The lustrous orange color of
carrots means one thing: this vegetable is packed with beta-carotene, a
provitamin A carotenoid you need for good health and nutrition. Carrots
are low in calories but high in essential nutrients. They're also a
source of dietary fiber. One serving of carrots gives you enough vitamin
A for your entire day.
Carrot Basics
Carrots
are a root vegetable you can purchase at your market all year. The most
common variety you'll see in the produce section are mature carrots
that are 7 to 9 inches long and 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter, states
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Baby carrots, around 1
1/2 to 2 inches long, are either small carrots that are dug out of the
ground before they reach maturity or larger carrots that have been
chopped and whittled down. Carrots get their sweet taste from the
vegetable's natural sugar content, which ranks second only to beets.
However, carrots are primarily valued as an excellent dietary source of
vitamin A.
Nutrition
A
1/2 cup serving of carrots, cooked or raw, gives you only 25 calories
but no fat or cholesterol and very little natural sodium. A serving of
raw carrots gives you 150 percent of your daily value for vitamin A
based on a 2,000-calorie diet, along with 6 percent of your DV for
vitamin C and 2 percent of your DV for calcium and iron. A 1/2 cup of
cooked carrots gives you 270 percent of your DV for vitamin A, 4 percent
of your DV for vitamin C and 2 percent of your DV for calcium and iron.
Vitamin A
Carrots
and other brightly colored vegetables and fruits are are source of
beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A, or retinol, in the
body. Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin, teeth and bones, and it
promotes good vision and a strong immune system. Beta-carotene also
functions as an antioxidant. The U.S. Office of Dietary Supplements
states that antioxidants may fight free radicals, unstable molecules in
your body that may lead to an increased risk of chronic diseases such as
cancer. Carrots are only one plant food rich in beta-carotene; other
choices include deep yellow and orange foods such as apricots, winter
squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe and deep green vegetables
such as spinach and broccoli.
Other Tips
The
recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for vitamin A for males and
females age 14 and older is 900 and 700 mcg a day, respectively. No RDA
has been set for beta-carotene and other carotenoids. However, eating
five or more servings of carrots or other fruits and vegetables rich in
beta-carotene should be adequate. Eating whole carrots, raw or cooked,
is recommended over drinking carrot juice. MayoClinic.org indicates that
juicing fruits and vegetables removes dietary fiber. Carrot juice is
also higher in calories; one cup of carrot juice can have 94 calories,
almost four times the number of a 1/2 cup serving of the whole
vegetable.
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