Ever since ancient times, the beneficial properties of carrots have been known. The chemical composition of the orange vegetable will delight not only people leading a healthy lifestyle, but also professionals - nutritionists. The very color of carrots is able to cheer you up, because orange is the color of the sun and is associated with positive. But first things first.
Interesting facts from history
For the first time, a vegetable such as carrots was grown in what is now called Afghanistan about 5 thousand years ago. It was not an ordinary orange root crop, which, if desired, everyone can see in his kitchen. In those days, carrots were purple, yellow and white. Surprisingly, it was grown for medicinal purposes, as it helped against various diseases. Only much later did carrots begin to be consumed as a regular product.
Curious to know
The healers of Russia mixed carrots with honey and used it as a medicine. Thanks to honey, root crops retained useful properties for a long time and, together with it, fought well with various diseases.
A variety of orange carrots was bred artificially in the 16th century in the Netherlands. For this, yellow and red varieties were crossed. A century later, another type of carrot of orange color appeared under the name "carrot". Since then, this root crop has spread widely throughout Europe.
Carrot traditions of the world
In France, local culinary masters invented a unique carrot sauce, which today is considered a delicacy. Only the best chefs in the restaurant business can cook it.
In England, local fashionistas came up with the idea of decorating hats with carrot leaves, making them look bright and fragrant.
The real carrot capital is Holtville - a city in the United States. Every year in February they organize the Carrot Festival, which lasts for a week. Among local girls, the queen is determined. People put on special clothes similar to carnival costumes and walk around the city in it. Competitions are also held to prepare delicious carrot delicacies, and many more interesting things happen in the American town during the holiday.
A wealth of nutrients
Speaking about the benefits of carrots, the chemical composition of which is quite wide, it should be noted that it contains the following minerals in the greatest amount:
- magnesium;
- potassium;
- sodium;
- calcium;
- zinc;
- iron.
Among the vitamin composition of the root, vitamins C, E, K, B can be distinguished. But most of all in the orange vegetable is beta-carotene, which, after entering the human body, is transformed into vitamin A. It is thanks to it that carrots are known for their ability to maintain vision at the required level.
Separately, it is worth highlighting such a species as yellow carrots.
Benefit and harm, chemical composition
The main difference between yellow carrots and orange is its ability to fight diseases of the cardiovascular system. Scientists from the Netherlands came to this conclusion. They divided all vegetables and fruits into groups depending on their color: white, green, yellow-orange and violet-red. After that, the ministers of science conducted an experiment, which showed that people who added 25 g of carrots to their daily diet complained much less of heart disease. Moreover, the carrot of the yellow color had the most positive effect.
How many calories
One medium carrot contains 25 kcal, 6 g of carbohydrates and 2 g of fiber. If you eat only one root vegetable per day, this will significantly increase the supply of vitamin A in the body, since carrots contain it 200% more than the normal intake required by humans.
Healthy lifestyle people really appreciate a product like carrots. The chemical composition and nutritional value of the vegetable meet all their expectations. In addition to many vitamins and minerals, this root crop is only 32 kcal per 100 grams. The same amount of carrots contains:
- 0.1 g of fat;
- 1.3 g of protein;
- 6.9 g of carbohydrates.
Curious facts
Carrots perfectly clean tooth enamel, so it can be used instead of a toothbrush. It is enough to gnaw the root crop. In addition, such a “chewing” massage will favorably affect the gums and prevent the occurrence of periodontal disease and caries.
The chemical composition of fresh carrots also includes essential oils. It is because of them that she has such a specific aroma. It is oils that are necessary for a person to feel healthy and in a good mood. In addition, they perfectly fight stress, strengthen the nervous system as a whole and help restore strength after prolonged illnesses.
Fresh or Boiled
The chemical composition of boiled carrots is somewhat different from the composition of raw root crops. This is due to the fact that vegetables that have not undergone heat treatment contain hard fiber, which does not allow nutrients to pass through. In addition, the human stomach is difficult to digest. But if you boil the vegetable, the cell walls become softer, so that all vitamins and minerals are released from the "conclusion".
American scientists have found that boiled root crops contain three times more antioxidants than raw. In addition, the chemical composition of boiled carrots includes phenols, which prevent senile diseases.
Do you know that ...
The longest carrots that a person grew were 5.75 m.
The largest weight of the root crop in history was 8.611 kg.
Can a vegetable do harm
When it comes to carrots, the chemical composition of which will please any doctor, it seems that this vegetable has no shortcomings and is not able to negatively affect the body. However, it is not.
As in any business, there must be a middle ground. If you overdo it, for example, with the intake of carrot juice, this will undoubtedly affect the general state of health. A person may feel drowsiness, pain in the head, lethargy.
Oversaturation of the body with carrots can lead to skin irritation. The color of the epidermis will help to understand that carrots are to blame - it will have a yellow-orange hue. In medicine, this disease is called carotinemia. The most pronounced areas of the disease are the palms and feet.
Who is forbidden to eat carrots
Orange vegetable has a number of contraindications. So, carrots can not be eaten during an exacerbation of an ulcer, urolithiasis, and also during inflammatory processes of the small intestine.