Winter is officially here and with that, the bright orange and crunchy vegetable carrots are finally here! Rich in vitamins, minerals, and fibres, this versatile vegetable dons many hats. Today we are looking at the top carrot benefits that make it a kitchen essential this winter.
Crunchy, tasty and highly nutritious, carrots are loaded with essential nutrients. Growing up, we have all probably heard from our parents and grandparents that carrots enhance vision, in an attempt to spoon feed us the vegetable. But even apart from that, carrots have many other benefits that we’re going to talk about here.
Carrot benefits that you should know of
Promote healthy vision
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This has to come first, doesn’t it? Your parents were not lying! Carrots are rich in Vitamin A, so much so that just one cup of carrots can provide for the entire daily requirement of Vitamin A, as needed by the body. A vitamin A deficiency can lead to a condition called xerophthalmia, which might lead to damaged normal vision and result in night blindness.
Besides, the Vitamin A in carrots also contain carotenoids called alpha-carotene and beta-carotene and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, all of which lead to enhanced vision.
Balances your blood sugar levels
Carrots are known to have anti-diabetic properties even though they are high in sugar themselves. The carotenoids in carrots help in managing fasting levels of insulin. The soluble fibres in carrots also help in regulating blood sugar and insulin levels after eating.
Rich sources of vitamins and minerals
Carrots are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, like biotin, potassium, and vitamins A and K1, known as phylloquinone, and B6. All of these lead to numerous health benefits.
Rich in plant compounds
The other carrot benefits include being rich in plant compounds that have powerful antioxidant activities, that leads to improved immunity and reduced risk of many illnesses, like heart disease, various degenerative ailments, and even certain types of cancer.
Some of the main plant compounds in carrots are beta carotene, alpha carotene, lutein, lycopene, polyacetylenes and anthocyanins.
Carrots help with your heart
The next carrot benefit is that it helps with your heart, courtesy of all the antioxidants. Carrots are rich in potassium, which keeps blood pressure in check, thus leading to good heart health.
Helps in weight loss
One of the most beneficial things about carrots is that they aid in weight loss. For the perfect weight loss diet, you need to have high fibrous foods in it. Carrots are rich in soluble and insoluble fibres, which makes it the perfect vegetable to add to your weight loss diet. It keeps you full for a long time, thus curbing your hunger and snacking.
Keeps bowel movement regular
The high amount of dietary fibres in carrots are one of the biggest carrot benefits. These fibres make it easy for your stool to pass through, thus enhancing your digestive health and preventing conditions like constipation.
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Sreetama Basu
A journalism student who studied the subject only to meet SRK in person, she settled for the best way to meet him. Covering Entertainment throughout her career, and now Food, Health and Lifestyle as well, Sreetama is also a self-proclaimed plant mom. In love with all things slow and quiet, she can often be found hunting for quiet corners with a glass of wine in hand. Other loves include little, inconsequential things, like neatly tucked-in bedsheets and big, significant things, like whole cheesecakes. She dreams of being a baker and writing about food someday.
