"Carrots need oil to be absorbed," this seems to be common knowledge. But is it true that as long as there is oil, carrots are easily absorbed? How much oil is appropriate? Is the more oil, the better the absorption of carrots?
First, we need to understand that the good absorption of carrot nutrients mainly refers to its carotene. Carotene is fat-soluble, so it needs the help of oil to be absorbed. But does that mean the more oil, the better? A study gave subjects carotene-rich cooked vegetables. The results found that the amount of oil did not cause a significant difference in carotene absorption. Another study, however, came to a different conclusion. They gave subjects vegetable salads with different fat contents. The results showed that the higher the fat content of the salad, the more carotene was absorbed.
Why the different conclusions? The difference lies in the fact that in the first study, the vegetables were cooked; while in the second study, raw vegetables were used.
Therefore, from these experiments, we can draw the following conclusions to make carrots the most nutritious:
1. When eating carrots raw, such as in a shredded carrot salad, the more oil you add, the more carotene is absorbed. However, too much oil is not good for your health.
2. When eating cooked carrots, even if they are just boiled and then dressed with a little sesame oil, you can still get a lot of carotene, with an effect similar to using a lot of oil. You don't even need to add oil; relying on the fat from other dishes you eat can also allow for good absorption of carotene.