PROTEIN CONTENT IN CARROTS

How Much Protein is Present in Carrots?
Vegetables including carrots are generally touted as basic food items to be included in the daily diet plan. They are rich sources of vitamins, carbs, trace minerals and antioxidants, all of which are essential for staying healthy and fit in the long run. On top of these, the low calorie, low cholesterol and low fat foods consist of mainly fresh vegetables and fruits. Thus, veggies form the bulk of healthy eating and raw diet plan. Also, they are incorporated in many therapeutic diets, such as the calorie restriction diet, no fat diet and low sodium diet amongst others.

The health benefits of carrots are really impressive, especially in terms of improving eyesight, boosting digestive health and reducing weight. But the queries are about amount of protein in carrots, and whether we can use carrots in high protein diet or not. Generally speaking about the protein content in carrots, these root veggies along with majority of the vegetables are not sufficient enough to provide recommended amounts of protein (46 g per day required for adult women and 56 g daily for adult men). Yes, they do contain proteins, but in minimum quantities.

The amount of protein content in 1 cup serving size of raw, chopped carrots is approximately 1.1 g, whereas 100 g of raw carrots yield 0.6 g proteins. As far as protein in baby carrots (raw) is concerned, serving 85 g of the same gives 0.5 g protein. In short, baby carrots and matured carrots contain nearly the same amount of proteins. The proteins, isolated from carrots, are not of high quality or complete protein type. In other words, these root vegetables do not provide all the essential amino acids that we require to ensure normal functioning of the body processes.

Carrots should be a part of the diet plan, both for vegetarians and non-vegetarians to reap their nutrients. But baby carrots and matured carrots are not the type of foods, which we should rely on for getting proteins. To be precise, the protein content in carrots is low. Thus, to get the recommended amount, supplementation of other protein rich food items is a necessity. The choices include tofu, soybeans, dried beans, pulses, other seeds and nuts, dark green veggies (broccoli, spinach, asparagus), milk, dairy products, grains, eggs, poultry products and lean meat.

Carrots Calories and Nutrition Facts
Serving 1 cup of carrots is equivalent to providing 52 calories, which is definitely not a subject to worry about. Although maximum calories are contributed by sugar, there is no major health concern with inclusion of carrots in the daily diet plan. Like other highly pigmented, dark green or yellow veggies, carrots contain high amounts of beta carotene. The beta carotene serves as provitamin A and gets converted to vitamin A inside the body. Other nutrients present in carrots are carbohydrates, vitamins B1, B6, C and K, folate, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus. You can learn more on carrots nutritional value.