Carrots are one of the few vegetables that both kids and adults can eat without any reluctance. They are sweet with a great texture and taste. Whole carrots are nicely crunchy while cooked carrots are soft and creamy. However, carrots have more than just delicious flavor to offer. They are also very beneficial for your health. So, what are the benefits of eating carrots?
Nutrients in Carrots
Carrots have a lot of nutrients and minerals. A medium-sized carrot has the following nutrients according to USDA.
- Total Fat: 0 gram
- Calories: 25
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Dietary fibers: 2g
- Total sugars: 3g
- Sodium: 42mg
- Protein: 1g
- Calcium: 20mg
- Vitamin A (RAE): 509ug
- Vitamin C: 20mg
10 Health Benefits of Carrots
All of us already know that carrots do improve our eyesight or at least keep our eyes healthy. However, some less-known benefits of carrots are as under.
Eye Health
Carrots are normally associated with good eyesight and health. Once considered a myth, it is not widely believed that carrots prevent eye diseases related to age. It consists of beta-carotene, an antioxidant, that can keep muscular degeneration and other ailments at bay. As a result, your eyes remain strong and healthy.
Heart Health
Carrots are also good for improving heart health. They reduce the chances of cardiovascular diseases, high cholesterol, and hypertension according to the International Journal of Innovative Research in Engineering and Management. Similarly, a review in Nutrients states that carrots have everything you need to fight heart diseases.
Enhanced Immunity
You need vitamin A to enhance your immune system. Carrots produce a lot of vitamin A thanks once again to beta-carotene. Eating carrots during the flu and cold seasons is especially very good. A review in the Journal of Functional Books claims that vitamin A enables our bodies to stay strong by producing new cells in response to intruders.
Skin Health
Carrots can also improve skin health and offer you the glow you have been desperately looking for. Carrots have substances like lycopene, biotin, retinol, and carotenoids. All these substances are excellent for your skin. Therefore, keep eating carrots for softer and healthier skin.
Brain Health
Carrots also contain luteolin, an incredibly healthy antioxidant for the brain. Carrots prevent diseases like cognitive decline and keep your brain healthy and functional in general as per BioFactors. Similarly, they also help you resist aging.
Anti-inflammatory
Luteolin along with beta-carotene and Vitamin A also combat or reduce inflammation. Carrots also have a lot of fiber which improves your condition if you have inflammation. Fibers also help you maintain your health besides boosting your immune system and protecting you from chronic diseases. You can also save yourself from breast, stomach, prostate, and lung cancers by eating carrots regularly.
Good for Weight Loss
There is 88% water in fresh and raw carrots. Carrots are also low in calories whereas a medium-sized carrot only has 25 calories. Therefore, you can obtain most of the energy for a day by eating carrots and other similar vegetables without consuming a lot of calories. They also have higher satiety levels thanks to the fibers they contain.
May be Good for Diabetes
You can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by maintaining weight and eating a balanced diet. People with diabetes have dangerously low levels of vitamin A. Carrots, as you know, are rich in vitamin A and therefore, may help in fighting or easing diabetes as well. Similarly, they have high amounts of fibers that can improve glucose metabolism. As a result, your blood sugar may drop to safer levels.
May Strengthen Bones
Carotenoids and vitamin A can improve the health of the bones and stimulate bone cell metabolism respectively. Vitamin A helps in keeping bones healthy even if there is no direct research to prove that carrots are healthy for bones. We need more evidence to prove this theory.
Carrots are God for Teeth
Last but not least; you can promote oral hygiene by chewing carrots. Carrots also enable you to have a fresh smell. It is generally believed that carrots improve oral health by removing or neutralizing malic and citric acids.
Also Read: How To Tell When A Persimmon Is Ripe?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you eat raw carrots every day?
Yes, you can eat raw carrots every day. The human body converts carotenoids into vitamin A. Carrots also offer 25% more fiber than you need daily. Therefore, it is quite a healthy vegetable and you should eat it regularly.
Is it good to eat raw carrots?
Yes, it is very beneficial to eat raw carrots. They are rich in beta-carotene and Vitamin A and thus keep problems like inflammation, acne, and heart diseases at arm’s length.
Does carrot whiten skin?
Carrots do improve skin health such as enhancing the glow and removing acne. However, they do not whiten your skin.
What are the 5 health benefits of carrots?
The 5 health benefits of carrots are:
- Good for eyes
- Good for Heart Health
- They enhance immunity
- Good for skin health
- They have anti-inflammatory properties
Final Thoughts
Concluding, carrots can improve your health in many different ways. Similarly, there are no side effects of eating carrots every day. Therefore, you should make this extremely healthy vegetable a part of your daily diet.