Factcheck this: carrots are more nutritious cooked

Question

Someone told me that they read in consumer reports that carrots are healthier when cooked. Is it true?

Comments

Carrots, one of the most popular vegetables, have many health benefits. This vegetable is most recognizable in orange, but can even come in other colors like purple and yellow. Carrots are very good for the human body for many reasons. First, they help our eyes. Second, they can help prevent cancer and other serious diseases. As an antioxidant, carrots fight off harmful free radicals. Third, they can help our hearts and blood pressure, as they contain many vitamins and minerals, in specific, potassium, which helps maintain blood pressure. Lastly, carrots are good for us as they contain fiber, fiber helps one stay at a healthy weight, lowering chances of disease. As carrots have many benefits, many debate, how should they be cooked? Many enjoy eating carrots raw while others enjoy eating carrots cooked. But, the healthiest way to eat carrots is by cooking them. Consumer reports state, the human body has an easier time absorbing the carotenoids in carrots if you eat them cooked rather than raw (WebMd). According to Live In Home Care, “Researchers found that boiling carrots until tender increased the concentration of carotenoids by 14 percent.” Cooking breaks down the vegetable’s cell walls, making its nutrients more available. While carrots are more nutritious cooked, it is important to be mindful of how you cook them. Boiling vegetables can leach out nutrients, and what you cook them in can add calories. While some prefer raw carrots, if one is looking to eat a type of carrot with the most health benefits, they will choose a cooked carrot.


https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/benefits-carrots

https://www.liveinhomecare.com/vegetables-that-are-healthier-for-you-cooked-than-raw/gardening/#:~:text=Carrots%20provide%20more%20antioxidants%20when,of%20carotenoids%20by%2014%20percent.

Answer 1

Carrots, one of the most popular vegetables, have many health benefits. This vegetable is most recognizable in orange, but can even come in other colors like purple and yellow. Carrots are very good for the human body for many reasons. First, they help our eyes. Second, they can help prevent cancer and other serious diseases. As an antioxidant, carrots fight off harmful free radicals. Third, they can help our hearts and blood pressure, as they contain many vitamins and minerals, in specific, potassium, which helps maintain blood pressure. Lastly, carrots are good for us as they contain fiber, fiber helps one stay at a healthy weight, lowering chances of disease. As carrots have many benefits, many debate, how should they be cooked? Many enjoy eating carrots raw while others enjoy eating carrots cooked. But, the healthiest way to eat carrots is by cooking them. Consumer reports state, the human body has an easier time absorbing the carotenoids in carrots if you eat them cooked rather than raw (WebMd). According to Live In Home Care, “Researchers found that boiling carrots until tender increased the concentration of carotenoids by 14 percent.” Cooking breaks down the vegetable’s cell walls, making its nutrients more available. While carrots are more nutritious cooked, it is important to be mindful of how you cook them. Boiling vegetables can leach out nutrients, and what you cook them in can add calories. While some prefer raw carrots, if one is looking to eat a type of carrot with the most health benefits, they will choose a cooked carrot.

 

https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/benefits-carrots

https://www.liveinhomecare.com/vegetables-that-are-healthier-for-you-cooked-than-raw/gardening/#:~:text=Carrots%20provide%20more%20antioxidants%20when,of%20carotenoids%20by%2014%20percent.

Answer 2

This is true. Carrots contain carotenoids which are better absorbed into the body when cooked. Carotenoids is converted into vitamin A in the body which is used for eye health, hair growth, heart health and more. Therefore, boiling or steaming carrots makes them more nutritious than eating it raw.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/food-news/are-cooked-carrots-more-nutritious-than-raw-ones/photostory/80198115.cms?picid=80198175

Answer 3

Carrots become increasingly healthier when cooked like with most vegetables. According to this article by live in home care, "Carrots provide more antioxidants when boiled or steamed than when eaten raw, according to a January 2008 report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. In fact, researchers found that boiling carrots until tender increased the concentration of carotenoids by 14 percent."

https://www.liveinhomecare.com/vegetables-that-are-healthier-for-you-cooked-than-raw/gardening/#:~:text=Carrots%20provide%20more%20antioxidants%20when,of%20carotenoids%20by%2014%20percent.

Answer 4

Many studies show that cooking carrots actually provides more benefits for us than raw carrots. Eatwithus.net mentioned, " In fact, cooking can help break down break down the vegetables cell wall, freeing up more nutrients" (Eatwithus, 2022).

With more nutrients available this benefits our bodies more. Raw veggies are still a great source of vitamins for us, but just under the amount cooked gives us.

