Carrots and radishes are vegetables favored by citizens and are very beneficial to the human body. However, experts from the pollution-free vegetable monitoring center want to remind the public: the two should not be eaten together.
Cooking methods that mix carrots and radishes in cold salads or stew them together can reduce the nutritional value of one of the vegetables. Furthermore, this cooking method can trigger an "internal war." This is because radishes are very high in vitamin C, while carrots contain an enzyme that decomposes vitamin C, which can destroy the vitamin C in radishes. When the two meet, the vitamin C in the radish is severely depleted, and its nutritional value is greatly reduced.
In addition, to better exert its therapeutic effects of aiding digestion and preventing cancer, radishes are best eaten raw. Carrots, on the other hand, are the opposite. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A in the human body. Vitamin A and beta-carotene have the ability to promote the generation of light-sensitive pigments in the eyes, can prevent night blindness, enhance the eye's color discrimination ability, and can also improve problems of eye fatigue and dryness. However, when carrots are eaten raw, more than 70% of the beta-carotene cannot be absorbed.
Experts recommend the two most scientific ways to eat carrots:
First, cut the carrots into pieces, season them, and stew them with meat. It is best to use a pressure cooker, which can reduce the contact between the carrots and the air, allowing the retention rate of carotene to reach as high as 97%.
Second, slice the carrots, cook them thoroughly with a sufficient amount of cooking oil, and then eat them. This way, the absorption and utilization rate of carotene can reach 90%.
Experts also give a special reminder that although radishes are good for aiding digestion, because of their cool nature, people with a weak spleen and stomach, chronic gastritis, and stomach ulcers should not eat them in large quantities. For women, the intake of carrots should be moderate, otherwise, it may lead to menstrual disorders and infertility. This is because long-term excessive intake of carotene can affect the synthesis of progesterone in the ovaries, and in some cases, it can even cause symptoms such as amenorrhea.