Vitamins In Carrots
More Vitamins In Carrots Than In Most Things You Eat
There are a number of different vitamins in carrots though we usually hear most about vitamin A. This isn't unusual, as carrots provide us with one of the richest sources available for this important vitamin. A cup of fresh carrots will give you most if not all of your recommended daily requirement for vitamin A. If Bugs Bunny is to be taken as a role model, he is usually portrayed as being in the best of health, clever, quick, and presumably has excellent eyesight. Bugs should probably be considered a folk hero as many young children have taken a liking to carrots because of him. Of course Bugs could have a bit of a devious side to him at times, but that probably had little to do with the ever-present carrot.
Which Vitamins Are Found In Carrots? - We all know that vitamins are essential to our good health. We may be most familiar with vitamin C, found in so many fruits and vegetables, and of course the "sunshine vitamin", vitamin D. Vitamin B is a little more difficult to understand because there seem to be so many different kinds of vitamin B. In fact, it is more correctly called the vitamin B complex. Vitamins E and K are also considered to be important, although we may not know too much about either. As far as what the vitamins in carrots are, we've just named them.
Why The Vitamins In Carrots Are Important - If the vitamins in carrots only consisted of vitamin A, it would still be an excellent vegetable to have as part of any diet. Vitamin A is essential to good eyesight, in fact a deficiency of vitamin A in our system can be a cause of poor night vision. Our skin also needs vitamin A to maintain its flexibility and softness. A lack of vitamin A can lead to, or at least encourage, a number of skin disorders. Extra vitamin A is also needed by women who are pregnant or nursing, and adding a daily glass of carrot juice, or carrot juice mixed in with other juices is often recommended in these situations.
Vitamin B, the vitamin complex is essential to the metabolic functions in our bodies. A cup of raw carrots will provide approximately 10% of the recommended daily allowances for three of the B vitamins, vitamins B1 (thiamine), B3, and B6. A cup of carrots also provides a whopping 20% of our daily requirement for vitamin C, which we need to fight off infections, and is so important in the proper functioning of our liver, kidneys, and urinary tract. Vitamins K and E are important for proper clotting of the blood and healthy tissues, respectively.
A Dangerous Illness - A favorite vegetable, or any food item for that matter, is often promoted as being good for what ails you. The carrot is no exception, and the presence of a generous supply of vitamins in carrots is a proven fact. Eating carrots is not guaranteed to cure illness, though carrots may help prevent certain illnesses (with an emphasis on the word help). One interesting study was conducted not long ago regarding the relationship between carrots and emphysema. It was discovered that there was a definite correlation between smokers who ate carrots regularly and those who did not, as far as contracting emphysema was concerned. One of the nutrients in carrots, vitamin A to be specific, appears to counter certain effects of cigarette smoke which lead to a vitamin A deficiency. The vitamin A deficiency win turn can contribute to the onset of emphysema. A lower percentage of smokers who ate carrots developed emphysema than was the case for those who did not eat carrots regularly. If you are a smoker, a daily ration of carrots may aid in keeping emphysema at bay, though quitting smoking is really a better idea.
Smoker or not, carrots should be a regular part of anyone's diet. Bugs says so.