Answer 5

Yes, carrots are more nutritious when they are cooked as opposed to when they are raw. Per Consumer Reports, "cooking ignites this veggie's cancer-fighting carotenoids, the nutrient responsible for its orange hue. A 2008 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that boiling carrots until tender boosted their concentration of carotenoids by 14 percent". However, it is worth noting that both cooked and raw carrots have nutritional value. Both have essential nutrients, but the share of nutrients is different between the two types.

Source: https://www.consumerreports.org/fruits-vegetables/vegetables-that-are-healthier-cooked/

Answer 6

This is true. When carrots, and other certain vegetables are cooked, they contain more carotenoids and ferulic acid than when they are consumed raw. Though boiling carrots is the best way to receive all of these antioxidants compared to frying them. According to Mashed, "the Journal of Food Science and Technology found that carrots, when raw, have very tough cellular walls, which stop our bodies from converting anymore than 25% of the beta-carotene present in carrots into vitamin A. Cooking carrots helps dissolve some of the cellular walls" meaning that raw carrots are less healthy than cooked ones. While it's safe to say that carrots cooked in a specific way are batter than those that are raw, some ways of cooking can make them less healthy, comparatively.  

https://www.mashed.com/435690/are-raw-carrots-really-more-nutritious-than-cooked-ones/

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/

Answer 7

This is true! Carrots are more nutritious when eaten cooked than when eaten raw. The human body can absorb carotenoids more easily through cooked carrots, according to consumerreports.org. It also says that eating them with a little fat (like olive oil) can help absorb carotenoids as well.

Answer 8

This is true. From a January 2008 report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jf072304b?searchHistoryKey=&prevSearch=boiling+frying+steaming

"Cooking had a small but significant effect on total carotenoids ( p ≤ 0.05): boiling determined a slight increase of 14% of their initial concentration, while the other two methods caused a slight but significant decrease, more evident in the case of frying (−13%)."

"Looking at single antioxidant compounds, boiling determined the highest ascorbic acid and carotenoid retention, a complete loss of polyphenols, and the highest formation of carotene cis isomers. Among these isomers, those of α-carotene have been reported to have higher antioxidant capacity compared to trans counterparts."

Comments

Nice work finding an academic source to support your fact-check. This makes your fact-check stronger.

Answer 9

Yes, carrots do have higher nutritional value when cooked. The article provided supports this claim with credible evidence that by boiling carrots the concentration of nutrients in the carrots increased. I also found an article from the Heart Research Institute, which explains that cooking carrots increases the amount of beta-carotene which is a nutrient the body converts into vitamin A. Cooked carrots with the skins on are also very rich in antioxidants which are essential for human health. So, this claim is true, carrots' nutritional benefits are higher if they are cooked.

Sources:

https://www.consumerreports.org/fruits-vegetables/vegetables-that-are-healthier-cooked/ 

https://www.hri.org.au/health/your-health/nutrition/nine-vegetables-that-are-healthier-for-you-when-cooked

Answer 10

1. Write a brief overall summary of your findings. This claim is mostly true because cooking carrots helps your body absorb more of their nutrients like beta-carotene, which supports eye health and immunity. Cooking carrots breaks down their cell walls, making it easier for your body to get the nutrients. Cooking carrots does lower their vitamin c which is a downside. 
2. What primary sources did you find: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf072304b This study found that boiling carrots increased antioxidants by 14%, and frying them reduced them by 13%. https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/benefits-carrots?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22832323436&gbraid=0AAAAAC3m_Bziasd8W9cbP-5hY5ZCzHkuT&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr6qq5aPKkAMVex-tBh0bxyBeEAAYASAAEgIyLPD_BwE In this article, WebMD explains that cooking carrots makes it easier for your body to absorb carotenoids, which are antioxidants, specifically beta-carotene. 
3. What secondary sources did you find: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/ This article explains that boiling or steaming carrots helps preserve antioxidants, even though some vitamins may be lost. 
4. What potential biases or interests might each of your sources have? WebMD and Scientific American try to educate, but they might simplify complicated science for the reader. Academic journals are usually reviewed and less likely to be biased. 
5. What evidence supports the claim you are fact-checking? Cooking carrots increased carotenoids like beta-carotene. Heat breaks down cell walls, making nutrients easier to absorb. Boiling and steaming preserve antioxidants better than frying. 
6. What evidence undermines the claim you are fact-checking? Cooking can reduce vitamin C in carrots. Raw carrots still have fiber and some vitamins.