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:
• 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.
• 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.
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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 .
