Why do we eat carrots? What is so good about them? We can answer all these questions, easy! There are many benefits as to what carrots can impact you and why you should eat carrots. Let’s look! - Mod Tilly
Why are carrots important?
First, carrots are members of the Apiaceae family, which includes vegetables like celery, anise, dill and cilantro. Carrots have a high amount of fibre, vitamin C, potassium, folate, several minerals such as calcium and magnesium and has a good source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is the orange coloured pigment in plants and fruits and gives them a rich colour for the skin. When we eat carrots, the beta-carotene turns into vitamin A. Carrots have a huge amount of vitamin A, which is good because it is important for our health and it is good for your eyesight, skin and growth. Also, carrots have a very high natural sugar content than other vegetables, which makes it a good snack when eating it raw, (though it’s still better to cook them), and making meals more delectable.
Though carrots are usually orange in colour, there are over 100 species of carrots, and some are purple, white, yellow and red, containing other benefits for your body. Example, the first carrots were purple, and they contain purple pigments called anthocyanins, which acts as an antioxidant to protect your body from cancer. Carrots are very crunchy and highly nutritious. Usually a cultivated carrot is made up of 88% water, 7% sugar, 1% protein, 1% fibre, 1% ash and 0.2% fat. The plant of a carrot can grow up to 1m and flowers around June – August. The biggest carrot to ever grow weighed 22 pounds and was 20ft long by 5.9 inches.
Yes, from what your hearing of all these fascinating things about carrots, you probably want to take a bite or two. Eat plenty of carrots, and the better you feel. But don’t eat too much! Consume too much beta-carotene and vitamin A, will lead to excess blood carotene which can discolour your skin and eventually cause some health problems.
Hope you enjoyed our tedious lecture on carrots and hopefully you eat one.