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Carrot Nutrition Facts

Carrot nutrition and health benefits are plenty. Natives of Afghanistan and with thousands of years of history, carrots are well known for having the most carotene- that is converted to vitamin A- content out of all the fruits and vegetables.






• Carrots grow in a variety of colors- yellow, red, purple or even white. The original carrot color was anything but orange.

• They are related to cumin, dill, fennel and parsnips.

• It was the first vegetable to be canned in the early 1800s.

• China, Russia and the United States are the largest carrot producers in the world.

• Carrots are about 87% water.

• Too many carrots can make your skin turn yellowish, the skin gets back to normal when you reduce the number of carrots you eat.

• Orange carrots get their color from beta carotene.

• Carrots are more nutritious when cooked. Cooking dissolves cell walls, freeing up nutrients.


Carrot nutrition and health benefits are plenty. Natives of Afghanistan and with thousands of years of history, carrots well known for  carotene


Carrot Nutrition and Health Benefits:

• Carrots are low in saturated fat and cholesterol, high in dietary fiber, vitamin A, B6 and C, niacin, thiamin, potassium, folate and manganese.

• Carrot greens are high in vitamin K, which is lacking in the carrot itself.

• They have the highest carotene content out of all the fruits and vegetables, which the body converts to vitamin A. Deficiency of vitamin A can cause some difficulty seeing in dim light. Carrots are good for improving eyesight.

• They encourage healthy skin, hair, again due to high antioxidant and vitamin A content.

• Vitamin A also promotes growth of bones and teeth and the maintenance of healthy body tissues.

carrot health benefits Carrots are low in saturated fat and cholesterol, high in dietary fiber, vitamin A, B6 and C, niacin, thiamin, potassium, folate and manganese

• High-carotenoid diets are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.

• Researchers found that people who ate the most Beta-carotene had a forty percent lower risk of macular degeneration-common eye disease of elderly compared with those who consumed the least.

• Beta-carotene consumption has been also linked to reduced risk of several cancers, particularly lung cancer.

• Carotenoids may be beneficial to blood sugar regulation. Certain studies claimed that carotenoids may be inversely linked with high blood glucose and insulin resistance.

• If you smoke or if you are exposed to secondhand smoke, then carrots- vitamin A can save your life according to a research by Kansas State University.




Selecting and Storage:

• Choose the well shaped ones with smooth skin and nice orange color. The more the orange-color, the more beta-carotene there will be in the carrot.

• The bigger is not better when it comes to carrots, buy carrots that are less than 8 inches - 20cms long.

• To maintain the carrot nutrition- especially proteins and soluble carbs, it is best to cook them whole and then cut into pieces.

• Store them in the coolest part of the fridge in a plastic bag to reduce the moisture, but before putting them into the fridge, cut off the green bits, rinse the carrots and drain.



Return from Carrot Nutrition to Glycemic Index home page

To Complex Carbohydrates page

Or to Low Glycemic Foods page


References:

An overview of the nutritional value of carrots of different colors, Philipp Simon, Pigment Power in Carrot Color, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison.

http://www.healthdiaries.com/ eatthis/ 25-facts-about-carrots.html.

Wood, Rebecca. The Whole Foods Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Prentice-Hall Press; 1988 1988. PMID:15220: Carrot Nutrition .

Li T, Molteni A, Latkovich P, Castellani W, Baybutt RC. Vitamin A depletion induced by cigarette smoke is associated with the development of emphysema in rats. J Nutr. 2003 Aug;133(8):2629-34. 2003. PMID:12888649.

http://www.whfoods.com/ genpage.php? tname=foodspice&dbid=21 .



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