Carrot is a vegetable grown for its edible root. Raw carrot are eaten in salads and are mixed with some viands.

They are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds, and the richest vegetable source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes. Carrots’ antioxidant compounds help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer and also promote good vision, especially night vision.

The plants require cool to moderate temperatures and are not grown in summer in the warmer regions. They require deep, rich and losely packed soil. Fresh carrots should be firm and crisp with smooth and unblemished skin. Bright orange colour indicates high carotene content; smaller types are the most tender. Carrots are used in salads and as relishes and are served as cooked vegetable and in stews. Carrots are rich sources of vitamins A, B and C. They also contain minerals and organic acids.

Benefit and uses of Carrot

  • Benefit of carrot is on people with heart problem. Carrot may reduce risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer.
  • Fresh carrot juice will relieve you from stress, fatigue and will cleanse and energize the body.
  • High content of vitamin A is beneficial and contributes to the function of the retina of the eyes.
  • Benefit of carrot juice, will be seen in stronger, healthier nails and hair.
  • Carrot juice will also be seen in an improvement in skin infections, as well as a variety of other infections.
  • Carrot oil, another important part of carrot is made useful for your benefit. The presence of carotenoids helps to reduce the damage due to ultra violet rays. By protecting your skin from ultra violet rays it also protects you from skin cancer.
  • Benefit of carrot juice, exceeds crunching through a bunch of carrots by far. When consuming carrots, increase your body’s absorption of the valuable nutrients in them almost hundredfold, by simply employing a juicer, rather than your teeth.
  • Carrot is energizing and antiseptic.
  • Eating carrots will encourage healthy skin, hair, bones, eyesight and will also cleanse the body.

The darker the color of the carrot, the more carotene it contains. Many people find the taste of carrot juice enjoyable and surprisingly sweet. Carrot juice does have a high concentration of natural sugar, so those with diabetes should consult their doctor as to how much they can drink. Drinking carrot juice is also thought to be good for reproductive health due to the Vitamin E content.

Drinking carrot juice, as well as eating carrots, is thought to be especially beneficial for prenatal health. Beta-carotene that forms into Vitamin A is said to be very healthy for both mother and child. Some studies have shown that when babies drink both milk and carrot juice they get the best possible amount of Vitamin A.

Nutritional data per 100 grams of carrots

  • Calories 35.6 g
  • Protein 1.19 g
  • Carbohydrates 8.25 g
  • Dietary Fiber 3.70 g
  • Fat 0.11 g
  • Sodium 59.00 mg
  • Potassium 158.00 mg
  • Vitamin A 1770.00 RE
  • Vitamin C 2.74 mg
  • Calcium28.80mg
  • Niacin 0.44 mg
  • Vitamin E0.90mg

Carotenoids and Heart Disease

When six epidemiological studies that looked at the association of diets high in carotenoids and heart disease were reviewed, the research demonstrated that high-carotenoid diets are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. In one study that examined the diets of 1,300 elderly persons in Massachusetts, those who had at least one serving of carrots and/or squash each day had a 60% reduction in their risk of heart attacks compared to those who ate less than one serving of these carotenoid-rich foods per day.

Better Vision

Beta-carotene helps to protect vision, especially night vision. After beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the liver, it travels to the retina where it is transformed into rhodopsin, a purple pigment that is necessary for night-vision. Plus beta-carotene’s powerful antioxidant actions help provide protection against macular degeneration and the development of senile cataracts, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.

Carotenoids and Optimal Health

Carrots are by far one of the richest source of carotenoids-just one cup provides 16,679 IUs of beta-carotene and 3,432 REs (retinol equivalents), or roughly 686.3% the RDA for vitamin A. High carotenoid intake has been linked with a 20% decrease in postmenopausal breast cancer and an up to 50% decrease in the incidence of cancers of the bladder, cervix, prostate, colon, larynx, and esophagus. Extensive human studies suggest that a diet including as little as one carrot per day could conceivably cut the rate of lung cancer in half. Remember the study in which heavy long-term cigarette smokers were given synthetic beta-carotene, and it did not appear to prevent them from developing lung cancer? Well, not only is synthetic beta-carotene not biochemically identical to the real stuff found in carrots, but scientists now think that carrots’ protective effects are the result of a team effort among several substances abundant in carrots, including alpha-carotene-another, less publicized carotenoid. A recent National Cancer Institute study found lung cancer occurence was higher in men whose diets did not supply a healthy intake of alpha-carotene.

Carotenoids and Blood Sugar

Intake of foods such as carrots that are rich in carotenoids may be beneficial to blood sugar regulation. Research has suggested that physiological levels, as well as dietary intake, of carotenoids may be inversely associated with insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels.

Falcarinol in Carrots Promote Colon Health

Although best known for their high content of beta carotene, carrots also contain a phytonutrient called falcarinol that may be responsible for the recognized epidemiological association between frequently eating carrots and a reduced risk of cancers.

Falcarinol provides protection against colon cancer, suggests a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Three groups of laboratory animals in whom precancerous colon lesions (aberrant crypt foci) had been chemically-induced were fed a standard diet, one supplemented with freeze-dried carrots naturally containing falcarinol, or one supplemented with an extract of falcarinol. After 18 weeks, precancerous lesions in the animals given diets containing carrots or falcarinol were much smaller than those in the control animals, and far fewer of the lesions had grown in size or progressed to become tumors.

Be careful

Eating excessive amount of carrots may cause the skin to yellow temporarily (this is considered harmless, just reduce your intake). Also, the carrot seeds are a nerve tonic and will induce abortion. So, reduce the amount or avoid it during pregnancy.

Sources: Wisegeek, Oohoi


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