Carrot tops: benefits and harm to the body

Carrots are a popular root crop actively grown around the world. The roots of this vegetable are very popular in cooking. But the tops are regarded by many as an unnecessary addition to carrots and are simply thrown away, which is wrong. Greens are very useful, it has many vitamins - 6 times more than in root crops. From ancient times, it was greens that were considered healing, and ancient healers prescribed the use of decoctions and infusions on tops for problems with blood vessels, hemorrhoids, weakening of vision and various ailments. Today, carrot tops are also part of soups, salads and sauces.

Composition and calorie content

The main treasure of carrot tops is the presence of selenium. This is a useful element that is needed by cells, kidneys, spleen and immune system. In our country, more than 80% of the population experience chronic deficiency of selenium. Therefore, carrot tops are extremely useful. Among all macro-and microelements it is worth highlighting:

• potassium - 237 mg;
• calcium - 32 mg;
• sodium - 78 mg;
• phosphorus - 28 mg;
• iron - 89 mg;
• selenium - 0.9 mcg;
• zinc - 0.17 mg.

Carrot tops are rich in vitamins. It:

• choline B4 - 7.5 mg;
• vitamin C - 2.6 mg;
• pyridoxine B6 - 0.11 mg;
• vitamin PP - 0.71 mg;
• folic acid - 28 mcg;
• Vitamin K - 9.4 mcg.

Carrot tops can be attributed to dietary products, 100 g contains only 35 kcal. At the same time, there is practically no fat - 0.13 g, carbohydrates are fast and easily digestible. Also, 100 g of tops contains 3 g of healthy dietary fiber, which improves the digestion process.

What is useful carrot tops

General benefit

Valuable vitamins make carrot tops especially healthy. We are not talking about popular ones like PP or C. Greens contain a very rare vitamin K - its chronic deficiency is statistically recorded in more than a third of the population. Serious deficiency leads to ossification of cartilage, deterioration of blood quality, deposition of salts on the walls of arteries due to imbalance of metabolic processes.

Selenium is even more valuable - it is an indispensable element that is found in only a few products. It is necessary for the proper functioning of the spleen, kidneys, liver, immune system. Modern studies have shown that the abundance of selenium allows a strong response to viral diseases. The period of the active phase of the disease is reduced by 30%. Significantly less often recorded moderate and severe course of pathology. Recent studies on selenium have established that it is also indispensable for the proper functioning of the male reproductive system.

For women

1. Even the ancient Greek doctor Dioscorides prescribed decoctions of carrot tops for swelling of the legs, as well as an antipyretic and diuretic.
2. Botva is non-nutritive, so it is actively added to various diets. You can cook smoothies, use in salads and soups. This is a huge baggage of essential vitamins and minerals, easy to digest for the body.
3. Carrot tops can be used for cystitis. This will greatly alleviate the condition. A commonly used infusion is 1 to 1 with parsley.
4. Greens are also useful in cosmetology. It can saturate the subcutaneous layers with vitamins and minerals. Lotions are used for dermatitis, rashes and psoriasis. Carrot tops are one of the rejuvenating and smoothing masks.

For men

Carrot tops are crucial for the good functioning of the male reproductive system.Large studies have proven the association of chronic deficiency of selenium in the body and male infertility. Therefore, it is necessary to include the sources of this element in the diet. The tops of carrots are the most affordable and richest of them.

In addition, improves metabolism, blood quality. Carrot greens is a stable supplier of another rare element - vitamin K. And it is also absolutely necessary for any man, especially if he leads an active life, moves a lot, runs, plays sports.

During pregnancy

Pregnant women are advised to refrain from eating carrot tops. A few twigs in a salad or soup will do nothing wrong. But drinking smoothies and broths purposefully and daily is not worth it.

Tops contains special alkaloids, which in large doses can affect the development of the fetus. Another point is sodium. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable to excess dosages of this element, and it is found everywhere, even the usual salt is sodium chloride. Carrot tops contain quite a lot of sodium. In case of an overdose, toxicosis can aggravate, the load on already overloaded kidneys will increase.

