probiotics, as fortune would have it, tend to slow down tumor growth. Tumors are replicating cells.

The news gets better for kefir as a probiotic source in particular. When using probiotics from kefir specifically, breast cancer cells were slowed by 56%. Comparatively speaking, yogurt’s probiotics only stiffened tumor cell growth by under 15%. That’s a huge difference.

Improve Digestion

Kefir’s high-density of potent probiotics means a pick up in your digestive health. Remember, solid and healthy digestion is a marker for overall good health.

But even aside from the obvious benefits of kefir’s probiotics, kefir can help stave off or ease the symptoms of diarrhea.

Kefir Isn’t Lactose Heavy

Just say the word “dairy” to someone who is lactose intolerant diagnosed and you will see a person get noticeably squeamish.

But here’s the thing: not all dairy is created equal. Many dairy products have varying levels of lactose, the protein that is typically associated with negative symptoms for some people.

Milk is the worst lactose offender. But many people who can’t drink milk can eat sharp cheddar cheese.

The news gets better when it comes to kefir’s lactose content, which is extremely low. Many people who are lactose intolerant handle kefir just fine.

You Might Get Some Asthma Relief

Got asthma? Many Americans suffer from this very frustrating allergic condition. But fresh research shows that daily kefir just might help the condition of asthma. It may do this because it lowers lung inflammation at the heart of asthma’s bronchial nightmare.

Oh, And, Maybe Allergy Relief To Boot…

Asthma is, of course, in part an allergic reaction. So by way of the same logic, kefir can help ease symptoms of allergies.

Kefir Just Might Fight Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis contributes to a deterioration of the bone’s tissue. The older you get, the more your odds increase for this horrible illness.

Kefir helps to fight osteoporosis in two main ways:

• It’s high in the calcium needed to fight osteoporosis
• It’s high in the vitamin K that serves to properly route that same calcium (you’d be surprised by how many people don’t get enough vitamin K, which is typically only found in leafy greens, or green smoothies).

Kefir May Fight E. Coli, Salmonella…

One of kefir’s probiotics Lactobacillus kefiri, has been shown to disrupt both Salmonella and E. coli.

After the 2018 Thanksgiving Romain lettuce debacle, it is nice knowing we can have a little beefed up protection from such bacterias by simply eating a little kefir on the daily.

By the way, kefir is one of the only sources of this particular probiotic…

The Cons To Kefir

While there aren’t many, the biggest kefir con that comes to mind is the potential for increased sugar. A lot of flavored store-bought kefir has a pretty high amount of sugar.

While I’m not on the “sugar is evil” train, I think we can all agree everyone should watch their intake.

You can beat this con, though. Get plain kefir, add your own natural fruits. Additionally, as discussed above, making your own kefir is easy, peasy…

Conclusion

Kefir is a fermented goldmine. Kefir benefits are a long illustrious list, too many to list. And it’s all backed up by science.

You can buy kefir at most traditional grocery stores. It is affordable and tastes good. Kefir has way more probiotics than traditional yogurt, something many people just have no idea about.

Some store-bought kefir products are pretty sugar laden, so that’s something to watch. You can easily buy plain kefir and add fruit, or even opt to make your own kefir.

Cory