Carrots: health benefits of Germany’s second favorite vegetable
carrots are the second favorite after tomatoes vegetables Germans. Carrots score not only their delicious taste but also their many health benefits Ingredients – and they are low in calories.
In cold autumn, it is especially important to strengthen the immune system. To do this, we need to eat foods that are as nutritious as possible. One of them is particularly popular and local with Germans: the carrot!
Popular with young and old
With its refined taste, the carrot is appreciated by young and old, especially in Germany. Like the Federal Center for Food (BZfE) in a current context Message writes, according to the latest information from the statistics portal statista, an average of around 11.5 kilograms of carrots per inhabitant were consumed in Germany in the reporting period 2020/21.
This puts carrots in second place behind tomatoes as the most popular vegetable in Germany.
However, this statistic also includes the consumption of beets – aka beets. However, as their share in consumption is (still) low, this does not detract from the importance of carrots.
Rich in healthy nutrients
Carrots have one at 25 kilocalories per 100 grams low calorie and at the same time they are full of vitamins and minerals such as pectin, folic acid, magnesium, iron, manganese and copper. At 3.6 grams, the dietary fiber content is relatively high compared to other types of vegetables.
Carotenoids, which are converted into vitamin A in the body, are particularly valuable for health, according to the Public Health Portal Austria.Health.gv.at“. 9,820 micrograms is the highest value found among all common vegetables.
carotenoids color the carrot. Bright orange carrots therefore have a particularly high content of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.
Carotenoids have many health-promoting properties, including antioxidants. Particularly late or long-lived carrots contain pectin, a water-soluble dietary fiber, which swells in the digestive tract and, among other things, the digestion can promote.
As carotenoids are fat soluble, it is recommended to preparation Always add high quality cooking oil or shortening.
Mainly domestic production
The carrots offered in this country come mostly from Domestic production. Bunched carrots, washed carrots and stored carrots are, for example, offered.
Carrots grow best in vegetable drawer stored in the refrigerator. They usually stay here for at least seven to ten days. In principle, plastic packaging can significantly extend the shelf life, but if condensation has formed inside the packaging – which is very common – the risk of rotting and mold increases.
Then the outer packaging should be removed immediately. Because carrots sensitive to ethylene must be stored separately from apples, pears or tomatoes, otherwise they will age faster.
Versatile
Carrots are used in different ways in the kitchen: in salads, spreads, soups, various vegetable dishes or as a vegetable side dish with meat and fish. Carrots are also popular mashed or in juice, for example mixed with other fruits such as bananas or oranges.
In baked goods such as carrot cakes, muffins, and bread, carrots provide flavor and taste juiciness.
Carrots are often eaten raw as a snack or in a salad. However, the beta-carotene it contains can best be used in cooked, roasted, blanched or boiled form.
herbaceous leaves of the carrot plant can also be eaten, for example in soup or salad.
Carrots should be washed and scrubbed before being processed or eaten. the Peel should be eaten if possible, as there are many valuable ingredients directly below it. Only late carrots need to be peeled. (ad)
Author and source information
This text corresponds to the requirements of the specialized medical literature, medical guidelines and current studies and has been verified by health professionals.
Sources:
Federal Nutrition Center: Carrots and carrots: Germany’s second favorite vegetable (accessed: November 6, 2022), Federal Nutrition Center
Austrian public health portal “Gesundheit.gv.at”: carrots, (accessed: 06.11.2022), Health.gv.at
Important Note: This article contains general advice only and should not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. It cannot substitute a visit to the doctor.