Carrots

Carrots of botany are carried to family plants Umbrella. This biannual plant which root crop (actually vegetable) is formed in the first year of life. Carrots are widespread almost everywhere and include about 60 kinds of a plant.

Most likely, began to okulturivat carrots in Afghanistan, in the same place the richest variety of its subspecies is presented today. It is remarkable that before it was grown up not for the sake of a root crop, and thanks to the leaves and seeds having the expressed aroma. In the antique sources relating to the 1st century AD the first mentioning of the use of a root of carrots in the food purposes meets. Europe got acquainted with this vegetable in the 10-13th centuries. Initially carrots did not possess in color, usual for us. So, the doctor from Byzantium Simeon Sit in XI described yellow and its red grades. Only in the 17th century, in Holland, carrots of orange color for the first time appear.

In 1991 in the European Union countries carrots, according to the special resolution, acquired the status of fruit. The love of residents of Portugal (and after them and other countries) to carrots jam became the reason for such change. According to the European laws jam can be made only of fruit. To secure potential buyers against fakes, this resolution and was accepted.

Nutrition value and caloric content of carrots

It is difficult to revaluate advantage of vegetable, at the low caloric content of carrots the mass of the useful microelements, vitamins necessary for normal functioning of various systems of our body disappears in it.

Among vitamins which are contained by this vegetable the following has the greatest concentration: PP, B, E, C, K, and the carotene which is contained in carrots is capable to turn in an organism into vitamin A so necessary for us. At the same time its contents is so big that carrots are considered the champion among vegetables and fruit (conceding unless to a sea-buckthorn) by amount of the carotene which is contained in it. The daily need for this substance (6 mg) is completely satisfied at the use of 100-200 g of carrots a day. It is worth remembering, however, that synthesis of vitamin A from carotene is possible at enough bile and a healthy liver. It is also important to consider that this vitamin is better acquired together with fat. For this reason the dishes containing carrots should be filled with sour cream, vegetable oil or to use in combination with other rather fat food stuffs.

Besides, carrots abound with the content of mineral substances: potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, cobalt, zinc, iodine, nickel, fluorine, chrome. A peculiar smell gives it the content of essential oils.

In smaller concentration in carrots ascorbic and pantothenic acids, antotsianidina, flavonoids, amino acids – ornithine, a lysine, cysteine, threonine, methionine, tyrosine, a leucine, asparagine, a histidine and many others are presented.

Nutrition value of this sweetish vegetable is by the following ratio of food elements: proteins – 1,3 g, fats – 0,1 g, carbohydrates – 6,9 g. Caloric content of carrots does not exceed 32 Kcal on 100 g.

Useful properties of carrots

Thanks to the content of various vitamins and mineral substances carrots strongly take a place of honor of one of the most useful vegetables.

Beta carotene as a part of a product helps to improve work of lungs, besides, as it was noted above, in an organism it will be transformed to vitamin A which serves as prophylactic at a night blindness, and also promotes improvement of visual acuity and strengthening of a retina of an eye. In this regard carrots are especially recommended to reception to persons, the suffering conjunctivitis, short-sightedness, blepharites and bystry fatigue.

The advantage of carrots is also invaluable at diseases like an anemia, bronchitis, and also at some skin and cardiovascular diseases. Besides, the use of carrots helps wounds to drag on quicker.

The vitamin structure of carrots allows to use it for reduction of level of cholesterol in blood and as prevention of heart attacks. At the same time researches note decrease in level of cholesterol by 11% at those who daily consume 30 g of carrots above.

Scientists call beta carotene an effective remedy at fight against some kinds of cancer. At its daily consumption the risk of lung cancer is reduced by 40%. The advantage of carrots at prevention of cancer of rectum is also high at the expense of high content of cellulose in it. The probability of developing of this disease at the regular use of carrots is reduced by 24%. At last, there are data according to which women whose food allowance included crude carrots are several times less subject to breast cancer, than those that carrots were not eaten.

The advantage of carrots at diabetes is caused by existence in it of carotinoids which reduce sugar level in blood.

Carrots make salutary impact on a condition of intestines and a stomach, and also are a fine purgative.

Harmful properties of carrots

Of course, useful properties of carrots prevail over harmful, however in certain cases the use of this product can cause unpleasant effects.

Harm of carrots is not really expressed and depends on the quantity eaten. So, at the unlimited use of the most tasty juice of this vegetable side effects in the form of the increased drowsiness, a headache, slackness, vomiting are possible.

At inflammatory diseases of a small bowel and ulcers harm of carrots is also more expressed, than advantage. In such cases it is necessary to lower a use dosage considerably.

Sometimes the love to carrots or carrot juice can play a dirty trick. The carotene which is contained in it is acquired in strictly certain dosages. If the recommended daily doses are broken, the excess use will surely affect outward of palms and a foot – they will get a characteristic orange shade. Carrots are capable to do similar harm also to enamel of teeth which is also subject to coloring.