Carrots are a perfect addition to a healthy diet. These vibrant superfoods are loaded with vitamins and minerals that improve your health in many ways. Plus, they’re extremely versatile and can be eaten fresh or cooked.

Enjoy the following health benefits when you eat carrots every day:

Sharp eyesight

The form of vitamin A in carrots is beta-carotene. Your body converts this nutrient into vitamin A when you eat carrots.

Vitamin A is important for good vision because it keeps your cornea clear and helps your eyes convert light into a signal that can be transmitted to your brain. This, in turn, allows you to see in the dark.

Getting enough vitamin A into your diet also keeps your eyes healthy as you age. Studies show that diets rich in vitamin A are associated with a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration and age-related cataracts.

Vitamin A deficiency, on the other hand, can cause your corneas to disappear. In fact, up to half a million children worldwide become blind due to vitamin A deficiency. Research shows that when these children take vitamin A or beta-carotene supplements, their night vision improves.

Strong immune system

Vitamin A is important for the production of immune cells. These cells destroy harmful pathogens and protect against infections. As such, vitamin A deficiency can make you more susceptible to infections and slow your recovery from an illness.

Lower cancer risk

Studies show that beta-carotene in carrots may help prevent certain cancers. A review found that consuming carotenoids like beta-carotene is associated with a lower risk of breast and prostate cancers. In addition, it found that beta-carotene also reduces the risk of breast cancer recurrence.

Another review estimated that the regular consumption of carrots is associated with a 26 percent lower risk of stomach cancer. This led researchers to conclude that the more carrots you consume, the lower your risk of stomach cancer.

Regular bowel movement

The fiber in carrots adds bulk to your stool and keeps things moving along your digestive tract. As such, eating carrots and other fiber-rich foods every day can help prevent constipation and bloating.

Carrots nutrition facts

Carrots are among the best sources of vitamin A. In fact, a large carrot provides more than double the daily value (DV) of vitamin A. The DV of a nutrient refers to the recommended or maximum amount that you should consume each day. In food labels, the percentage DV shows how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a total daily diet.

Here are the nutrition stats for one large carrot (around eight inches):

• 30 calories
• 7 grams (g) carbs
• 0.68 g protein
• less than 1 g total fat
• 2 g fiber (8% DV)
• 3.41 g sugar
• 50 milligrams (mg) sodium
• 12,028 international units vitamin A (241% DV)
• 230 mg potassium (7% DV)
• 9 mg magnesium (2% DV)
• 4.2 mg vitamin C (7% DV)
• 14 micrograms (mcg) folate
• 0.48 mg vitamin E (2% DV)
• 9.5 mcg vitamin K (12% DV)

Because carrots are so rich in vitamin A, you don’t have to go crazy on portion size. You can eat just one large carrot a day to experience its health benefits. Plus, you can snack on it raw, include it in a dish or eat portions spread throughout the day if you can’t finish a whole carrot in one sitting.

Best way to eat carrots to reap their benefits

As with any superfood, you want to eat carrots the right way to get as much of their nutrients as possible. Here are some tips to get the most out of eating carrots daily:

• Eat carrots raw or steamed. Steaming or eating carrots raw provides the most nutritional value compared to other cooking methods.
• Pair with fat-rich foods. Carotenoids like beta-carotene are fat-soluble, meaning they are best absorbed with fat. Eat carrots with healthy fat sources like avocado and fatty fish.
• Keep the skin. Carrot peels contain half of the antioxidants in the vegetable. If you decide to eat the skin, make sure to wash your carrots thoroughly to get rid of dirt.
• Explore carrot varieties. Carrots come in different colors. Some carrots are orange while others are red, black, purple, white or yellow. Try each of these cultivars as their nutrient composition may differ slightly. For instance, some types of red carrots may provide more beta-carotene and lycopene than other varieties. Lycopene is another carotenoid linked to a reduced risk of certain cancers.

Carrots are an incredible superfood that improves your health in many ways. Thanks to nutrients like vitamin A, eating these foods can help maintain good vision, boost your immune system, keep you regular and protect against cancer. Eat a carrot a day to reap these health benefits.

Sources:

GoodHouseKeeping.com

ScientificAmerican.com

JAMANetwork.com

ScienceDirect.com 1

ScienceDirect.com 2

JGC-Online.org

FDA.gov

Healthline.com