We’ve all been told to eat our vegetables—be it through that poster of the food pyramid pinned to the back of the classroom, or by our parents over a tense dinner. As an adult, I now relish the way my body feels after having a salad: light and revitalised. So when I first saw this salad (read: bowl of stringy carrot) making its way around TikTok, my curiosity piqued. Not only was it an easy recipe, the Internet was also raving about its supposed benefits. The lede? Eating a bowl of carrot salad would be akin to using retinol for your skin. Since the concept of ‘eating your skincare’ has been having its moment again, I eventually thought I’d try it out for myself. Call it healthmaxxing, or an attempt to live out my best hot girl summer.
The recipe itself was popularised by chef Cassie Yeung, whose cred is hard to deny with her glassy, glowing visage. Slightly reminiscent of a Korean carrot salad, or morkovcha, think of this rendition as a quicker and easier version. Celebrities such as Jessica Alba, have even brought us into their kitchens to show us exactly how they’re jumping onto the bandwagon.
@cassyeungmoneymaking carrot ribbon salad, beef chow fun & mango sticky rice for ABC news! Catch me this afternoon around 2:15pm ET ❤️♬ original sound – Cassie Yeung
The benefits of going orange
So what’s the science behind the claim? A Vitamin A derivative, retinol improves skin cell turnover, boosts collagen production and exfoliates your skin, in turn unclogging pores. This helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines on your skin, and reduce acne, leading to a potentially fresher and plumper appearance for one’s skin.
Whilst carrots do not contain retinol itself, the vibrant vegetable obtains its colour from beta-carotene. Whilst a high intake of carrots does not instantly lead to a retinol boost in our bloodstream, our bodies convert beta-carotene into Vitamin A when needed. This means that for the conversion process to occur, the vegetable must also be paired with a fat (such as sesame oil), as beta-carotene is a fat-soluble substance. It’s also worth noting that cooked carrots contain more beta-carotene than raw ones. You basically can’t be chumping on raw carrots and expecting the same results. With all this in mind, I was ready for a very carotenoid-rich two weeks ahead.
Assembling the salad
The recipe is simple enough, dousing ribbons of carrot in quintessential Asian flavours. For most of the two weeks, I measured using love, as the saying goes. After grating a single carrot down each night, the first step was to add in some green onions, for extra crunch. After that, I raided my sauce cabinet: light soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chilli oil, and sesame seeds to garnish. A simple, yet extremely flavourful combination emerged, and suddenly a mouthful of carrot seemed extremely appetising.
Some recipes online recommended letting the dressing soak for about 15 minutes or more, but I was simply too hungry to wait. If I was out for dinner after work as well, I’d have my carrot salad for my lunch, garnering amusement from some of my colleagues.
@jessicaalba #Carrot #retinol #salad – my current obsession 🤤🥕 So yummy, healthy, crunchy, flavorful – all the things. Inspo from @Dewy Faced Bitch – #recipe below 👇🏽 **Add in whatever proportions you like Carrot ribbons Chopped cilantro Chopped scallions Sliced jicama Sliced radish Chopped roasted cashews Option to add your desired protein For the dressing: Ginger Garlic Juice of half an orange Juice of half a lime 3 tbs sesame oil 1.5 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1.5 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp maple syrup Garlic chili crunch (to taste) Toss in a large bowl and #enjoy ♬ Tieduprightnow – Parcels
The results
It is always pertinent to remember that health is a holistic endeavour. Simply altering a habit or introducing a new one isn’t going to magically change much on its own, especially in just two weeks. With that in mind however, I did notice that my acne-prone skin had cleared up quite a bit. Being in my twenties and leading an active lifestyle, I don’t always make time to care for my skin properly. Pimples tend to pop up along my hairline, or prominently on my cheeks, but over the course of this experiment, it seemed my usually stubborn pimples steered clear. Whether it’s a placebo effect or not, it remains to be seen.
While eating carrots isn’t necessarily a quick-fix miracle for increasing retinol in your bloodstream, there are obviously a ton of other health benefits for the skin and body, from its known benefits for eye health to improved digestion. And if you’re simply looking to include a delicious, fresh salad to your diet, this bowl of orange goodness will probably inject some joy to your lives just the same.