When breastfeeding

When feeding carrot tops are recommended, and in fairly large doses. Vitamins and minerals will help provide rich and healthy milk. Selenium will maintain immunity, so even random flu will pass as easily and quickly as possible, without leading to interruptions in lactation.

However, some precautions are necessary. It is better to consume carrot tops, dishes from it, teas and decoctions in small doses for a week or two, while observing the baby. If there are no manifestations of allergies, deterioration, then you can return to the usual diet with normal doses of carrot tops.

For kids

Eating is highly discouraged until the age of 14. In the tops contains many alkaloids that should not enter the child's body, they can affect the hormonal background and the development of the nervous system. After the first signs of puberty, the destructive properties of carrot alkaloids become inactive.

However, children can rinse their mouths with decoctions and infusions. Since ancient times, it was recommended to chew or apply fresh tops to the gums when milk teeth fall out. There are also no restrictions on external use, masks, compresses.

When losing weight

Carrot tops are extremely dietary and at the same time very healthy product. 100 g of greens contains only 35 kcal, mainly in the form of fast carbohydrates. But there is a mass of useful substances, minerals and vitamins, especially necessary during the diet period, when traditional supplier products are banned.

Greens of carrots are included in the diet as a filling of salads and soups. You can cook tasty and healthy smoothies by combining tops with other plants.

Tea from carrot tops: benefits and harms

This form can be considered as a healing and strengthening drink. When brewing tops, it loses a lot of vitamin C, however, the most valuable vitamin K, as well as group B and A, remain in the drink. But it is worth remembering that these substances are fat-soluble, so this tea is better to use with vegetable or animal fats.

The list of beneficial effects of regular consumption of tea from carrot tops is extremely long, namely:

1. Thanks to beta-carotenes, a positive effect on the respiratory system is noted (it is useful to drink tea with bronchitis).
2. Vision improves.
3. Studies have noted some steady decrease in pressure by 6–8%.
4. Appetite is stimulated, congestion in the digestive tract is eliminated.
5. The immune system is strengthened in countering viruses, various diseases are mild due to the elimination of selenium deficiency in the body.
6. The work of the male reproductive system is being established (the researchers have proved the connection between male infertility and chronic lack of selenium).

Tea should be used with caution in gastritis and colitis. A special diet should be for peptic ulcer of the stomach or duodenum.The content of furocoumarins makes tea weak, but still an allergen. For external use, you should check for an allergic reaction. If a rash, irritation or redness appears, it means that such use of carrot leaf tea should be discarded.

The presence of natural alkaloids makes tea harmful to children under 14 years old. The body cannot use them yet, they will affect the nervous and hormonal systems in an unpredictable way. Of course, we are talking about systematic use in medium and large doses. From one cup of tea from carrot tops there will be no harm.

Recipes of traditional medicine based on carrot tops

1. Even in ancient Greece, healers used carrot greens as a good diuretic. Tea was prescribed in this concentration: one spoonful of dry tops per glass of boiling water. Insist remedy for 5 minutes. Use 3 times a day, before each meal. The treatment course lasts two weeks, then you need to take a break for one month.
2. The property of strengthening blood vessels is used to alleviate the condition with hemorrhoids. A significant reduction in bleeding was noted during treatment with carrot tops. You should take 20 g of dried herbs and pour 250 ml of boiling water. The container must be closed and wrapped, leaving for 7–9 hours or all night. The infusion must be filtered with gauze, and then drink 50 ml five times a day.
3. Cystitis or urethritis can be cured with infusion of 5 g of dried parsley and 5 g of dried carrot tops. It is better to grind them into powder using a mortar or coffee grinder. Pour 500 ml of boiling water and leave to infuse for two hours. Take 5 times a day for 15-20 minutes before meals, 100 ml. If the greens are not ground into powder, then filter the infusion before drinking.
4. Drops on the basis of carrot tops are excellent for cold. It is necessary to fill in 5 g of dried tops with 150 ml of boiling water and leave for half an hour. Then take about 5 ml of infusion into a separate small container, add 5 ml of garlic juice. You can simply crush a clove into a gauze bag on a sieve, and then squeeze the pulp. Pour 5 ml of olive or refined sunflower oil. Mix everything and instill two drops in each nostril.

