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The health benefits of carrots include supporting healthy eyes, an excellent source of antioxidants, supporting a healthy heart, supporting stronger teeth and gums, treating wounds, enhancing brain health and cognitive functions, fighting cancer, helping for a better digestion, sustaining youthful age, supporting healthy hair and skin and lowering the risk of developing diabetes.
Carrots history
Botanical name: Daucus carota
Carrots are available almost anywhere in the world and that for centuries. Historians believe that carrots were cultivated by the Ancient Greeks and Romans.
Carrots belong to the Umbelliferae family; a term derived from the umbrella-like flower cluster on top of the plants in this family. You’ll find similar fern-like leaves on plants the carrot is related to, such as fennel, parsley, dill, and anise.
Colors of carrots ranged from black, pink, red, yellow and white before the more orange hue emerged, reportedly just after the fifth century.
In the Middle Ages, references to carrots and parsnips seemed to be very similar, in spite of the size and color difference.
In today’s kitchens carrots are used in many dishes, from vegetable soups to salads. They can also be cut into pieces and served as an appetizer.
Carrots can be sliced, grated, sautéed, puréed, and baked – and the list goes on! Carrots also have a long list of health advantages.
11 Amazing Health Benefits of Carrots
1. Healthy Eyes
When children ask if it’s true that carrots are good for their eyes, you can answer affirmatively, because carrots are rich in vitamin A, an essential nutrient for good vision.
In fact, carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, and it’s finally transformed into vitamin A in your liver. Because beta-carotenes can’t be produced in the body, they must be taken from food.
You can keep your 20/20 vision by adding carrots to your diet as they contain essential nutrients that help them maintain and develop. These include beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which are vital for eye health.
The lack of just one of these can cause eye problems.
One such example includes macular degeneration and blindness due to lack of beta-carotene while remaining nutrients are needed to counter any loss of vision while we get older.
2. Antioxidants
It is no coincidence that ‘’carotene’’ sounds like the word “carrot”.
The word was devised in the 19th century by a German savant after he crystallized the carotene compound from the roots of some carrots.
Beta-carotene is one of more than 600 carotenoids, which are the pigments that give color to egg yolks, tomatoes, fruits, dark leafy vegetables and some types of seafood.
Not knowing the benefits that the carrots offer, many people have set aside crisp vegetables without knowing what they are missing. One of them includes antioxidants that carrots are stuffed with.
Constant oxidation can lead to weak organs, which are caused by the bad effect of roaming radicals. These radicals do not stop weakening the organs, as they can also create a disaster on the immune system.
So make sure you eat carrots regularly to avoid cell mutation, to protect your DNA and prevent different types of cancers.
3. Healthy Heart
Make sure that your heart remains healthy and that you live longer with adequate consumption of carrots. Studies show that women who eat more orange vegetables reduce their risk of developing heart disease.
Other studies show that the benefits of carrot juice can have a neutralizing effect on damage caused by oxidation, helping the body protect against the dangers of cardiovascular disease.
Carrots also have a remarkable ability to lower cholesterol, which is an additional benefit. The reason behind reduced cholesterol is that carrots can influence and increase bile production, which assimilates fat deposits in our bodies.
Lowering cholesterol is very important, especially for people who have a family history of heart disease, so do not forget to add carrots to the next meal.
4. Healthy Teeth And Gums
Calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium in carrots help us build healthy bones and a robust nervous system. Calcium consumption is essential to maintain healthy heart muscles.
Phosphorus is necessary for strengthening the teeth, hair, and bones, while magnesium has a role to play in mental development, digestion, and nutrient absorption.
Carrots also contain vitamin C, B6, copper, folic acid, thiamine, and magnesium.
It is a source of nutrients and their components are very useful in improving immunity against bacteria that enter the body through our mouths.
These deadly toxins can cause the most severe dental problems, such as dental caries and bleeding gums, taking shelter in our mouths. Carrot essential minerals have microbial properties to prevent bacterial and dental caries growth.
Carrots have the fantastic character of being able to remove the stains and plaques that appear after a meal. The fiber contained in carrots also acts as a cleaning tool while moving through the intestine and cleans the inside.
5. Wound Treating Ability
Having the ability to treat wounds, which comes from the presence of beta-carotene needed to cure them, it’s one of the most important health benefits of carrots.
A long time ago, carrots were used as the main type of poultice that was applied to wounds to treat them.
You can test this benefit on your own, taking a carrot-rich diet after you have scraped or cut and notice the rapid recovery.
6. Carrots Improve Cognitive Functions and Brain Health
Carrots have a positive impact on our neuronal capabilities and benefit the brain by protecting it from the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
This is because of the antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, which can reduce the effects of radicals to boost your health.
