Carrots and Glycemic Index

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Carrots. . .what’s in them?

Glycemic index of carrots and their chemical composition.

Mostly people with sugar challenges tell me that they stay away from carrots and potatoes because they are high in sugar. But when I ask them what they eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks and what they drink, I can see that they don’t understand the concepts of the glycemic index!  For example:

Three large “sugary” whole, sliced or grated carrots have a volume of about 3 cups. The sugar content (and glycemic load) of carrots is equal to:

  • 1 ½ pieces of Bread or ¾ of a small Bagel (not even a whole sandwich)
  • 15 French fries (not even a small order of fries)
  • 3 Graham crackers
  • ¾ of a plain, small Donut (not sugar coated, filled, or decorated in any way)
  • 1 ½ ounces of Granola (a scant ¼ cup) (Most people eat about a cup—then add milk/sugar!)
  • ¾ of a small Muffin (not a large Costco muffin, just ¾ of a small home-made one)
  • ¾ cup Pasta or Rice of any kind (I don’t know how you eat, but 2 cups of pasta is a meal size for me. I then add sauce which is more carbs and often have a piece of bread and/or some wine with that meal!)
  • ¾ of a Hamburger Bun or Hot Dog Bun (Most people don’t throw out the top half of their bun I’ve noticed. Plus, they order fries and a large drink!)
  • ½ cup of Ice Cream (That’s one small scoop, not a whole bowl with toppings.)
  • 1 ½ cups of Wine or 4 ½ ounces of Hard Liquor
  • 1 Mocha Latte (12-ounce—the smallest one available)
  • 10 ounces of Soda Pop (less than one whole can)
  • 1 whole Banana
  • 1 flour Tortilla (10-inch diameter)
  • ¾ of a 2 ounce Candy bar
  • 1 ½ ounces of Chocolate
  • 3 Beers (12-ounce)
  • 6 teaspoons of Jam or Jelly

Carrots

It’s pretty easy to combine carrots with some other low-glycemic foods to make a whole satisfying meal. On the other hand, ¾ of a small muffin just does not fill me up. What about you?

Many of my clients tell me they can’t eat as much food as I suggest (fruits and vegetables they mean). They say their stomach is too small. The trick is to cut out some of the above items and add in more of the good stuff–like carrots and other raw stuff.

Now, picking the lowest glycemic load foods and comparing them to three carrots (or the list below that), you’d have to eat:

  • 12 Artichokes
  • 36 Asparagus spears
  • 9 cups of Broccoli
  • 30 cups of Lettuce or Parsley
  • 10 ½ cups Spinach
  • 1 ½ Apples
  • 2 ½ cups Mixed Berries
  • 1 cup Oatmeal
  • 4 ½ cups Green Beans
  • 9 cups Cabbage

Seems so much easier for that piece of chocolate to slip down our esophagus, doesn’t it?

Now, compare the ingredients of a typical multivitamin/mineral with that of what is in a carrot. (Thanks to Standard Process Labs for providing this info. I’ve been trying to locate this handout for two years now to show you!)

“Complete” Multivitamin purchased off the shelf of a retail store:

  • Vitamin A (Vitamin A Acetate, 29% Beta Carotene)
  • Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
  • Vitamin D (DL-Alpha Tocopherol, Ergocolciferol)
  • Vitamin E (DL-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate)
  • Vitamin K (Phytonadione)
  • Thiamin (Thiamine Mononitrate)
  • Riboflavin
  • Niacin
  • Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride)
  • Folic Acid
  • Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)
  • Biotin
  • Pantothenic Acid
  • Calcium
  • Iron, Phosphorus
  • Iodine
  • Magnesium
  • Zinc (Zinc oxide)
  • Selenium
  • Copper
  • Manganese
  • Chromium (Chromium Chloride)
  • Molybdenum
  • Chloride
  • Potassium
  • Boron
  • Nickel
  • Silicon
  • Tin
  • Vanadium
  • Lutein
  • Lycopene

People often ask me if there isn’t just a pill that they can take that will make their diet better. I don’t think they appreciate it when I tell them they need to focus on whole foods and better eating habits. The health benefits of fruit and vegetables are additive and synergistic combinations of phytochemicals. That’s one reason why we use high-quality food-based supplements and organic whole herbs when we can. Here’s one example:

What is in those Carrots anyway? Well, let me tell you . . .