Application in cosmetology

Strengthening and nourishing skin action has long been known to cosmetologists. This is used both for point exposure, for example, in compresses or lotions, and for the preparation of various masks.

1. A nourishing face mask includes one yolk, a teaspoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of sour cream, 50 g of fresh or soaked carrots topped in water, chopped in a blender. Mix everything thoroughly and apply evenly on the face. Hold for 30 minutes and then rinse with warm water.
2. Based on carrot tops, a lotion is prepared for any type of skin. To do this, take 5 g of calendula and sage and 20 g of fresh green carrots, grind everything and mix in a blender. Then pour a glass of boiling water for 15 minutes. Strain and add 10 ml of apple cider vinegar and 10 ml of apple juice. Mix everything and you can wipe the skin after washing.
3. Good antibacterial and nourishing properties make it possible to use the tops as a local skin care product. This allows you to eliminate greasy shine, prevent the appearance of acne and rashes. Take 10 g of fresh tops, pour a glass of boiling water, leave for 15 minutes. Then strain and add to the infusion 2 g of powdered salicylic acid, 10 ml of vodka and carrot juice. Mix everything, wipe the skin twice a day.
4. A special mask gives a little volume, reduces the amount of dandruff, and also eliminates hair loss. It is necessary to combine 20 g of dry carrot tops and 20 g of dried chamomile. Grind everything into powder and pour a glass of boiling water. Insist half an hour, then strain. Beat the egg and add to the infusion, mix again. Now use a brush to apply a mask on the scalp and hair roots. Wash off after 20 minutes with plain warm water and a neutral shampoo.

Cooking carrot tops

Carrot tops are used in various dishes as an integral part or a healthy supplement.The only important point is the bitter aftertaste. It is necessary to get rid of it or hide it at the expense of other products. Basil, ginger, garlic, fresh onions, chili peppers, and many herbs will do just fine with this. When cooking, you can not throw carrot greens at the very beginning of cooking, it will convey the bitterness to all other products.

You can get rid of the bitterness of carrot tops by soaking in saline. To do this, add 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 liter of water. Stir everything and place greens there. After 15-20 minutes, bitterness will go away.

Beetroot Carrot

Gourmet carrot and beetroot topping is based on kvass, beets, sorrel, carrot tops, parsley and spinach. If the proportions and the general structure of the recipe are preserved, you can use fish or meat. In general, for cooking you will need:

• fish - 500 g;
• two beets;
• fresh cucumber;
• beet tops - 150 g;
• carrot tops - 150 g;
• sorrel - 100 g;
• spinach - 100 g;
• parsley - 30 g;
• green onions - 30 g;
• bread kvass - 500 ml;
• sugar - a tablespoon;
• horseradish - a teaspoon;
• half a lemon;
• mustard - half a teaspoon;
• sour cream - to serve.

Two pots are needed, in one immediately put the beets on the cooking, in the other - a piece of fish. Cook in the classical way, given that it is necessary to preserve the broth and broth. Add a little salt to the fish, two bay leaves 5 minutes before being cooked.

Get the fish and strain the broth, save 250 ml of this liquid for the botvini. Put the pan with water again and bring to a boil. Put spinach there and blanch for 30 seconds. Then get, cool and finely chop. Similarly, do with sorrel, carrot and beet tops, boil for 30 seconds, and then chop. All move to one bowl for collection. Finely chop the cucumber, onion, parsley, add to the prepared tops and mix everything.

The base is prepared using 250 ml of fish broth and 200 ml of beetroot broth. Pour kvass there, add horseradish, sugar, salt, squeeze the juice of half a lemon and mix thoroughly.

Collect Botvigne already in a plate. Put the mass down from a bowl with herbs, tops and cucumbers. Top it with cooked cold kvass-broth base. Add a portion of fish, a few ice cubes or a spoonful of sour cream and serve. This is a gourmet restaurant dish.

