Salad: Grated Carrot and Beet Salad

June 16, 2025

GRATED FRESH CARROT AND BEET SALAD

Can something this good for you actually taste good? It can. And, it does. I was inspired by the recent plethora of videos on Instagram touting the benefits of raw carrots and beets. Eat your retinol, they all say. But what does that mean to the common person, like me?

The trend started from the concept of incorporating foods rich in Vitamin A into your diet, versus solely relying on topical creams. Carrots contain beta-carotene, which is then converted to Vitamin A by your body. Why beets? Beets contain nitrates, which convert to nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide helps relax and widen blood vessels, improving blood flow and potentially lowering blood pressure. Improving blood flow is essential — whether you are talking about the heart or to the optic nerve (in the eye).

I recently had a family member dealing with eye problems, and to increase blood flow, no matter if it's to the heart or the optic nerve, it helps to incorporate beets daily. This is so good for you, but will it make a difference to your skin, face, and overall well-being? The answer is yes. And, take it from me, it can take just a few days of consistently eating this way to see a difference in your skin. You don't have to wait months or years. My face glows after eating these raw salads and my green smoothie. Not after months — not after weeks — after days. As long as it's part of an overall healthy diet.

Why I love this salad? It's based on simple Indian techniques. Grate your ingredients and then separately make an oil infusion with your spices, in this instance, whole black mustard seeds. The taste is off the rails good, and they are packed with antioxidants. It's an easy way to not only eat healthy, but to actually look forward to eating healthy.

xoxo Anupy

Salad: Grated Carrot and Beet Salad

Ingredients

• 1 large raw carrot, washed, trimmed and grated (no need to peel if washed well)
• 1 large raw beet, peeled and grated*
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (I use mustard)
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 lemon, juiced

Instructions

1. Place the grated carrot and beet in a bowl. 
2. In a shallow pan, heat up the oil until it's very warm. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to sizzle and pop - 40 seconds to a minute. 
3. Pour this oil infusion over your carrot and beet. Add the salt and lemon juice. Stir. Eat as is or store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 

*Yes, grating beets can be messy, but the red color will wash off pretty easily. If you prefer, use kitchen gloves. 

Notes

A really fun addition is curry leaf. Add them to the top of your salad and pour the hot oil infusion over them. You can also other sliced green chiles, microgreens and moong sprouts (like I did above), some black salt, red chile powder, or whatever other spices you enjoy. 

[[ recipeID=recipe-2mc0phtlc, title=Salad: Grated Carrot and Beet Salad with Mustard Seeds ]]

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