Why To Have Carrots In Your Diet?

By Sneha

Wednesday, August 1, 2012, 12:28

Carrots are a naturally sweet and juicy vegetable. They are available all throughout the year. This root vegetable is both crispy and tasty to eat. Carrot, an orange vegetable is a superstar in its own way. Carrots are packed with nutrients. It is very healthy to include at least one carrot in your meal. Let us see what makes a carrot so healthy for the body.

Improves Eye Sight- A carrot is rich in beta-carotene that is converted to vitamin A in the human liver. Vitamin A improves the eye sight and helps us see better. A deficiency of it may lead to night blindness. It also protects us against senile cataracts and dry eyes.

Cancer Prevention- Carrots are a rich source of carotenes and a compound called falcarinol. These plays a significant role in lowering the risks of breast, lung and colon cancer. Falcarinol is a natural compound found in the roots that also prevent the plant from decay. Falcarinol destroys the pre-cancerous cells in the tumors. A carrot is healthy because it is the only source of this compound in our diet.

Heart Diseases- A carrot a day keeps the doctor away. Eat carrots regularly as they are rich in beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lutein. All of them lower the possibility of heart diseases. They also significantly lower the blood cholesterol levels. This is possible as the soluble fibres in carrots bind with the bile acids in our body. It has also been proved by researchers that carrots have such high nutrition that they even prevent the chances of stroke if consumed on a daily basis.

Oral Health- Want healthy tooth and gums? Carrot is the answer for you then. A carrot is healthy because they act like natural mouth cleansers by scrapping off all dirt out of our mouth. They are actually a natural toothbrush and and paste that you can use after a meal. Crunch a carrot after a meal and it will remove all the food particles and plaque. Carrots trigger the formation of a lot of saliva that counteracts the harmful effects of acid and cavity forming bacteria.

Diabetes- Carrot is healthy because they also aid in fighting diabetes to a great extent. Carotenoids present in carrots inversely affect insulin resistance and thus help in lowering blood sugar levels. So, if you are diabetic, there is this natural medicine available for you. You bite into a carrot everyday or might even go for carrot juice or shakes, all of which are healthy.

A carrot is healthy in many ways. And you should make it a part of your daily meals to reap the maximum benefits.