What Is the Carrot Diet?

The carrot diet refers to a variety of diet plans that use carrots as the focus of a weight-loss method. When following the basic carrot diet, the dieter eats nothing but a carrot salad made with carrots and a fruit of his choice for several days. With the carrot juice diet, which also is considered a detoxification diet, the dieter will drink carrot juice, water, and green tea for three to seven days. For those who find some diets too drastic, the add-a-carrot diet is an option. Eating a raw carrot before breakfast, lunch, and dinner will help the diner feel full so she won’t eat as much food during each meal.

Those following the basic carrot diet will eat nothing but carrots for three days. While there are many variations of this diet, one example involves the dieter eating a “carrot salad” that consists of grated carrots, lemon juice, honey, and a fruit of her choice three times a day. During the rest of the day, the dieter will drink water or green tea. Many people have lost weight following the carrot diet, but admit that eating one thing for three days quickly becomes boring and monotonous. Also, a person who consumes a lot of carrots can find her skin developing an orange or yellowish cast.

Another variation of the carrot diet involves drinking a glass of carrot juice every two or three hours. Along with helping a dieter to lose weight, this type of weight loss program can also help rid the body of toxins. A carrot juice diet can last anywhere from three to seven days. Experts caution that this kind of detoxification diet shouldn’t last for more than seven days. The body can begin to suffer adverse effects when it goes too long without the nutrients found in other foods.

The add-a-carrot diet is less drastic than other types of carrot diets, so many people find it easier to follow. On this diet, a person eats a raw carrot before breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which has many advantages. Most obviously, the dieter benefits from the nutritional value of the carrots she is eating. Carrots contain beta carotene, calcium, vitamin C, and antioxidants. Also, eating a carrot before a meal will help a diner feel full, so she will eat less during the meal.