Salad

Salad with carrot tops is a light and extremely healthy dish. You can use the classic ingredients - tomatoes, cucumbers, onions. It is permissible to experiment in the direction of Greek salads with nuts. However, the most simple and vitamin includes such products:

• one inflorescence of cauliflower;
• several lettuce leaves;
• one small carrot;
• 50 g of fresh carrot tops;
• one cucumber;
• one egg;
• olive oil - a tablespoon;
• salt and pepper.

Boil a hard-boiled egg, and in the meantime, tear the salad with your hands, dice the cucumber and finely raw carrot. It is permissible to use boiled, it will be softer and more pleasant, however, it will lose a few vitamins, and it will take time to cook. Divide the cauliflower into separate pieces. Finely chop the carrot tops.

In one bowl add all the ingredients, cut the boiled egg into small cubes and cool (it can be crushed in the refrigerator, it will cool in 2-3 minutes). Stirring, add pepper, salt and olive oil. Vitamin and delicious salad is ready.

Carrot and Pepper Curd Casserole

This is a great meal. It is tasty, light and at the same time nutritious, and it is prepared quite simply. Required Products:

• one carrot;
• 80 g carrot tops;
• a third of sweet pepper;
• two eggs;
• a pack of cottage cheese 6–9% fat;
• some cheese for decoration.

Grind pepper and carrots on a grater, and then mix. Add carrot tops to the blender, pour in the same protein of one egg and mix.

The base of the casserole will be curd, so add the remaining yolk and second egg, a little salt and sugar to the pack, and then mix until smooth. In a carrot top with protein, add about a quarter of the resulting curd mass and stir again in a blender. This will be the center layer of the casserole. It should be moved to a separate bowl.

The simplest recipe is formed by the type of one green layer, two orange, that is, they will have the same filling. However, complication is possible where each layer will receive its filling. In a blender lay carrots and peppers, as well as the remaining curd mixture and mix again.

Now put a layer with carrot and pepper filling in the baking dish on the bottom. In the center there is a green layer with tops, and on top one more with pepper and grated carrots. Put in the oven for baking at 180 degrees for 40 minutes. At 35 minutes pull out, assess readiness, sprinkle with cheese and send to bake. It can be served hot or cold.

Vitamin smoothie with carrot tops and kiwi

It is easy to cook, and it will be very tasty and extremely useful. Required Products:

• a glass of carrot tops;
• one small sweet and sour apple;
• one small kiwi;
• a teaspoon of honey or sugar;
• about 50 ml of water.

Put carrot tops in a blender and stir. Peel the kiwi and apple from the skin, it will only interfere with the smoothie. Cut into pieces suitable for the blender and add there. Pour honey and water, mixing everything until smooth. Appetizing, fragrant, extremely vitamin smoothie is ready.

Harm and contraindications

Carrot tops do not contain obviously harmful substances. However, due to abuse there will be a glut of micro and macro elements, as well as vitamins. This is the only harm that the tops can bring, and even then only theoretically. The estimated toxic dose is more than 2.5 kg of carrot greens.

However, colitis and gastritis are a conditional contraindication for taking decoctions or teas based on carrot tops. It is not recommended to use this product for pregnant women, as a high concentration of alkaloids can affect the development of the fetus.

There is a special contraindication for children. You can not eat carrot tops in any form until the age of 14 or puberty. The point is the same alkaloids. The child’s body simply does not know how to break down these substances correctly. They can unpredictably affect the hormonal and nervous system of the child. However, it is more about systematic eating. There will be nothing from a single cup of tea or salad with tops.

The traditional contraindication is allergy, especially with external use. Special substances - furocoumarins - can cause a reaction when interacting with the skin or gums.

Harvesting and storage of carrot tops

The useful part or raw material goes from the basal outlet to the leaves. And if stalks are also actively used for cooking, then for blanks it is better to use only sheets and tender twigs.

It is important to choose a good and healthy carrot tops. It should be bright, lush, evenly green. Another aspect is growing conditions. Root vegetables and greens absorb substances from the ground. If aggressive chemistry, high doses of fertilizers and special substances were used, a busy freeway was laid nearby, then the content of harmful compounds in the greenery will be high, and such tops will more likely harm than be useful.

