Carrots and their Benefits
Carrots and their Benefits
- Carrots are believed to help in improving night vision.
- Carrots reduce the risk of cancers.
- Carrots reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Pilots in World War II were given Carrots to improve their night vision.
In the good olden days, carrots were believed to be good for the eyes.
- Now because of research, due to the presence of various substances, it has been found that carrots:
- Prevents cancers.
- It lowers cholesterol.
- It prevents heart attacks.
- No doubt, carrots help vision.
Carrots are rich in:
- β-Carotene:
- It is an oxidant compound.
- It will fight the free radicals.
- Free radicals are unstable molecules in our body, and these will contribute to:
- Heart disease.
- Cancers.
- Macular degeneration.
- Vision loss in older people.
- Free radicals are unstable molecules in our body, and these will contribute to:
- α-Carotene:
- It also helps to fight cancers.
- Lung cancers are found in low α-carotene people.
- β-carotene converts to vitamin A and improves vision.
- Vitamin A helps the vision by forming a purple pigment that the eyes need to see in the dim lights.
- This pigment (Rhodopsin) is present in the light-sensitive area of the retina.
- The pigment (Rhodopsin) increases with the increase in vitamin A.
- People with a low level of vitamin A suffer from night blindness.
- It will make it a difficult night drive.
Contents of the carrots:
Carrot quantity | Calories | Carbohydrates | Fats |
One carrot (4 ounces) | 45 | 11 | 0 |
One medium (6 ounces) | 70 | 16 | 0 |
One large (8ounces) | 95 | 22 | 0 |
Carrot sticks 4 inches long (1 1/2) | 20 | 4 | 0 |
Baby snakes type 3 medium (1 ounce) | 10 | 2.5 | 0 |
Importance of β-carotene:
- A high level of carotene and vitamin C intake prevents cancer death.
- Low carotene levels make people more prone to developing cancers, especially in the stomach and lungs.
- Foods rich in carotene reduce the risk of heart disease.
- A half cup of cooked carrots contains 12 mg of β-carotene, roughly twice the amount to get benefits.
How to get more carotene:
- β-carotene needs fat for its passage through the intestine. So it is advised to use dip of dressings like ranch.
- Carrots benefit more after cooking. This cooking may not be too much. Carrots have a lot of fibers, roughly 2 grams in one carrot.
- Cooking makes carotene easier to release from the fibers and absorption.
- Cooking may waste some of the carrots’ nutrients, so better not to throw the water but use it.
- Another method to get more carotenes is to make the juice of carrots.
- Cut out the green leaves when you buy the carrots with green leaves.
Disadvantages of eating too many carrots:
- Eating too many carrots may cause abdominal cramps and pain.
- Eating too many carrots may change skin color.
- Drinking excess carrot juice may lead to carotenemia and color the skin. But this will happen if you drink a large amount of carrot juice.
- Take half a glass or 4 ounces of carrot juice daily.
- Carrot juice will not spike the blood glucose level in diabetics.
- Some people may have sensitivity to carrots.