Can carrots really improve your night vision? What further advantages does this multipurpose veggie possess? Kerry Torrens, a licensed nutritionist, investigates the health advantages of the common carrot.
Carrots are what?
Carrots (daucus carota), a common root vegetable of the Apiaceae family, are highly adaptable. Eat them raw as a snack or in salads, boil them for soups and sides, or add them to sweet baked goods.
Although the majority of us know carrots with their vivid orange hue, the first carrots were really yellow and purple in color. Although the stem and leaves are also edible and can be used in various regions of the world as a herb or salad leaf, the plant’s root is the component that is most frequently consumed.
Carrots are a significant source of dietary carotenes and a significant source of the vitamin A we need in the Western diet.
Check out our greatest carrot recipes, which range from stunning snacks like our carrot and cumin hummus with swirling harissa to our well regarded simple carrot cake. You can also browse our entire selection of health benefit guides.
Nutritional advantages
In an 80g serving of raw carrots, you get:
27kcals/117KJ
protein in 0.4g
0.3g fat
6.2 grams of carbs
3g of fiber
Potassium 142 mg
2 mg of vitamin C
One of your five-a-day is provided by an 80g dish of carrots; see our helpful infographic for additional details on what counts.
<
1. Carrots are a rich source of dietary carotenoids
Carotenoids, as their name suggests, are plant components that are abundant in carrots and collect in the root, which we prefer to eat. Beta-carotene, which makes up around 80% of the carotenes in carrots, is frequently referred to as pro-vitamin A since it is converted to vitamin A in the intestines. The flesh or exterior part of the root, as opposed to the core, contains the majority of these carotenoids.
The old wives’ story that eating carrots can improve night vision has more than a grain of truth to it because carotenoids play a significant role in vision.
Additionally, carotenoids support our mucosal membranes in critical regions including the respiratory system, are crucial for skin health and aging, and help maintain a healthy immune system.
Unexpectedly, the carotenoid content of carrots can be increased, or at the very least maintained, when they are roasted, baked, griddled, or microwaved. You can absorb the pro-vitamin A content much more if the food is puréed and eaten with a little fat or oil.
2. Might promote heart health and cholesterol balance
In addition to being a good source of fiber, carrots also contain phytochemicals that are heart-protective, such as carotenoids and vitamin C. It’s important to remember that carrots seem to help alter cholesterol absorption, which could enhance cholesterol balance.
Before a heart protective advantage can be proven, more human trials are required as a large portion of this evidence comes from animal studies.
3. Might support efforts to lose weight
Research indicates that consuming veggies like carrots, which are low in calories and an excellent source of fiber, will help you feel fuller and more satisfied. However, some diets for losing weight, such as the very low-carb diet programs, suggest avoiding carrots since they contain more simple carbohydrates. This method disregards the additional health advantages of carrots as well as the fact that, when eaten whole, the structure, fiber, and high water content of carrots help control hunger, while their inherent sweetness may help cut back on other sugars in the diet.
4. Might lessen cancer risk
Carrots have been linked to a lower risk of cancer due to their abundance in cancer-preventing plant chemicals such carotenoids, chlorogenic acid, and falcarinol, however the evidence for this association is conflicting.
The associations may arise from the fact that those who appreciate carrots are more likely to have a healthy diet that is high in a variety of vegetables.
5. Could promote gut health
According to a study in young women who consumed enough carrots to provide 15g of fiber per day over a three-week period, the fiber was highly fermentable. Furthermore, research supports the vegetable’s prebiotic function, which indicates that its fiber provides a healthy source of fuel for the friendly bacteria that live in the gut. Many of these gut bacteria create short chain fatty acids, which are good for our overall health as well as the gut.
Are carrots suitable for all people?
Carrots are often regarded as safe for the majority of individuals when included in a balanced, healthy diet, unless you have an allergy to them. Carrot allergies seem to be more common in some parts of Europe than everywhere else in the globe, and they may be linked to pollen-food cross reactivity.
When consumed in excess, carrots can cause a disorder called carotenemia, which causes the skin to appear yellow. In rare instances, consumption of 1 kg or more of juiced or raw carrots per day has also been linked to amenorrhea and neutropenia (a decreased level of white blood cells) (cessation of periods).
SEE THIS: WHY IT IS BAD FOR YOU TO EAT LATE AT NIGHT