Fresh carrot tops are practically not stored, it will quickly wither, like any other bunch of greens. Maximum week in the fridge. But there are three ways to guarantee the preservation of the product until the next harvest:

• freezing
• drying;
• pickling.

Greens lend themselves well to freezing in an ordinary household freezer. Moreover, you can store both chopped tops and the whole. To do this, use plastic containers with a sealed lid or bags with fasteners. Maximum safety can be achieved using a vacuum cleaner. Then place the packed carrot tops in a quick freeze box or set a special mode in the freezer, after 5-6 hours, move it to the normal compartment of the camera or return the operating mode to normal. Carrot tops are stored for up to a year, but repeated freezing is unacceptable.

The most compact and practical option for medicinal purposes and limited culinary use as an additive in soups or sauces is to simply dry the tops. Cut greens into small pieces, and then evenly spread on a sheet of paper. The room should be well ventilated.Dry from 4 to 10 days, depending on humidity, temperature and air flow. Transfer completely dried carrot tops to jars or other containers and store in a dark and dry place.

Salting will be a good option for culinary applications, such tops can be added to soups, sauces, marinades. You need to cut the greens into small pieces and pour everything into a bowl. Sprinkle with salt on top. Proportion - a tablespoon without a slide on a glass of greens. Thoroughly mix the composition and lay in a sealed, pre-sterilized container. Salty carrot tops are stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 months.

How to eat carrot tops for food

It is allowed to eat raw greens, you just need to rinse it with warm water. It is actively used in salads, exotic burgers and sandwiches. You can prepare smoothies and cocktails that do not undergo heat treatment.

Dry and fresh tops are popularly infused or brewed as tea. Allowed baking, frying, cooking. During the heat treatment, most of the vitamin C is lost, as well as up to 20% of the B vitamins. However, the product still remains very useful.

It should be remembered that carrot tops contain a large amount of fat-soluble vitamins. In order for them to work, the presence of vegetable or animal fats is necessary. Therefore, this greens goes well with soups, salads and creamy sauces.

Norms of use

There are no clearly calibrated consumption standards. There is a toxic dose, but it is almost impossible to achieve, since it is 2.5 kg of fresh carrot tops per day.

Nutritionists recommend eating about one bunch of tops, that is, about 100 g in terms of fresh herbs per day, while regularly 3-4 times a week. This achieves the greatest beneficial effect, eliminates the deficiency of vitamin K and selenium. At the same time, carrot tops do not bother, and the diet becomes diverse.

Is it possible to give chicken and rabbits carrot tops

Rabbits are happy to enjoy carrot tops, but measure must be observed. An excess of the product will lead to organic acid poisoning, indigestion and other negative consequences.

The average recommended rate for a young rabbit, just taken away from the mother, is 20 g per day, can be mixed with dandelion, burdock and plantain. Later, the daily dose is adjusted to 30–40 g. An adult rabbit will gladly eat 60 g of greens. The same applies to dried carrot tops; it can be added to hay or winter food. However, it is important to comply with quality standards, rotting dried greens with mold can kill rabbits very quickly.

Chickens also respond well to carrot tops, but here the dosage is even less, 10 g per day is enough. It is optimal to combine beet and carrot greens, adding to the diet in crushed form. So the birds will get the maximum nutrients and will develop well.

Interesting facts about carrots

1. Recent studies have established the homeland of carrots - this is modern Afghanistan. However, it was unlike a modern root crop. The carrots were thin and mostly purple in color with similar stems. The usual orange carrots with a thick and fleshy root vegetable is an invention of Dutch breeders.
2. For a long time around the world, carrots were considered a vegetable. For 3/4 of the world's population, this is true today. However, a separate law was passed in the EU that ruled that carrots are a fruit. The reason is extremely interesting - carrot jam is popular in Europe, and according to other, already fundamental EU laws, it can be cooked and sold only from fruits.
3. The carrot gave the name B-carotene. She is very rich in this substance in an easily digestible form. It was from carrots that B-carotene was first isolated, which became a sensation in the scientific world. In honor of carrots (in Latin - carota) a new substance was named.

Photo carrot tops