How much sugar does carrot have? A question every carrot fan wants to know.
If you are diabetic, you can consume carrots in a small quantity, as long as you keep a check on your blood sugar level. Carrots are non-starchy vegetables; hence you can include them in your daily diet.
In today’s post, we will discuss the benefits of carrots for people with diabetes, its glycemic score, and how much this vegetable is rich in nutrients.
Can Carrots be the reason for Blood Sugar spikes?
People with diabetes think that they can’t have meals containing sugar. To some extent, this may be true, but it’s not always the case. They just have to maintain the glycemic index in their daily intake. They can eat low glycemic foods to cope up with diabetes. So, are carrots low on the glycemic index?
Carrot is rich in potassium, fiber, and vitamins K, C, and A. It also contains a significant amount of carbohydrates that may be the reason for the rise in blood sugar levels when people with diabetes consume them often. However, due to the low glycemic index, carrots aren’t probably the only reason for blood sugar spikes.
Carbohydrates
A cup of carrots contains 11.7 grams of carbs but the same amount of carrot slices contains 12.8 grams when they are cooked. If you are diabetic, you can take up to 15 grams of carrot in one serving.
However, diabetic patients must restrict themselves to have 60g of carbs in a day to keep their blood sugar level in control.
A medium-sized carrot can provide you 5.84g of carbohydrates, but it is not necessarily important that carrots are always low in carbohydrates as they come in different sizes and types.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for diabetic patients, the average carbohydrate intake should make up to 45% of their daily calorie intake.
In fact, keeping your carb intake in a healthy range, can prevent your body from getting blood sugar spikes. Otherwise, you may have to face severe diabetic complications such as stroke, kidney failure, heart diseases, and vision loss, etc.
Carotenoids
Carrots are also rich in carotenoids – a type of pigment. These compounds can usually be seen in yellow and orange vegetables and fruit. Also, a pigment found in a person’s eye consists of carotenoids that protects the retina against the complications a person might face from diabetic retinopathy.
According to a study, diets that contain alpha and beta carotenes, are useful in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Carrots, however, are a good source of carotene. There are 8,285 micrograms of beta and 3,477 micrograms of alpha-carotene in just 100 grams of carrots whether you consume them in raw form or cooked.
Sugar Issue
A medium-sized carrot contains 4.7g of sugar. If you are following a weight-loss diet, you may not include it in your daily diet. In most cases, weight-loss diet plans are based on the glycemic count, which measures the quantity of carbohydrate intake.
A consumer reporter Maxine Seigel has claimed that it is so difficult to classify carrots either as a vegetable with high sugar content or not. But the health benefits that the carrot provides actually outweigh any concerns about it being a vegetable with high carbohydrate concentration.
A medium-sized carrot contains 5 grams of fiber which satiate the need for 25% of your daily fiber need. Fiber that is considered to be a boon to your digestive concerns also works to slow down the process of sugar release in your body. This means that you will not be having sugar spikes but it may cause weight gain.
Cook them up
To get maximum benefits out of carrots, you must consume them in a cooked form. It helps your body to absorb all the nutrients quickly, especially carotenoids. Vegetable cells break down when they are cooked making the nutrients available to consume easily.
Don’t forget to take Greens
If you want to switch your diet, you must consider replacing the junk food with leafy greens and carrots.
Carrot tops are actually a good source of calcium, potassium, and protein. If consumed raw, it can taste a bit bitter. You can sauté it with green olives and salt to have a great taste.