7. Carrots Help Fighting Cancer
Research shows that intake of foods containing carotenoids can have a positive effect on the reduction of cancer risks.
Antioxidants in carrots are the main reason behind this discovery because they are better at fighting leukemic cells while reducing the overall risk of developing cancer in the future.
Studies have noticed these effects on adult women with a family history of breast cancer and have found that drinking carrot juice daily, has contributed in protecting their tissues from developing cancer cells.
8. Better Digestion
It contains significant amounts of fiber that are essential to the digestion process.
The lack of fiber in our diet can lead to constipation and even to hemorrhoids, which can be very painful, so a carrot intake is necessary to prevent them from occurring.
9. Carrot Consumption Maintains Youth
It contains antioxidants that are necessary to protect the body from the signs of early aging.
The sad truth is that free-roaming radicals can make a mess of our body tissues because they weaken and age the body. These consequences are counterbalanced by beta-carotene present in carrots, which reverses the effects of aging and help you feel younger and more active.
Collagen in carrots is essential for epidermal tissue, which eventually becomes your outer skin. Collagen helps maintain elasticity usually associated with youthful skin.
10. Carrot Benefits For Healthier Hair and Skin
Vitamin A that found in carrots can help protect skin cells against damage caused by harmful sun rays. It can also help the skin remain supple and soft as it prevents dehydration, which can affect the skin.
You can also enhance your skin with a face mask that is prepared by adding honey. This will make your skin appear younger and lighter.
The presence of vitamin C in carrots also contributes to the firm skin that you will experience after applying the mask. Also, they can help in regenerating your skin and hair cells to fight any hair loss or skin problems.
11. Carrots Help Lower The Risk of Developing Diabetes
Scientists from numerous renowned research facilities have found stunning results in the effect of carrots on blood sugar levels and the risk of diabetes.
Their findings have shown that people who were more likely to develop type 2 diabetes may reduce their risk by regularly consuming beta-carotene-containing foods.
Happily, their conclusion sets the position of carrots as a friendly diabetic food and preventative.
Carrots Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: One medium, raw carrot (128 grams)
Calories—————–52
Carbohydrates——–12g
Sugar———————6g
Fiber—————4g
Protein————1g
Sodium————88mg
Studies Done On Carrots
A 2011 research has shown that the bioactive chemicals in carrot juice extracts may play a role in treating certain cancers, including leukemia, due to the beta-carotene and polyacetylene, antioxidants found in the vegetable.
Carrots are also explicitly mentioned in a list of foods responsible for reducing the risk of bladder cancer.
While most of us have been informed that veggies have the highest nutritional value, surprisingly, recent studies have discovered that cooking helps boost the health benefits of carrots.
Research conducted at the University of Arkansas studied the antioxidant activity of raw carrots in comparison with cooked carrots.
The result was that mashed, cooked carrots not only kept their nutritional value but contained more healthy properties than when eaten raw. Over a period of four weeks, it was discovered that the phenolic acids and beta-carotene levels increased dramatically when the carrots were exposed to high heat.
The study also showed that the antioxidants activity continued to increase in the mashed carrots even after a week of refrigeration. That’s a huge health advantage because antioxidants can help prevent chronic diseases such as cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, Alzheimer’s and other health problems.
It was then found in another study that although the level of beta-carotene in cooked carrots is higher, it is not as well absorbed by the body as that of raw carrots. So raw is better!
My Conclusion About Carrots
Are carrots bad for you? NO!
These consistent benefits prove the importance of including carrots in our diet.
You can look for delicious recipes that involve carrot cooking and experience what suits your tastes or you can also keep it simple by adding carrots to the table as a crunchy snack.
Carrots have the highest level of beta-carotene than any other vegetable or fruit.
Why is that important?
Not only does beta-carotene give carrots their distinctive orange color, more importantly, it converts in your body to vitamin A.
Known for health benefits throughout your body, including cancer cell growth inhibition, carrots have that distinction known in many other foods grown in the garden – they’re nutritious and delicious.
Creamy Carrot Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
- 3 large organic tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of green onions, chopped
- A small handful of fresh basil, chopped
- 1 avocado
- Juice from half a lemon
- 1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed carrot juice
- 1/3 teaspoon of cumin
Directions:
- Place first 4 ingredients into a blender. Then add the carrot juice, cumin, and lemon juice.
Blend until smooth. That’s it! Serve and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, don’t forget to take a picture of it and hashtag it #FOODIEDADPAUL. I would really like to see! … or comment below to let me know if you liked it 🙂
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Carrots provide essential nutrients that our body needs to maintain health, so make sure you add carrots to your list of foods and pick them up on your journey to the grocery store.
- My vote for carrots