Imagine yourself up early on a cold morning of the winter season, and your table is ready with a cozy hot breakfast meal complimented with freshly churned carrot juice. Carrots can also be a part of your meals variously throughout the day besides being an amazing breakfast companion.

This article is all dedicated to carrots – their health benefits, the use as medicine, and their weight loss properties.

Carrots are great foods offered by Mother Nature. They do wonders to our body in several different ways. For weight watchers, this food can be a big deal. If you want to learn more about how carrots can help you in getting rid of those extra pounds, do stay with us!

NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF CARROTS

Carrots are about eighty percent water and contain hardly any fats. Therefore, you get ample amounts of juice when you churn this orange health-booster.

For a medium-sized carrot weighing around 61g, its nutritional composition is as follows:
● 1.7 gm of fiber
● 0.9 gm of proteins
● 5.8 gm of carbs
● 25 calories
● 0.4 mcg of vitamin E
● 8.1 mcg of vitamin K
● 11.6 mcg of folate
● 3.6 mg of vitamin C
● 20.1 mg of calcium
● 509 mcg of vitamin A
● 195 mg of potassium

WHAT ARE PURPLE CARROTS?

Carrots come in multiple shades of purple and orange. Purple or red carrots are mainly native to the country of Afghanistan. It is said that carrots were originally, and mostly, purple in color back in the times before the 17th century.

It wasn’t until the late 16th century when the Dutch people grew orange carrots using mutant strains of the original thing. This theory is, however, still vague in terms of how carrots transition from mostly purple to mostly orange over the years.

The purple color is imparted by anthocyanin. Anthocyanin, just like beta-carotene, is a powerful antioxidant. However, purple carrots carry a taste that is somewhat different to that of the orange variety. Despite being sweet as honey, they have an additional peppery taste which you may, or may not appreciate. The peppery flavor can also be subtle enough and many would not notice it.

All carrots are packed with significant levels of antioxidants, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin b, and vitamin C, irrespective of their color. Purple carrots have a bit more of the antioxidants due to abundant anthocyanins and that is the most prominent nutritional difference between the two breeds.

HOW DO CARROTS HELP IN WEIGHT LOSS?

Wondering are carrots good for weight loss? As a matter of fact, by being a part of your regular diet, carrots can train your body into losing weight in a healthy manner. Exercising, when coupled with a controlled and modified diet, can aid you in achieving your goal even faster.

Below explains how carrots can cause the body to shred some pounds.

Fiber in diet has always been a great source of energy, body-cleansing, and weight loss. Doctors emphasize the use of vegetables and fruits as much as possible in our daily meal intake. A cup of raw carrots serves up to four grams of fiber. On the other hand, eight ounces of carrot juice contain 1 gram of fiber.

Fiber helps in weight loss by adding bulk to the stool. It also imbibes the unnecessary, non-absorbable cholesterol wandering in the blood and drives it out of the body, thus reducing the unwanted fatty acid load.

Vitamin C makes an integral part of most of the oxidative mechanisms in our body. It aids in cleansing the blood from toxic substances and free-radical species, thus, promoting health generally. But what does it have to do with weight loss?

Well, research shows that vitamin C is inversely related to body weight. People having competent levels of vitamin C in blood can oxidize 30% more fat with moderate exercises. Hence, a bowl of chopped carrots or a glass of carrot juice daily in the morning can supplement your exercise.

Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene which converts to vitamin A in the body. Ever thought what contributes to the orange color of carrots? Well, beta-carotene is a preceder to vitamin A, and is responsible for imparting orange, yellow and red color to fruits and vegetables.

Having a cup of raw carrots can load your body with 408% of the daily value. It is a proven fact that carotene controls fatty tissue function. These compounds have been observed to control adiposity; thus, aid in reducing obesity. Vitamin A has other health benefits as well, such as, it is associated with improved vision and a glowing, blemish-free skin.

