The Nutritional Value Of Carrot

Common name: Carrot

Botanical name: Daucus carota

The carrot is widely known as a vegetable that is easy to grow, delicious and highly nutritious.
Both adults and children like carrots because of
its crunchy texture and sweet taste. The tap-root of this vegetable is the edible part and it is considered to be nutritious and good for health.
It is a rich source of many different nutrients
such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, iron,
etc. The chemical known as (beta-carotene) makes carrot an important food source in fighting several health problems.

••              Nutritional Value in Carrots

Carrot comprises of the following nutrients,
which are very good for the body.

• Beta carotene (converted into Vitamin A by the body)

• Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha
Tocopherol) and Vitamin B (Thiamin, Riboflavin,
Vitamin B6, Folate, Niacin).

• Minerals like Potassium and Manganese

• Sodium, Fluoride and Phosphorus

• Iron, Zinc and Copper

• Selenium and Calcium

• Carbohydrates and Protein

• Biotin and Thiamine

Here is some information on the nutritional
value of carrots and health/nutrition benefits of eating them:

1. Prevent heart diseases:

Research has shown that a diet high in carotenoids is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. A study that examined the diets of 1,300 elderly persons in Massachusetts found that people who had at
least one serving of carrots and/or squash each
day had a 60 percent reduction in their risk of
heart attacks compared to those who ate less
than one serving of carotenoid-rich foods per
day.

2. Prevent cancer:

Several studies have shown that eating carrots can lower the risk of cancers of breast, lung and colon. Recently, researchers have isolated a compound called falcarinol in carrots that may be largely responsible for their anticancer benefits.

Falcarinol is a natural pesticide found in carrots that protects carrots from fungal diseases. In the human diet, carrots are virtually the only source of this compound. A
study conducted on rats found that those fed
with either falcarinol or raw carrots had one-
third lower risk of developing colon cancer than rats not fed with them.

3. Aids in diabetes:

Carrot is good for blood sugar regulation because of the presence of carotenoids in carrot. A study at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health tested 4,500 people over 15 years and found that those with the highest levels of carotenoids in their blood
had about half the diabetes risk of those with
the least.
However, as carrots have high glycemic
index and can raise blood sugar levels, they
should be consumed by diabetics in moderation after consulting with their doctor.

4. Improves vision:

The retina of the eye needs vitamin A to function; a deficiency of vitamin A causes night blindness. Carrots are rich in beta- carotene, which gets converted into vitamin A in the liver. In the retina, vitamin A is transformed
into rhodopsin, a purple pigment that is
necessary for night-vision. Additionally, beta-
carotene’s antioxidant properties help protect
against macular degeneration and the
development of senile cataracts. Researches
found that people who ate the most Beta-
carotene had a forty percent lower risk of
macular degeneration compared with those who consumed the least.

5. Reduces risk of stroke:

Many studies have strengthened the "carrot effect" on brain.
According to a research results from Harvard
University, people who eat more than five carrots a week are much less likely to suffer a stroke than those who eat only one carrot a month.
6. Good source of fiber:

Carrots contain rich amounts of fiber which is very essential for digestion of food consumed in the body.
However, the fiber in carrots can trap the beta-
carotene, making it difficult for your body to
extract. By cooking them slightly, you free the
beta-carotene from the fiber, which allows your body to absorb it better.

7. Anti ageing:

Carrots contain tons of beta- carotene, which works as an antioxidant that helps the body to combat cell damage done to the body by impurities in the bloodstream and the like such as chemicals or even oxygen. It also slows down the ageing of cells and various negative impacts associated with ageing.

8. Skin benefits:

Beauty conscious people are using it for decades as a way to enhance beauty of skin. Carrot juice has powerful cleansing properties that are effective in detoxifying the liver, thus overall effective for acne which are caused by toxicity of the blood. Carrot juice is also helpful for treating uneven skin tones due
to pigmentation.

••  Should carrots be eaten raw or cooked?

Of course, raw carrots are a great snack. But, raw carrots have tough cellular walls which make less beta-carotene available to the body. The availability of beta-carotene can be improved by cooking them. The cooking process breaks down their tough cell walls, which releases beta- carotene.
However, avoid overcooking to minimize
nutrient loss. Steaming is your best bet for
cooking carrots.

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Nutritional facts Of Palm Oil

• Calories and Vitamins

Palm oil, like all other oils and fats, provides 9
kcal g-1 compared with 4 kcal each for protein
and carbohydrates (1 kcal = 4.18 kJ). Fats are
also a source of vitamin A, D and E and act as
carriers of these and of vitamin K in the human
body. Crude palm oil is a rich source of pro-
vitamin A, in the form of carotenoids (500-700
mg kg-1), and refined red palm oil is used for
the treatment and prevention of vitamin A
deficiency in many countries.

• Digestibility

It has been shown long ago that there is no
significant difference in the digestibility of
different fats; only those with very high melting point (above 50°C) exhibiting somewhat lower digestibility. It has also been shown that it is the melting point of the whole fat that matters -not its individual components.

Fats, of course, enrich the flavour, taste and
texture of food and make it more palatable.
Unsaturation and Essential Fatty Acids Palm oil is a balanced oil containing equal amounts of saturated and unsaturated acids (Table 34). Its component fatty acids consist of approximately:
50% saturated (mainly palmitic acid);
40% monounsaturated (mainly oleic acid); and
10% polyunsaturated.

