8 Wonderful Benefits And Uses Of Carrots (Gajar) - PharmEasy Blog

A carrot is an edible tuber crop with a range of health benefits. It is crunchy, delicious and a perfect source of beta-carotene, fibre and antioxidants. Here is some information about carrots that can help you know more about this versatile vegetable.

Carrot is a root vegetable that provides various health benefits, such as taking care of visual health, avoiding premature ageing, and strengthening the immune system. Let us discover 8 wonderful benefits of including carrots in your diet.

1. Improves Digestion

Carrot is rich in soluble and insoluble fibres such as pectin and cellulose. These nutrients help in combating constipation because they add bulk to the stool and stimulate natural bowel movements.

In addition to this, the fibres present in carrots also serve as food for the beneficial bacteria in the intestine, which in turn, maintains the intestinal flora and helps prevent diarrhoea and inflammatory problems in the intestine.

2. Balances Blood Sugar Level

Carrots have a low glycemic index of around 16 and 41. This helps balance blood sugar and promotes diabetes control. Besides, this vegetable only has limited natural sugars which makes its regular consumption suitable for even diabetics.

Furthermore, carrots are also rich in fibres that slow down the absorption of sugar from food leading to balanced insulin and blood glucose levels. As a result, you can manage insulin resistance and diabetes by adding carrots to your regular diet.

3. Helps in Weight Loss

This is one of the best carrot benefits for men, as being rich in fibres, like pectin, which forms a kind of gel in the stomach, carrot increases food digestion and prolongs satiety.

Likewise, carrots contain a low amount of carbohydrates and calories. Hence, adding carrots to your weight loss diet can be a good option.

4. Protects Vision

Carrot helps in promoting healthy vision because it has a good amount of lutein and zeaxanthin (carotenoids that protect eyes against damage from free radicals and ultraviolet rays from the sun).

Thanks to these two antioxidants, eating carrots can help prevent diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration, a disease which can lead to vision loss.

5. Boosts the Immune System

The Vitamin A present in carrots has a powerful antioxidant action that strengthens immunity and improves the response against pathogenic organisms, such as viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Moreover, carrot also contains falcarinol, a bioactive compound with antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties, which prevent the development and multiplication of cancer cells in the body.

6. Controls Blood Pressure

Rich in beta-carotene (compounds that act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories), carrots help in controlling blood pressure by facilitating blood circulation throughout the body.

On top of this, carrots also contain potassium, a mineral that helps eliminate excess sodium in the body through urine, preventing high blood pressure.

7. Helps Bones

The calcium, phosphorus and vitamin K present in carrots contribute to bone growth and improve bone density and health.

Integrating carrots into your diet can prove to be very helpful in building new bone tissues and preventing bone diseases, such as osteoporosis.

8. Beneficial for Skin

This is especially the best carrot benefit for women as we all know the importance of skincare in a woman’s life.

Carrots are a good source of beta-carotene, a compound that is transformed into vitamin A by the human body.

Vitamin A hydrates the skin and promotes healthy skin along with working as a natural moisturiser for the skin.

Regular consumption of carrots also helps in improving skin appearance and preventing skin diseases, like dry and scaly skin, wrinkles, acne, rash, dermatitis, and spots.

You can add carrots to your diet in different ways, you can eat them raw, boiled, cooked or in liquid form.

Here are some simplest ideas you can follow if you want to get carrot vitamins, minerals and other nutrients daily but do not want to spend extra time cooking.

Carrot Juice

Ingredients

• 250g carrots

• 100g celery

• 3-4 ice cubes

• 2 tbsp honey

Recipe

• Soak the carrots and celery in a bowl of water for 5 minutes.

• Take both the items out and wash them thoroughly.

• Take a juicer jar and put carrots and celery in it.

• Turn on the juicer and wait for 2 minutes.

• Now remove the lid of the jar and add ⅔ glass of water to it.

• Put the lid on and turn on the juicer again.

• Let the juicer run for 3-4 minutes.

• Stop the juicer, pour the juice into a glass, add honey and mix it well.

• Once done, your juice is ready to taste and you can now get all the benefits of drinking carrot juice for skin.

Carrot Salad

Ingredients

• 3 cups of carrot

• 6-7 coriander leaves

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 curry leaves

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 2-3 green chillies

• ⅓ tsp of pepper powder

• Salt to taste

Recipe

• Wash and chop/grate the carrots and chop the coriander leaves.

• Take a bowl and add carrots, coriander leaves and green chillies to it.

• Mix well and sprinkle salt and pepper powder on it.

• Add lemon juice and mix the salad again.

• Take a small pan, pour olive oil in it, and turn the stove on.

• Once heated, add mustard seeds and curry leaves in it.

• Wait for them to sputter and turn off the gas.

• Pour the oil on the salad and mix the items with a spatula and your salad is ready to serve.

Other Uses of Carrots

• Apart from the above-mentioned methods of using carrots, you can try the following dishes:

• Carrot/gajar halwa

• Carrot and ginger soup

• Carrot cupcakes

• Carrot pickles

Protecting your health by having a nutrient-filled diet is essential, but it is also necessary to be prepared for unexpected health emergencies.

Tata AIG offers health insurance policies that cover the needs of people who want to have a financial backup to deal with health-related issues.

It can be financially stressful and emotionally exhausting to manage all the treatment expenses on your own, for this reason, purchasing medical insurance is the option you must choose in advance.

If you are a senior citizen, or if someone in your family is above 61, then you should choose Tata AIG’s senior citizen mediclaim policy that is specifically made to meet the needs of senior citizens and covers inpatient treatment as well as pre and post-hospitalisation expenses.

Packed with several nutrients, carrots offer many benefits to the skin, eyes, heart and even immune system. This vegetable is very nutritious as it is a good source of vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin A and potassium.

Carrots are quite versatile, as they can be used raw, boiled, fried, steamed and in many other ways. Adding carrots to your diet is, undoubtedly, the best thing you can do for your internal as well as external health.

What happens if we eat carrots daily?

Regular consumption of carrots can improve your vision and the immune system. In addition, it also helps control blood pressure, balances glucose levels in the body and helps you lose weight.

Which acid is present in carrots?

Citric acid is found in carrots which contributes to its somewhat sour taste. Apart from this acid, carrots also contain succinic and isocitric acid but they are only present in insignificant amounts.

Are carrots good for hair?**

Yes. Carrots provide nutrients to the hair. Thanks to the presence of vitamins A and E in it, carrots increase blood circulation to your scalp, which in turn, promotes hair growth.

Can we eat carrots at night?

Absolutely yes. Carrots can be a delicious midnight snack that will satisfy your hunger along with providing many nutritional benefits to your body.

Disclaimer: This is a general guide on 8 Wonderful Benefits And Uses Of Carrots (Gajar). It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. It is advisable to consult a qualified health professional for treatment in severe cases.