Daucus Carota often called a carrot is a vegetable belonging to the umbellifers family.

Often found in orange color, this root vegetable also occurs in red, black, purple, white, and yellow cultivars.

The carrot is claimed as the perfect and healthiest food available on this earth. It’s crunchy and juicy taste makes it hot favorites in kids.

Carrots are versatile in vitamins minerals and have a bundle of antioxidants in them. Here is the list of vitamins and minerals found in carrots and their health benefits:

Vitamin A:

Carrots are the excellent source of beta-carotene which has an antioxidant carotenoid that gets converted to vitamin A inside the human body.

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that increases body immunity, organ function, and eye health. Vitamin A also increases visual acuity to adjust your eyes in dimming light.

One cup of raw carrots gives 50 calories and 430% of the daily value for vitamin A and cooked carrots provide 530% of the recommended daily value per cup.

Vitamin K:

Carrots are a source of vitamin K a natural coagulant and may play a role in building healthy bones.

1 cup of raw carrots gives 21 % of the daily value for vitamin K and cooked carrots give 27 % of the recommended daily value of vitamin K.

Vitamin C:

Carrots provide vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin C helps in the tissue production that makes up your blood vessels, bones, teeth, gums, muscle, and skin.

Vitamin C provides immunity and helps in the absorption of iron. One cup of raw carrots gives 13% of the daily value for vitamin C and cooked carrots give 40 %, lower in vitamin C than the raw variety because vitamin C is water-soluble and gets degraded in heat.

Vitamin B-complex:

Carrots also provide vitamin B-complex. Vitamin B-complex plays an important role in our body by converting carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into energy, Vitamin B6 also helps to form proteins.

Thiamine helps in nerve and brain function, biotin plays an important role in protein and fat metabolism.

The raw form provides more vitamin B-complex as compared to cooked ones, other plant compounds present in carrots.

Beta-carotene:

Orange carrots are the rich source of beta-carotene. The cooked carrots provide up to 6.5 fold more of beta-carotene than raw carrots.

Alpha-carotene:

It is also an antioxidant present in carrot which is also converted into vitamin A.

Lutein:

Lutein is an antioxidant that is present in abundance in yellow and orange carrots. Lutein is important for eye health.

Lycopene:

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant found in abundance in red and purple carrots.

Lycopene fights against the free radicals responsible for cancer and other chronic diseases.

Polyacetylenes:

They are bioactive compounds found in carrots that help to protect against leukemia and cancer cells.

Anthocyanins:

They are the antioxidants found in dark-colored carrots.

Potassium:

Potassium found in abundance in carrots, this mineral helps in maintaining blood pressure.