The saying “you are what you eat” goes back centuries—possibly all the way back to ancient Greek. After all, what we put into our bodies has the power to impact our health, mood, and overall wellbeing.
The latest manifestation of that age-old adage? A certain carrot salad that’s been making its way across social media. Featuring thin, wide ribbons of raw carrots seasoned with green onions, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and hot chili peppers, the salad has been hailed as an anti-aging recipe for a few summers now.
The recipe originally started spreading on TikTok via Cassie Yeung and appears in the chef’s cookbook, Bad B*tch in the Kitch—though obviously shredded carrot salads have long been popular from Korea to Morocco to France.
TikTok content
The combination of ingredients in Yeung’s recipe has followers raving. The fresh, seasonal side dish is said to raise vitamin A levels in the body and stimulate melanocyte and retinol production. People call it the “skincare salad” and say it helps them fight wrinkles and get a healthy glow.
It’s easy to understand all the fuss. After all, carrots are not only delicious, they do offer impressive nutritional benefits for the entire body. However, is there any truth to the salad’s wrinkle-fighting skincare claims? Here’s what to know.
The myth of edible skincare
It is true that “we are what we eat.” Proper nutrition significantly affects our overall well-being, protecting against cardiovascular disease, keeping blood cholesterol levels stable, and promoting longevity.
The edible skincare approach, however, is a bit misleading. On social media, the amount of recipes that promote better skin, the eradication of acne, and the improvement of gut health are staggering—and definitely compelling. The trend is the result of a growing interest in overall nutrition and likely due to the cosmetic industry promoting a corrective approach with products that are meant to cover, erase, undo, or deflate. Now consumers seem to be seeking information on their own with the desire to personalize their wellness routines.
It makes sense. Taking a holistic approach to beauty is a great idea and certainly valid. What we eat can provide nutrients that support skin health and well-being from within—just think about the idea that reducing sugar eliminates glycation, a process that leads to the stiffening of collagen and the development of wrinkles and skin laxity.
However, it’s important to remember that it’s more about playing the long game; the effects of nutrition might not be visible immediately. The secret behind skincare nutrition is that it should be part of an overall healthy lifestyle in which you consistently stick to a sustainable, well-balanced diet that includes all of the vitamins, minerals, fats, and antioxidants you need. And, you also need to be drinking enough water, managing stress, getting enough sleep, and staying connected to who and what you love to live a long, vital life overall.
So, will eating one carrot salad a day alone give you the skin of your dreams? In a word: No.
Carrots for retinol?
Carrots do contain beta-carotene, an active form of vitamin A that can be converted by the body into retinol as needed. But for this chemical process to occur, certain conditions must be met that should not be underestimated: The vegetable must be paired with fat and the carrots should be cooked. Most importantly, the genetics and the health of the thyroid, stomach, and body must be functioning properly—and this can vary from person to person. With that in mind, eating a carrot salad does not necessarily mean increasing retinol, but it does mean you’re ingesting a preparation rich in carotenoids, a plant source of retinol precursors.
Therefore, eating carrots will probably not immediately increase blood retinol levels—but it still can have benefits for skin and muscle health; vitamin A supports tissue regeneration and has an anti-oxidant action that acts both on the skin and in hormonal and blood balances. But you don’t have to eat only carrots. Plenty of other fruits and veggies contain high doses of vitamin A.
Plant sources of vitamin A
- Carrots
- Sweet potatoes
- Pumpkin
- Spinach
- Dark green leafy vegetables (e.g., kale)
- Red peppers
- Apricots
- Mangoes
- Melon
To really “eat your retinol,” you have to eat foods that contain something called “preformed retinol,” which does not have to be actively processed in the body with lipids, as is the case with vitamin A. The most concentrated source of this? Liver.
Foods rich in preformed retinol
- Liver, especially beef or chicken
- Cod liver oil
- Egg yolks
- Whole dairy products like whole milk, butter, and whole fat cheeses
Vitamin A for skin
According to Joshua Zeichner, MD, associate professor of dermatology and the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, there is a clear correlation between diet and skin health. The best diet for skin? The Mediterranean Diet.
But beware of overdoing it on “anti-aging” vitamins. Too much vitamin A can cause dry skin, impair vision, increase the risk of sunburn, and even lead to infection. To wit: vitamin A is used in the treatment of medium to high severity acne because it reduces sebum production and has anti-keratinizing properties in the body.