Is Carrot Juice Safe For Diabetics?

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Did you know that some vegetables can aggravate a person’s blood sugar level? A carrot, in particular, has higher sugar content than others. In this article, we are going to answer the question: Is carrot juice safe for diabetics?

The quick answer is both yes and no. It all depends on a number of factors, which we will be discussing here.

In this article, we will be going over these points to further understand how this nutritious vegetable can either benefit or harm you.

  • Health benefits of carrot juice
  • How much sugar is in carrot juice?
  • Which is better? Eating carrots or drinking carrot juice?

By the time you’re done reading this, you should be able to confidently decide if it’s worth adding carrots to your juice if you have diabetes.

Health Benefits Of Carrots To Diabetics

The reason why there are opposing opinions about whether carrot juice is good for diabetics is actually based on where it’s being compared.

Compared to green leafy veggies, carrots have a higher glycemic index. Compared to starchy vegetables like potatoes, carrots are definitely a lot better.

So to give you a better and unbiased view on what a carrot contains, we present to you this list of facts. They may not cover all the scientific facts, but it will give a clear idea of the nutrients packed on every carrot.

  • Low glycemic index of 41
  • Rich in fiber
  • Packed in vitamin A, vitamin K, and Vitamin C
  • Loaded with potassium

Boosts Eye Health

Almost everyone knows that carrots are very good for the eyes. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which is what our body naturally converts into vitamin A. Vitamin A boosts our eye health and our immune system.

The benefits of Vitamin A is essential to diabetics. Diabetes often leads to eye problems like diabetic retinopathy. The beta-carotene in carrots can help prevent this problem from developing. In fact, carrots are so good in providing vitamin A that one cup of chopped carrots can give you up to 400% of your recommended daily needs.

Improves Healing of Wounds

Since beta-carotene is converted to large amounts of vitamin A, which helps to boost our immune system, carrots also improve the healing of any type of wounds. In fact, carrots have been used for centuries to treat wounds.

People who suffer from diabetes should avoid any type of skin wounds. This is especially true because their skin becomes very sensitive to inflammation. Although wounds from paper cuts or bruises from wearing sandals may occur, a strong immune system can easily heal the wound, fight infection and prevent skin inflammation.

Helps Lose Weight

Diabetics are advised to lose weight because it helps to control their body’s blood sugar level. Strenuous exercises are not for everyone but even light exercises help in burning those stubborn fats. However, diabetics should take special care in performing these exercises, making sure that they don’t get injured in the process.

The vitamin A in carrots is very important in healing muscles after a workout, which helps to prevent injuries. It also helps in building and repairing bones. Additionally, vitamin C in carrots help to regulate blood sugar and enhances the immune system as well.

Prevents Aggravation Of Diabetes

Not all people who suffer from diabetes acquired it by regularly eating too many sugary foods or foods high in carbs. Some people who end up having this condition was due to their genes. This explains why there are those who eat healthier foods than others still get to have high blood glucose levels.

Recent research from Stanford University School of Medicine in California suggests that beta carotene helps to prevent type 1 diabetes from developing into type 2. The vitamin A converted from beta carotene helps to significantly lower the risk. This also means that people can avoid this condition altogether by loading up on beta carotene from carrots.

How Much Sugar Is In Carrot Juice?

A carrot juice, like any other vegetable juice, has a high concentration of nutrients. It is densely loaded with vitamins A, K, and potassium. There is no overdose with these vitamins as your body will just flush the surplus out. However, since carrots have a higher glycemic index compared to green leafy veggies, it is not advisable to drink more than one glass per day. And this is for those without diabetes.

A glass of carrot juice actually requires more than one carrot, which is too much sugar for those with diabetes. That is why it is not recommended for diabetics to drink a glass of carrot juice. Instead, it is best to just add up to one whole medium carrot to a vegetable juice.

Is Carrot Juice Safe For Diabetics?

Most experts would suggest that eating carrots is better because veggies lose all their fibers when you extract the juice. This assumption is telling just half of the tale and sadly, most people accept this as a fact. The truth is juicing keeps essential fibers intact.

The fibers you get from a juice may not be on par with actually eating them, but you get way more nutrients in return. The same level of nutrients can only be achieved by munching more than twice the amount of veggies you used as ingredients. Think about it, would you rather eat all these vegetables and fruits or turn them into a juice you can easily drink?

When it comes to the nutrients that you get, it is really a lot better to drink carrot juice. This applies to everyone, whether you have diabetes or not. In fact, it is a lot easier to control the number of carrots, and thus the amount of sugar, when you use it as ingredients to your juice.

The quickest way to extract juice from this hard veggie is by using a centrifugal juicer. In case you don’t have one yet, our Breville Juicer Reviews offers a comprehensive buyer’s guide in choosing the right centrifugal juicer.

Wrapping It Up

Some experts would recommend that eating a whole carrot is better than having carrot juice. At some point, they may be right. You will need more carrots to produce a cup of carrot juice compared to a cup of chopped carrots.

However, we believe that you can easily circumvent this shortcoming by adding no more than a whole carrot with your juice. That is why instead of drinking a whole glass of carrot juice, we strongly recommend just adding a carrot to your other juice recipes. You get to have the same benefits without shooting up your blood sugar level, plus it adds flavor to your veggie juice.

To completely answer the question: “Is carrot juice safe for diabetics?”, carrot juice alone is not good for diabetics, but adding a carrot to your vegetable juice will definitely help boost the nutrients to an already nutritious juice.

1 thought on “Is Carrot Juice Safe For Diabetics?”

  1. “Moderation is the key” is a very appropriate saying here. With diabetics, you need to be extra careful with your measurements. Good stuff.

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