  • 2-Methoxy-3-Sec-Butyl-Pyrazine
  • 3,4-Dimethoxy-Allyl-Benzene
  • 3-Methoxy-4,5-Methylenedioxy-Propyl-Benzene
  • 5,7-dihydroxy-2-Methyl-chromone
  • 6-Hydroxy-Mellein
  • 6-Methoxy-Mellen
  • Acetaldehyde
  • Acetone
  • Acetylcholine
  • Alanine
  • Alpha-Amyrin
  • Alpha-Bergamotene
  • Alpha-Carotene
  • Alpha-Caryophyllene
  • Alpha-Humulene
  • Alpha-Ionone
  • Alpha-Ketoglutaric-Acid
  • Alpha-Phellandrene
  • Alpha-Pinene
  • Alpha-Terpinene
  • Alpha-Terpineol
  • Alpha-Tocopherol
  • Aniline
  • Arabinoside
  • Arginine
  • Ascorbic-Acid
  • Ash
  • Aspartic-Acid
  • Barium
  • Benzoic-Acid-4-0-Beta-D-Glucoside
  • Benzylamine
  • Bergapte
  • Beta-Amyrin
  • Beta-Bsabolene
  • Beta-Carotene
  • Beta-Cryptoxanthin
  • Beta-Farnesene
  • Beta-Pinene
  • Beta-Stitosterol
  • Betaine
  • Biphenyl
  • Borneol
  • Bornyl-Acetate
  • Boron
  • Bromine
  • Butyric-Acid
  • Cadmium
  • Caffeic-Acid
  • Caffeoylquinic-Acid
  • Calcium
  • Campesterol
  • Carbohydrates
  • Carotatoxin
  • Carotol
  • Carypohyllene
  • Caryophyllene-Oxide
  • Chlorogenic-Acid
  • Choline
  • Chromium
  • Cis-Beta-Bergamotene
  • Cis-Gamma-Bisabolene
  • Citric-Acid
  • Cobalt
  • Copper
  • Courmarin
  • Cyanidin-Diglycoside
  • Cystine
  • D-Glucose
  • Daucic-Acid
  • Daucosterol
  • Dec-2-En-1-Al
  • Deca-Trans-2,Trans-4-Dien-1-Al
  • Dehydroascorbic-Acid
  • Giosgenin
  • Dipentene
  • Dodecan-1-Al
  • Eo
  • Epsilon-Carotene
  • Ethanol
  • Ethylamine
  • Ethyl-Methyl-Amine
  • Falcarindiol
  • Falcarinol
  • Fat
  • Ferulic-Acid
  • Fiber
  • Fluorine
  • Folacin
  • Folate
  • Fructose
  • Fumaric-Acid
  • Galactose
  • Gamma-Bisabolene
  • Gamma-Carotene
  • Gamma-Decanolactone
  • Gamma-Muurolene
  • Gamma-Terpinene
  • Geraniol
  • Glutamic Acid
  • Glutamine
  • Glycine
  • HCN
  • Heptan-1-Al
  • Heraclenin
  • Histidine
  • Ionene
  • Iron
  • Isocitric-Acid
  • Isoleucine
  • Isopimpinellin
  • Isoprene
  • Kaempferol-3-)-Beta-D-Glucoside
  • Kilocalories
  • Lauric-Acid
  • Lecithin
  • Leucine
  • Limonene
  • Linalool
  • Linoleic-Acid
  • Linolenic-Acid
  • Lithium
  • Lupeol
  • Lutein
  • Luteolin-7-0-Beta-glucoside
  • Lycopene
  • Lysine
  • Magnesium
  • Malic-Acid
  • Maltose
  • Malvidin-3,5-Giglucoside
  • Manganese
  • Mannose
  • Methionine
  • Methylamine
  • Mevalonic-Acid
  • Molybenum
  • Mufa
  • Myristic-Acid
  • Myristicin
  • N-Methyl-Aniline
  • N-Methyl-Benzylamine
  • N-Methyl-Phenethylamine
  • Neurosporene
  • Niacin (B)
  • Nickel
  • Nitrogen
  • Non-2-En-1-Al
  • Nonon-1-Al
  • Nopol
  • Octan-1-Al
  • Oleic-Acid
  • Osthole
  • Oxalic-Acid
  • Oxypeucedanin
  • P-Coumaric-Acid
  • p-Cymene
  • P-Hydroxybenzoic-Acid
  • Palmitic-Acid
  • Palmitoleic-Acid
  • Pantothenic-Acid
  • Pectin
  • Pectinesterase
  • Peroxidase
  • Phjylanlanine
  • Phosphofructokinase
  • Phosphorus
  • Phytin
  • Phytofluene
  • Phytosterols
  • Potassium
  • Proline
  • Protein
  • Psoralen
  • Pufa
  • Quinic-Acid
  • Rhamnose
  • Riboflavin (b)
  • Rubidium
  • Sabinene
  • Scopoletin
  • Selenium
  • Serine
  • SFA
  • Shikmic-Acid
  • Silicon
  • Sodium
  • Starch
  • Stearic-Acid
  • Stigmasterol
  • Strontium
  • Suberin
  • Succinic-Acid
  • Sucrose
  • Sulfur
  • Syringic-Acid
  • Tartaric-Acid
  • Terpinen-4-Ol
  • Terpinolene
  • Tetradecenoic-Acid
  • Thiamin (b)
  • Threonine
  • Tin
  • Titanium
  • Toluidene
  • Trans-Gamma-Bisabolene
  • Tryptophan
  • Tyrosine
  • Uronic-Acid
  • Valine
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin B6
  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin K
  • Water
  • Xanthophylls
  • Xanthotoxin
  • Xylitol
  • Xylose
  • Zinc
  • Zirconium

Gee, a bit more stuff in carrots than in those vitamins off the shelf.

Helpful Links and References: