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Crunchy, sweet, and bursting with nutrients, carrots are a very popular vegetable. Each summer, there is an abundance of purple, black, white, yellow, and orange carrots at local markets. Eaten raw, steamed, roasted, boiled, or juiced, this is a versatile and healthy food you should be including in your diet.
Called the perfect health food, according to Healthline, carrots offer fiber, beta carotene, vitamin A, C, B6 and K1, potassium, antioxidants, and more. Here are five health benefits to eating carrots.
Helps Support Your Immune System
One large carrot offers 100 percent of your daily nutritional value of vitamin A, according to Health. This vitamin helps to protect you against illness as it assists in forming the mucous membranes in your body that obstruct germs. Carrots also contain vitamin C which helps you maintain a healthy immune system. instead of an apple a day, try a carrot a day.
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May Reduce Cancer Risk
Beta carotene is an antioxidant that is found in carrots, giving them their characteristic bright color, according to Healthline. When you eat carrots, your body converts this antioxidant into vitamin A, which is very important for your health.
Beta carotene may help to protect against stomach, colon, and prostate cancer. There is also a connection between reduced risk of breast cancer in women with high levels of carotenoids.
A Swedish study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed a reduced risk of gastric cancer in participants whose diet included vitamin A.
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Promotes Hydration
It is important to keep well hydrated in the summer. Carrots are actually 88 percent water by weight, according to Onlymyhealth. Munching on refreshing water-filled carrots in the summer heat could aid digestion and help maintain body temperature.
Carrots are one of the top foods to eat for dehydration, reported Insider. Hydration is health, so this summer when you are out in the heat, bring along a bunch of carrots!
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Support Heart Health
The potassium found in carrots may be beneficial to your heart health, according to Onlymyhealth. This mineral assists in regulating blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart diseases. The fiber in carrots may also help to lower cholesterol and protect against heart disease.
Additionally, red and purple carrots contain lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce risk of heart disease as well as cancer risk , according to Healthline. When selecting carrots, think color!
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May Improve Eye Health
Good vision is popularly associated with eating carrots. Once again, it is the vitamin A in carrots that is important, according to Health, specifically alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. In fact, a deficiency of vitamin A may lead to xerophthalmia, a condition associated with dry eyes and night blindness.
Yellow and orange carrots also contain the antioxidant lutein, which is important for eyesight, according to Healthline. A study published in Current Medical Research and Opinion shows that increasing lutein in your diet may lower your risk of developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.
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