Things You May Not Know About The Benefits Of Carrots
Bugs Bunny loved them and so should you; there are many wonderful nutritional benefits of carrots. Carrots are plants that grow underground as a root, exposing only the green feathery leaves on top. Traditionally they are orange in color but can also be found in white, red, yellow and even purple. There are over 100 varieties of carrots ranging not only in color but also in size from as small as two inches up to as long as three feet. Imagine pulling that one out of the ground!
When selecting an orange carrot, they should be fairly straight, firm and a bright rich color. The more vibrant shade of orange will give you the most benefits of carrots as it contains the most beta-carotene. Carrots with a larger core are generally sweeter. When stored properly, carrots will last quite a long time. They should be stored in the coldest part of the refrigerator and away from apples, pears, potatoes and other vegetables and fruit that tend to produce ethylene gas because it turns them bitter.
In addition to carrots being a handy snack to eat on the go and delicious cooked they have some other great benefits as well.
- Carrots prevent Heart Disease – Diets that are demonstrated as high-carotenoid have a reduced risk of having Heart Disease by up to 60%. A study of 1300 elderly people proved this theory in a case study in Massachusetts. Carrots are definitely a heart healthy food!
- Carrots improve your vision – Your mother probably has told you this growing up whether she believed it or not because chances are, her mother probably told her the same thing. It is not just a rumor that carrots protect your vision, especially your night vision. Beta-Carotene turns into vitamin A in your liver where it then makes its journey up to your retina. At your retina it is turned into rhodopsin which is a purple pigment and very necessary ingredient for night vision. Beta-Carotene also protects you from macular degeneration and cataracts which happens to be the number one cause for elderly people to become blind.
- Carotenoids optimize your health – a Great benefit of carrots is that a large intake of carotenoids can decrease different forms of cancer up to 50%. By eating only one carrot a day you cut your chance of lung cancer in half. It is interesting to note that the National Cancer Institute says that men without alpha-carotene in their diet have a higher chance of developing lung cancer than women.
- Carrots are good for your colon – In addition to the benefits of carrots you get from beta-carotene, carrots also contain falcirinol that reduces the risk of many cancers. A study on animals that had colon cancer induced were observed and some were fed these so called nutrients. The ones that received the falcirinol had a reduction in the growth of the tumors while the others did not.
- Carrots make you lungs healthy – If you smoke or if you are around second hand smoke then eating carrots could virtually save your life. Vitamin A studies have shown why some smokers don't develop emphysema and others do. It comes down to their diet and consumption of these nutrients. If you smoke or are around people that do smoke, you should add carrots to your daily scheduled snack!
Carrots are a versatile vegetable that can be cooked different ways; they are great added in soups, stir fry and stews. They're great for dipping in vegetable dip and you can throw them in a bag as a handy snack while you're driving. There are many benefits of carrots and they are an easy food to add to your diet without much extra preparation.