Health Benefits of Eating Carrots
Raw or cooked carrots and carrot juice have achieved an impressive health track to human's wellbeing. As a root vegetable, it provides us with loads of nutrients that benefit our overall health.
- Carrot is a good source of beta-carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A. Vitamin A helps night vision and prevent age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Studies indicated that people who take enough foods with beta-carotene reduce the risk of ARMD by 40%.
- Beta-carotene in carrot is also an antioxidant, which counteract the oxidative stress caused by free radicals on the body cells, thereby slowing the aging process. In other words, it is anti-aging.
- Carrot is also loaded with a compound known as falcarinol, which is anti-cancer. Not many foods contain this useful compound and carrot is one of them. It is effective particularly on colon cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer.
- Additionally, this delicious and nutritious vegetable also contains significant amount of soluble fiber, which helps reduce LDL cholesterol by binding with bile acids and eventually removing them. With the assistance of carotenoids, carrot reduces the risk of heart disease.
- Carrot can act as natural abrasive to clean your teeth, especially after meals. In addition, chewing of carrot increases saliva, which is good at cleaning the stain on your teeth.
- Drinking carrot juice can nourish your skin as the root vegetable has cleansing properties that can detoxify the liver. The juice is able to reduce acne problem caused by harmful toxin in the body.
- According to experts, combining carrot juice with other vegetable or fruit juices forms natural remedies that have significant therapeutic effects to our body. For instance, mixing carrot juice with spinach juice can calm you down and improve your sleep; cucumber and carrot juice helps relieve rheumatic condition; while beet and carrot juice is effective in healing gout, gall bladder and kidney problems.
- Carrot juice is also believed to be great for expecting mothers and small children. Vitamin A and vitamin E in the vegetable is essential for healthy growth of fetus, while you can also help prevent your children from cold and flu by mixing carrot juice with lime or orange juice.
Facts about Carrots
A carrot (scientific name is Daucus carota) is a tuber with a spray of leafy greens, and is believed to be native to Asia. Although most carrots come in orange color, but the varieties in purple, red, yellow and white are also cultivated. Obviously, the carrot is one of the most popular vegetables across the world. Besides being easily available at most stores, carrots are not difficult to grow at home.
The vivid orange color of the vegetable is actually given by beta-carotene. The yellowish orange pigment can be converted by our body into vitamin A, which is great for healthy vision.
Carrot Nutrition Facts and Calories
| Nutrition Value of 1 cup (128 g) Raw Carrots (Chopped) |
| Calories |
52 kcal |
| Total Fat |
0 g |
| Cholesterol |
0 mg |
| Sodium |
88 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates |
12 g |
| Dietary Fiber |
4 g |
| Sugars |
6 g |
| Protein |
1 g |
Carrot Recipe
Tomato-Celery-Carrot Juice Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 carrots
- 3 tomatoes
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
Preparation:
Carrot Side Effects
Taking too many carrots can cause your skin to turn yellowish or orange known as carotoderma due to excessive carotene in the blood. However, there is no physical problem related to this condition.
Related Fruits and Vegetables Articles:
|