Palmitic acid, though saturated, is neutral and
does not raise blood cholesterol level. The
polyunsaturated fatty acid content in palm oil is linoleic acid [C18:2 (n-6)], which is essential in human and animal nutrition.

• Cholesterol

Like all vegetable oils, palm oil is virtually
cholesterol-free. Cholesterol, being a product of animal metabolism, is present in varying
amounts in animal fats (e.g. butter 3150 mg
kg-1, lard 3500 mg kg-1, beef fat 1100 mg kg-1), but is virtually absent in oils and fats of
vegetable origin.

•• DISEASES OF AFFLUENCE

The greatest killer diseases of present times,
especially in the developed countries, are heart disease and cancer. Both of them are influenced to varying extents by diet and so the role of fats in this respect is discussed at greater length below.

Palm Oil and Cardiovascular Disease Palm oil, being composed of equal proportion of
saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with a
sufficient amount of essential fatty acid, is easily digested and absorbed. Human clinical studies have shown that it does not raise serum cholesterol levels, and in this respect, it is comparable to olive and canola oils.
MPOB and other researchers have reviewed the effects of the major fatty acids in palm oil and found that they had no hypercholesterolemic effects.

On the contrary, a diet containing palm oil increases the HDL-cholesterol, thereby reducing the LDL-C/ HDL-C ratio. This observation has been confirmed by reports of normal plasma cholesterol levels and low incidence of coronary heart disease in populations consuming palm oil on a daily basis.

Antioxidants in Palm Oil Free radicals have been implicated in heart disease and the oxidation of LDL-C, and lipids enhance the development of atherosclerosis.

Peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acid
generates free radicals. Antioxidants in palm oil like the carotenoids and vitamin E can neutralize free radicals and so prevent the oxidation of LDL- C. Recently, there has been a recommendation for an increased intake of antioxidants as a way of reducing the incidence of atherosclerosis and ischaemic heart disease.

• Trans Fatty Acids

Trans fatty acids are produced during the
industrial hydrogenation of oils, particularly
those with large proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids. They are now recognized as a significant risk factor for coronary artery disease since they are associated with the increased total and LDL-cholesterol, and reduced HDL- cholesterol levels.

The use of palm oil for margarine and shortening formulations helps to reduce the level of, or even eliminate trans fatty acids and the associated risks to health, besides eliminating costly hydrogenation.

Following the mandatory labeling of trans fatty acid in some countries, palm oil, which is naturally semi-solid at room temperature, has been considered as one of the most suitable replacements for hydrogenated fats in many food formulations.

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Garlic Overview

Garlic is an herb. It is best known as a flavoring
for food. But over the years, garlic has been
used as a medicine to prevent or treat a wide
range of diseases and conditions. The fresh clove or supplements made from the clove are used for medicine.

Garlic is used for many conditions related to the heart and blood system. These conditions
include:
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• coronary heart disease 
• heart attack, and
• “hardening of the arteries” ( atherosclerosis).

Some of these uses are supported by science.
Garlic actually may be effective in slowing the
development of atherosclerosis and seems to be able to modestly reduce blood pressure .

Some people use garlic to prevent colon cancer, rectal cancer , stomach cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer , and lung cancer. It is also used to treat prostate cancer and bladder cancer.
Garlic has been tried for treating an enlarged
prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia; BPH),
diabetes , osteoarthritis , hayfever (allergic
rhinitis), traveler's diarrhea, high blood pressure late in pregnancy (pre-eclampsia), cold and flu.

It is also used for building the immune system,
preventing tick bites , and preventing and
treating bacterial and fungal infections.

Other uses include treatment of fever, coughs,
headache, stomach ache, sinus congestion, gout, rheumatism, hemorrhoids , asthma, bronchitis, shortness of breath, low blood pressure, low blood sugar, high blood sugar, and snakebites. It is also used for fighting stress and fatigue, and maintaining healthy liver function.

Some people apply garlic oil to their skin to treat fungal infections, warts, and corns. There is some evidence supporting the topical use of
garlic for fungal infections like ringworm, jock
itch, and athlete’s foot; but the effectiveness of
garlic against warts and corns is still uncertain.

There is a lot of variation among garlic products sold for medicinal purposes. The amount of allicin, the active ingredient and the source of garlic’s distinctive odor, depends on the method of preparation. Allicin is unstable, and changes into a different chemical rather quickly.

Some manufacturers take advantage of this by aging garlic to make it odorless. Unfortunately, this also reduces the amount of allicin and
compromises the effectiveness of the product.

Some odorless garlic preparations and products may contain very little, if any, allicin. Methods that involve crushing the fresh clove release more allicin. Some products have a coating (enteric coating) to protect them against attack by stomach acids.

While garlic is a common flavoring in food, some scientists have suggested that it might have a role as a food additive to prevent food poisoning.
There is some evidence that fresh garlic, but not aged garlic, can kill certain bacteria such as E. coli, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella enteritidis in the laboratory.

How does it work?

Garlic produces a chemical called allicin. This is
what seems to make garlic work for certain
conditions. Allicin also makes garlic smell.

Some products are made “odorless” by aging the garlic, but this process can also make the garlic less effective. It’s a good idea to look for
supplements that are coated (enteric coating) so they will dissolve in the intestine and not in the stomach.

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