As discussed earlier, carrots are also a good source of calcium. Calcium has a lot to do with bone and cartilage health. It also controls the heart rhythm and rate. But it does not just end here.

Study data reveals that meals deficient in calcium and an increased body mass go together. Theories suggest that calcium has something to do with the kinetics of fatty tissue. Hence, if you are on a portion-control, it is essential that you take adequate amounts of daily calcium intake in the form of dairy products and vegetables. The recommended amount for daily intake of calcium in adults is 1000mg.

Carrots contains great amounts of water. Having a glass of carrot juice daily means loading your body with a burst of vitamins, minerals, fiber, as well as water. As we already know, water forms the base of life. Most of the functions in our body are water-dependent, even at the cellular levels.

The fat burning process won’t carry on effectively in the absence of proper hydration. Water accelerates the process of breakdown of fats and lipids. Moreover, having a glass of carrot juice before a meal can also naturally shrink your appetite a little bit.

Obesity, if combated at molecular levels, can be way more beneficial and convenient as compared to vigorous diet plans and exercise to shred extra fat. This can be achieved by making micro-nutrients a regular part of our diet.

Lycopene is a carotenoid present in carrots and tomatoes. Studies have found that this powerful antioxidant is also an anti-obesity agent. It prevents the accumulation of lipids in fatty tissue, thus preventing obesity

Anthocyanins are phytochemicals, loaded with various health benefits. They contain antioxidant properties and are found in the dark species of carrots. From research studies, it has been found that these compounds can affect the regulation of amino acids, glucose, and fats. They can produce certain changes in the fat tissue at cellular levels which in turn can help prevent obesity.
Consuming carrots also improves insulin sensitivity. Its role has also been studied against several metabolic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

Supplementing your diet with carrots as salads, fruit punch and appetizers will ensure that lesser calories are going down your gut. A cup of raw, crunchy carrots (128 grams) makes up around 51 calories only. This would roughly be a mere three percent of your daily caloric intake if you are restricted to 1500 calories a day

HOW TO CONSUME CARROTS IN A DIET FOR WEIGHT LOSS?

One can avail maximum benefits out of carrots by eating them raw and fresh. However, if that is not how you prefer, then you may try out the following methods:

To intensify the nutritional value of your weight-loss diet, you can add other fruits to the pure carrot extract. To make your detox, here is what you need to do:
Take four to five carrots and some coriander leaves. Add these to a juicer and strain the extract. Add some black pepper as per your taste. Consume one cup of detox daily.

You can also make use of the evergreen ABC (apple, beetroot, and carrot) juice if the typical detox doesn’t amuse you much.

If you are more of a savory-kind of person, then carrots can make an ideal vegetable to add to your soup. Raw fresh vegetables when peeled, cut, and boiled, can make some delicious soup.

You can add your favorite spices to the dish. You can also add chicken or boil the vegetable in chicken broth to experience an enhanced taste.

A unique connection between weight watchers and salads is that they just love salads! If you are a salad person, then carrots can conveniently become a part of your meal.

The famous ‘carrot-avocado’ salad can be a bonus in supporting your weight loss, as avocado is an ideal food for fighting obesity as well besides carrots. The combination contains mono-saturated fats which supplements the body with energy and doesn’t add to the body weight.

For an enhanced taste, you can roast carrots in the oven. Add some chilli flakes, garlic cloves and olive oil to make your salad more appetizing.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Vegetables should be a part of your diet every day. You must try using different vegetables in your food to make sure that your body is rewarded with all the micronutrients it needs to run cellular functions effectively.

Carrots can help you enormously in attaining a healthy body weight. Daily intake of at least a cup of carrots or eight ounces of fresh carrot juice along with routine exercises and portion-control can speed up the fat burning process. However, it is important to understand that excessive intake or any diet adjustment must be first reviewed by a certified nutritionist and your nearby treating doctor to rule out any medical complication that might occur with dieting.