What is useful for carrots for men's health?

Carrots are one of those foods that should be present in the diet as often as possible, and not only as an additional ingredient in the dishes, but also as a stand-alone product. The whole thing is in the composition of carrots, which determines its useful properties. We can not fail to note the presence of this root crop at any time of the year, as well as availability in the price segment - carrots are one of the cheapest vegetables.

Composition and use of carrots

Its useful properties carrots are due primarily to the large content of beta-carotene in it - provitamin, which in the body turns into vitamin A.Beta-carotene is an antioxidant, and along with such micronutrients as vitamin C, E, selenium reduces the harmful effects of free radicals. Beta-carotene also has an immunostimulating effect.

The most striking symptom of prolonged vitamin A deficiency is niktalopiya( night blindness) - violation of twilight vision, when the ability to see in conditions of insufficient illumination disappears.

Carrots also contain other micronutrients, such as B vitamins, potassium and lycopene, another useful antioxidant, the highest amount of which is found in tomatoes and foods based on it.

Content of vitamins and minerals in 100 g of carrots:

Source nutritiondata.self.com

The positive effect of carrots has on:

• vision;
• antioxidant defense of the body( including anti-cancer protection);
• maintenance of vitamin and mineral balance;
• growth and development of the body;
• skin condition;
• function of the liver and kidney;
• cleanses the body of toxins and toxins.

How to remove from carrot the maximum benefit?

Despite the fact that this root vegetable is useful in all respects, there are some nuances of its consumption. This is due to poor assimilation of beta-carotene from carrots. The digestibility of beta-carotene from carrots increases with its grinding( 5% carotene is absorbed on a large grater, 20% on a small grater), and when animals or vegetable fats( sour cream, vegetable oil) are added, which increase digestibility by 60%.

To reduce the oxidation of beta-carotene in the body should ensure the normal intake of vitamin E.

Summing up the above, we get that for maximum assimilation of beta carotene from carrots should:

• grind the carrots on a fine grater;
• use carrots with animal or vegetable fats;
• ensure the intake of vitamin E( some vegetable oils contain a lot of tocopherol).

When carrots are cooked, the content of carotenoids in it decreases slightly, but the content of other antioxidants( anthocyanins, polyacetylenes, phenolic compounds) increases.

We consume carrots correctly - 2 recipes

Recipe 1

Grate the carrots on a small grater, add a little vegetable oil( eg olive oil) or sour cream. This is the easiest and fastest recipe. If you do not like it, you can add grated apple( on a large grater) and / or dried fruits( raisins, prunes, dried apricots) to the ready-made dish, before grinding them to the desired consistency. This option is longer in preparation, but has better taste qualities, and is also more useful by adding other useful ingredients.

Recipe 2

This recipe is suitable if you have a juicer. Freshly squeezed carrot juice is a concentrate of useful elements found in carrots, and has a pleasant and beloved taste.

To improve the taste characteristics of juice and its beneficial properties, it is better to use a combination of several ingredients. The most popular are:

• carrot-beet juice;
• carrot and apple juice;
• carrot-beet-apple juice;
• carrot and celery juice.

Speaking of carrot juice, we mean only freshly squeezed juice of our own preparation. Shop juices have nothing to do with natural fresh juice, and will rather harm your health, due to the high sugar content, preservatives, flavor enhancers, etc.

It is not necessary to fanatically approach the use of carrots, even despite all its benefits. One large or 1-2 medium carrots will be enough to maintain health. Long-term use of carrots can cause yellowing of the hands, face, which is not a dangerous condition, but only a cosmetic defect. However, it is worthwhile to reduce or stop the consumption of the vegetable for a while, until the skin color is normalized.

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