Are Baby Carrots as Healthful as Other Carrots?
What are baby carrots? The baby carrots you see in groceries are basically regular carrots cut or scaled down to smaller carrots. A regular carrot can usually produce at least 3 or 4 baby carrots.
According to Fox News, baby carrots sold in US supermarkets are usually just "baby cut carrots" which are usually bred to be smaller in diameter, sweeter and coreless,
Are baby carrots less nutritious than regular carrots? They also have the same nutrients but since baby carrots are almost half the size of regular carrots, they have less Vitamin A, a nutrient that is the result of the presence of beta-carotene in carrots. Baby carrots are reported to have 20% less Vitamin A than regular carrots, Live Strong reports.
Carrots are also a good source of Vitamin C. A cup of sliced carrots provide at least 12% of the daily needs of man. However, baby carrots are 55% lower in terms of Vitamin C than the larger carrots. Still, it can be a substitute source of Vitamin C.
At 14% of the regular serving of Vitamin K, baby carrots, compared to regular carrots, can still be considered a good source of this Vitamin.
Carrots also are good sources of potassium (a mineral responsible for keeping the minerals and fluids in your body balanced), providing 10% of the regular requirements when you eat a cup of the vegetable. However, baby carrots are 25% lower in potassium than the bigger variety. All you probably need is to eat more of the baby carrots to make up for the lower concentration of potassium.
Are baby carrots dangerous to your health because they are washed in chlorine, asked by a concerned reader at Dr. Weil. Dr. Weil said that it's true that they are washed initially in a mild solution of chlorine and water, but washed in potable water afterward. This is to remove any bacteria existing on the carrots. It is however, still eatable.
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