3 Reasons to Go Coo Coo for Carrots

You more than likely have a bag of carrots sitting in your refrigerator at this very moment, and if you don’t, you should. Discover tasty ways to add this superfood to your meal plan with some of our best carrot recipes, and learn more about the health benefits of this healthful root below.

3 REASONS TO GO COO COO FOR CARROTS:

1. Carrots are an Excellent Source of Essential Vitamins
“Raw carrots are very low in saturated fat and cholesterol. They are also a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate and Manganese, and a very good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium.” (NutritionData.com)

One medium carrot has only 25 calories and a study done last year shows that eating carrots prior to a meal can increase the consumption of other veggies served at mealtime.

“Increasing the portion size of a vegetable served as a first course can be an effective strategy for increasing vegetable consumption in preschool children.” (Source)

And don’t forget what Mom always told you about carrots being good for your eyes. Few vegetables can compete with carrots in this respect. A half-cup serving of cooked carrots offers four times the RDA of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene!

2. Carrots Can Help You Fill Up on Fiber
Carrots are full of fiber, too! Since all that fiber helps fill you up, you’ll most likely eat less overall, so carrots can assist in weight loss.

3. Carrots Help Lower Cholesterol
A 1987 study from the USDA published in the “Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry” showed that soluble fiber may help lower blood-cholesterol levels by binding with bile acids that triggers cholesterol to be drawn out of the bloodstream to make more bile acids.

Try to purchase local carrots at a farmers market. Summer and fall are the best times to find the most nutrient-packed carrots (when they are in season). Try to get a mix of both cooked and raw carrots. The latter of which is actually more nutritious.