Carrot: also known as red radish, the English name of radish is Red Radish

Characteristics: Carrot is a tap-root vegetable. In addition to cultivation, there are wild ones; there are red, purple, orange, Turmeric and other varieties. The sugar content of carrots is higher than that of ordinary vegetables. The sugar contained in carrots is sucrose, which is mostly absorbed directly by humans. It is rich in carotene, which is converted into vitamin A after ingestion into the human body. Carrots contain two vitamins, protein. , fat and some minerals.

Uses: Carrots are eaten as vegetables, can also be made into dried vegetables or processed into powder, and can also be used to pickle pickles and sauerkraut. The A vitamin contained in carrots can maintain the health of eyes and skin, and is also effective in treating rickets in children; carrots are also a traditional Chinese medicine and are often used as nutritional and stomachic agents; because of their good nutrition, carrots are known as "little ginseng", which can It can treat night blindness, malnutrition, loss of appetite, xerophthalmia, etc. Carrots contain "potassium succinate", which is an effective ingredient in lowering blood pressure.

Carrot is a home-cooked vegetable with crisp texture, delicious taste and rich nutrition. Li Shizhen praised it as the best among vegetables. The latest research by American scientists has confirmed that eating two carrots a day can reduce blood cholesterol by 10% to 20%; eating three carrots a day has a miraculous effect on preventing heart disease and tumors. A Dutch study found that older adults with a healthy diet containing beta-carotene had a lower risk of heart failure.

So, how should we eat carrots more reasonably? Everyone is not very clear. People's customary way of eating carrots is to eat them raw, cut into shreds and eaten cold with vermicelli, or cut into slices and stir-fried with other vegetables. As everyone knows, this is not in line with nutritional principles. Because the main nutrient in carrots is beta-carotene, which is present in the cell wall of carrots. The cell wall is made of cellulose and cannot be directly digested by the human body. The only way to break the cell wall is by chopping, cooking and chewing. , β-carotene can be released and absorbed and utilized by the human body.

Experiments show that if a pressure cooker is used for cooking, the preservation rate of β-carotene can be as high as 97% because the contact between carrots and air is reduced. Experiments also show that the digestion and absorption rate of β-carotene in the body is closely related to the amount of oil used in cooking. After cooking with sufficient cooking oil, the digestion and absorption rate of β-carotene in the body can reach 90%. Because β-carotene is a fat-soluble substance, it is only soluble in oil and insoluble in water.

Although carrots are rich in β-carotene, maintaining its nutrition and being able to be truly digested and absorbed by the human body has a great relationship with our eating and cooking methods. The scientific and reasonable way to eat carrots is: carrots should be cooked and eaten. There are two best cooking methods to maintain their nutrition. One is to cut the carrots into pieces, add seasonings, and stir-fry with enough oil; Cut the carrots into pieces, add seasonings, and stew them in a pressure cooker with pork, beef, mutton, etc. for 15 to 20 minutes. However, according to research by the Johns Hopkins Medical School in the United States, excessive carotene will affect the synthesis of progesterone in the ovary, reduce secretion, and some may even cause no menstruation, no ovulation, or menstrual disorders. Therefore, female friends should pay attention to the amount of consumption.