How a carrot becomes the "hero" in your concussion recovery journey
Natural carrots are made to go the extra mile for you!
In this edition of the Neuronknit Series, I will go over the priceless, impactful power of organic vegetables and how they play a center role in your brain health. Ok, I’m sure you have heard of brain health foods before:
Fatty Fish (Rich in Omega-3)
Dark, Leafy Greens
Berries with Antioxidants (Blueberries, Cranberries, Strawberries)
Eggs
Avocados
Walnuts, Pecans, and Pumpkin Seeds
These are a few that immediately come to mind, but there are so many more. For this post I want to look at just one of these healthy foods to see want they do.
Carrots for concussions
When you suffer a brain injury or a mild concussion, you may or may not know sometime later if symptoms are because of a concussion or not, so I think it’s important to adopt brain health habits such as organic food and brain engaging practices daily as a lifestyle even if you have had a concussion or not.
Carrot Facts
Carrots have a very high concentration of a compound called luteolin. Studies have shown that luteolin can inhibit brain microglia activity during aging. By preventing this neuroinflammation, luteolin appears to help support brain health and boost cognitive clarity.
What’s Luteolin?
Luteolin is a naturally occurring flavonoid found as one of the constituents of flowering plants, in particular food plants. Luteolin is known to induce accumulation of O2 while it reduces the H2O2 concentration in lung cancer cells.
Yellow carrots provide lutein, which helps vision and brain health. And red carrots contain lycopene, which also is found in red tomatoes and watermelon, and which has been linked to lower stroke risk.
What is Lycopene?
Lycopene is a type of organic pigment called a carotenoid. It is related to beta-carotene and gives some vegetables and fruits (e.g., tomatoes) a red color. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that might help protect cells from damage.
Studies showed that the bioactive compounds in the beetroot/carrot juice can modulate Ca2+ levels in neurons, and thus, potentially act as a neuroprotective factor against neuronal damage according to NIH.GOV
Vitamin E present in carrots reduces free radicals that damage brain cells and stimulates dopamine. Antioxidants help decrease the risk of high blood pressure.
What stimulates brain neurons?
Luteolin induces hippocampal neurogenesis. Learning increases synapses (communication channels between neurons) and improves the brain's resilience!
Thanks Organic Carrots!
Wait, what does carrots have to do with that learning part and synapses?
The top….Carrot Tops! The leafy green part
If you’re not using your carrot tops for other great food recipes, like salads and pesto sauces, this plant is a natural source of yellow to green dye you can use for textiles.
So for the learning and brain engagement part. I have designed a knitting pattern, “No Leftovers” with yarn dyed with carrot tops.
This bag is an all over texture zipper project bag for knitting projects and more. It’s made with leftover yarn and naturally dyed with leftover carrot top leaves with a organic twine bottom for ultimate sturdiness.
The gradient effect and gentle color change is due to how I dyed the yarn and the stitch I used, which shows you in the instructions of this pattern.
This is a relaxing knit, with a continuous stitch in the round. The bottom of the bag is bind off in i-cord to keep it’s shape and strength.
You can watch the video for the pattern and yarn dyeing
No Leftovers Knitting and yarn dyeing pattern
More patterns from the Neuronknit Series
Wishing you well and Happy Knitting!
References in this post