How Are Carrots Healthy?
Vitamin and Mineral Benefits
Carrots contain a large selection of nutritious vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, C and K. C is well-known as an immune system booster, while vitamin A aids vision (hence the carrot's cult status among the near-sighted). Along with vitamins, carrots contain minerals like potassium, calcium and iron. Calcium contributes to strong bones, while iron enriches blood cells. Carrots are just as healthy raw or cooked, hot or cold.
Carrots, Cancer and Heart Health
According to Organic Facts, "Researchers at the Wolfson Gastrointestinal Laboratory in Edinburgh, Scotland, revealed that cholesterol level reduces by 11 percent if 7 ounces of raw carrots a day is taken for three weeks." Carrots help reduce bad cholesterol, increasing heart health and greatly reducing chances of cardiac arrest. The carrot's healthy amount of beta-carotene, meanwhile, possibly assists in reducing incidence of cancer. Scientists have also found that the high fiber content of carrots may help to reduce cases of colon cancer by up to 24 percent.
Carrots and Lungs
The high vitamin A content of carrots also contributes to greater respiratory and lung health. Richard Baybutt, a professor at Kansas State University, notes that emphysema victims suffer from a vitamin A deficiency that increases lung tissue degradation. He says, "There are a lot of people who live to be 90 years old and are smokers. Why? Probably because of their diet." Smokers that include healthy, nutrient-packed foods, including carrots, stand a better chance of fighting cigarettes' chemical compounds that leach away vitamin A. Baybutt even recommends that those exposed to second-hand smoke should increase their consumption of carrots, just to be safe.
The Satisfaction Factor
Carrots are a great dietary addition because they're filling, delicious and simple to eat. There aren't many foods that are healthy, versatile and tasty, but carrots fill all of these requirements. Those trying to watch their weight often find that carrots satisfy hunger cravings easily, since they contain lots of bulky fiber that fill the stomach.
In order to stave off over-consumption and trigger fullness, it's important that foodstuffs fulfill all of the five senses. Carrots do this well--they come in many colors, are crunchy or smooth (depending on the recipe) and have a neutral, sweet but clean flavor and scent. Carrots are one of the most efficient health foods around.
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