Are carrots good for you?

Crunchy and sweet, carrots are a popular snack for kids and adults. But meal plans like South Beach and keto make some dieters wonder if the sugar content is too high.[br /][br /]Consumer Reports gets to the root of the question: are carrots good for you?[br /][Ads /][br /]We all know we should eat our veggies, but when it comes to carrots, some people wonder if they're really good for you.[br /][br /]So we peeled back the layers to see what's inside. For one thing, Jack Algiere of the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture says they're packed with nutrition from bottom to top.[br /][br /]"Lots of beta-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, and Vitamin C, all very good for us. Not to mention fiber. About 15-percent of your daily need is in one cup of raw carrots," he said.[br /][br /]Jesse Hirsch, Consumer Reports Health & Food Editor said, "Fiber is just something that obviously you want a lot of in your diet and carrots are great."[br /][br /]And sure, they have more sugar than say Broccoli but it's not the kind you should be worried about since it's a naturally-occurring sugar.[br /][br /]"So that's an important distinction to make. It's not going to have the same effect as drinking a can of soda for instance. There are lots of health benefits as well. Vegetables like carrots have been shown to reduce cholesterol and may help lower blood pressure and even prevent stroke. Vitamin A and beta-carotene are also great for healthy eyes - protecting the cornea and reducing the risk of infection. But don't expect this superfood to have superpowers," said Hirsch.[br /][Ads /][br /]"It's not going to correct nearsightedness or make it so you can see in the dark or anything like that," he added.[br /][br /]Another reason this root veggie is this the whole package? You can eat the whole carrot -- including the greens.[br /][br /]Algiere said, "They are not great to eat as a salad fresh but they can be cooked down and made into great dips."][br /][br /]James O'Donnell, a food educator at Stone Barns, suggests making them into a pesto, use the greens to replace basil.[br /][br /]So crunch away. Carrots get the green light on being good for you.[br /][Ads /][br /]Of course, everything in moderation. You don't want to be eating carrots all day, every day.[br /][br /]The beta-carotene has been shown to give your skin a healthy glow but eating too many carrots can also make your skin look a little orange.[br /][br /]------[br /][b][url HREF="http://6abc.cm/2BucH0r" TARGET="blank" REL=""]Send a News Tip to Action News[/url][/b][br /][b][url HREF="http://6abc.cm/2Gcv09s" TARGET="blank" REL=""]Learn More About 6abc Apps[/url][/b]