The carrot is a root vegetable whose origins started in the Middle East and Asia. Carrots are known to be a variety of colors from yellow to red and in between. When carrots were first founded, the most noted nutritional varieties were purple and black. The flavor descriptors for carrots are sweet, woody, and earthy with a noticeable harshness.
The Benefits of Carrots
- Carrots are good for the eyes.(1)
- Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment. In at least 1 billion – or almost half – of these cases, vision impairment could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed. This 1 billion people includes those with moderate or severe distance vision impairment or blindness due to unaddressed refractive error (88.4 million), cataract (94 million), glaucoma (7.7 million), corneal opacities (4.2 million), diabetic retinopathy (3.9 million), and trachoma (2 million), as well as near vision impairment caused by unaddressed presbyopia (826 million).(2)
- Increasing age is the dominating factor for the onset of cataracts and AMD because of physiological and biochemical changes due to old age. Global researchers have identified lack of lutein and zeaxanthin as dietary causes in cataract and AMD related blindness.(3)
- Carotenoids, polyphenols and vitamins present in carrot act as antioxidants, anticarcinogens, and immunoenhancers.(1)
- Carotenoids-There are more than 600 known types of carotenoids found in plants and food, and they’re responsible for the vibrant yellow, orange, and red pigments in your fruits and vegetables. As a dietary nutrient, they act as antioxidants, and many of them are converted to vitamin A during the digestive process. Carotenoids are fat-soluble, which means your body absorbs their nutrients best with fat. The benefits of carotenoids actually increase when you chop and cook the fruits and vegetables they come in. The most common carotenoids are: Alpha carotene, Beta carotene, Beta cryptoxanthin, Lutein, Lycopene, Zeaxanthin. Fruits and vegetables that are rich in dietary carotenoids include: Bell, peppers, Broccoli, Cantaloupe, Carrots, Kale, Mangoes, Oranges, Spinach, Tomatoes, Watermelon, and Yams.(4)
- Polyphenols-Polyphenols are secondary metabolites of plants and are generally involved in defense against ultraviolet radiation or aggression by pathogens. Epidemiological studies and associated meta-analyses strongly suggest that long term consumption of diets rich in plant polyphenols offer protection against development of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis and neurodegenerative diseases. (5)
- Antioxidants-Antioxidants are man-made or natural substances that may prevent or delay some types of cell damage.(6)
- Anticarcinogens-Anticarcinogens are chemical substances that work against the processes that lead to cancer, such as antioxidants, and essential substances that help the body’s immune, hormonal, and other systems to prevent cancer cell formation.(7)
- immune enhancers-Increasing the immune response; aside from antibody, nonspecific substances may also act to enhance immune response.(8)
- Proving to help fight off diabetes(1)
- Lowers cholesterol and the risks of cardiovascular disease(1)
- Anti-hypertensive– keeps blood pressure down(1)
- Hepatoprotective – protects damage to the liver(1)
- Renoprotective– protecting the kidney against harmful effects such as of a drug or other chemical.(1)
- Wound healing(1)
- The cardio- and hepatoprotective, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects of carrot seed extracts are also noteworthy.(1)
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