One carrot a day prevents aging

We all know what carrot is and we are all used to eating it raw, cooked or grated. No matter the form, what matters is eating it because it hides a multitude of benefits that today we have come to reveal so that we give carrots the importance they deserve.

Carrots are orange, elongated and tasty vegetables. A good vegetable for children, adults and the elderly, even for dogs. The good thing about carrots is that they can be eaten raw, but it is recommended to wash them thoroughly and if we remove the skin, the better.

Carrots are packed with benefits and that’s because of how complete they are. So we want to start with the nutritional value. Later we will see different ways to add them to the diet and also the maximum daily amount for an average adult. Having clarified all that, we will see the main benefits and also the most severe contraindications of this vegetable.

Nutritional value of carrot

To calculate the nutritional values of a food, the amount of 100 grams is always taken as a representation. In this way the calculations are faster, but those 100 grams do not always coincide with the maximum daily amount that is recommended.

In every 100 grams of this vegetable we find 41 kilocalories, 9.6 grams of carbohydrates, 4.74 mg of sugar, almost 3 grams of dietary fiber , no protein and of 100 grams of carrot, 88.29% is water.

Apart from this, carrots also have essential vitamins and minerals. So much so that this vegetable is high in vitamin A, reaching 557% of vitamin A for every 100 grams of carrot.

Among the vitamins and minerals of the carrot we have vitamin A, group B, C and K. The minerals that the carrot gives us are calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium and fluoride.

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Ways to add it to the diet and maximum amount

Carrots are rich, nutritionally speaking, so it is a very good idea to add them to our daily diet, or at least eat them very regularly. If we want to get out of the monotony of eating baked, grated, boiled or raw carrots, then we are going to give some interesting ideas.

For example, in salads, carrot cake, juices, purees, creams, roasts with meat or fish, vegan bolognese sauce, fried carrots, cookies, muffins, omelette with carrots , breaded with cheese, stuffed pasta, carrot mayonnaise, fritters, etc.

All this has an incredible pitancy, but as we have seen, five times the daily amount that the body needs of vitamin A. This is where it becomes important not to overdo it, since there could be certain consequences due to excess vitamins.

Experts recommend eating 1 to 3 carrots a day, depending on their size. If they are small, we can eat 3, if with very big and fat, only one. In the case in which we already buy them chopped, or canned, you have to measure or half a cup if it is mixed with more vegetables or 1 cup if it is with meat or fish. It also depends on the appetite of each one.

Properties and benefits of carrots

Carrots are very tasty, and we are not referring only to their taste or the way they are cooked, but to their nutritional values. Based on them come the beneficial properties of these vegetables and that is what we are going to focus on right now.

Improves visual health

Carrots have always drawn as the perfect allies of the eyes and it is totally true. Carrots can prevent cataracts and the disease called macular degeneration that affects the retinas.

This vegetable is very good when visual acuity is poor and when we suffer from photophobia, which is hypersensitivity to light. The carrot is also a good ally in conjunctivitis processes and when the eyelids become inflamed.

As we can see, in all infectious processes, damage or diseases, carrots can help us, although it is best to go to a specialist doctor and help us.

Multi-organ aid

These vegetables are not only good with the eyes and sight, but also with other important organs such as the liver, lungs, bones and skin in general.

To be more exact, this vegetable contains hypoglycemic agents , which makes it perfect for diabetics, it is suitable for pathologies related to the liver, as well as bronchopulmonary problems, due to the amount of calcium it provides promotes good bone and tooth health. , reduces bad cholesterol levels, is good against acne and eczema, burns and ulcers.

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Strengthens the immune system

The immune system is what protects us from viral infections, gastroenteritis, infections, and other health problems. It is our main shield against everything that is outside and if that barrier is weakened, health problems begin.

Carrots are great for defenses, asthenia (lack of energy and vitality) and anemia. These orange vegetables are high in iron and copper, two important minerals in the formation of red blood cells . This vegetable is usually prescribed in cases of anemia, infections, low defenses, asthenia and the like.

Carrot prevents arteriosclerosis, therefore, it also helps us prevent heart attacks and other heart diseases. As we can see, it is a very complete vegetable and full of benefits.

Helps prevent cancer

We must clarify that, if we are predisposed to suffer cancer due to genetic inheritance or poor lifestyle habits, eating many carrots will not delay the onset of the disease.

Even so, this vegetable has antimutagenic and antitumor properties thanks to beta-carotene. That is to say, in part it does help the cells not to mutate and tumors do not occur.

Coumarins are other phytochemicals of carrots, as well as quercetin or terpenes. All this is shown to help in the prevention of cancer, especially those of the pharynx, bladder, stomach, prostate and colon. But we return to the same thing, we have to accompany it with a varied and balanced diet and healthy lifestyle habits such as reducing sugar consumption, eliminating ultra-processed foods from our diet, doing moderate exercise several times a week, etc.

Carrots have adverse effects

They are not really toxic, not anything like that, but these problems come from excessive consumption and it has to do with the amounts of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A that we already saw that almost five times the recommended daily amount per 100 grams of carrots

One of the adverse effects of eating many vegetables of this type is the increase in diuresis , since almost 90% of a carrot is water, so we are at risk of increased urine and that translates into an overstrain of the kidneys, so it is not a good idea if we have any problems with those organs.

An excessive intake of carrot can yellow our skin and this is due to beta-carotene, which, in turn, helps tanning. But an excess of carrots can yellow our skin and this is known as hypercarotinemia.