Carrots have a moderate sugar content. People who want to lose weight, people with diabetes, and even people who follow a ketogenic diet can eat carrots.
Sugar is bad for health
We should avoid excessive sugar consumption. Too much sugar has been linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory diseases, and cardiovascular disease. Also, it may lead to fat accumulation in the liver, decreased insulin sensitivity, increased uric acid and high cholesterol.[1]
How much sugar can I safely consume a day?
We shouldn’t consume more than 25 g of added sugar a day. But, as extra sugar is added to sodas, sweets, and many processed products, people who follow the standard American diet probably consume more sugar than the maximum recommended intake.[2,3]
Reducing the consumed sugar amount isn’t easy, though. It interferes with the reward system of the brain, affecting eating behavior. Therefore, too much sugar makes us fat. It leads to overeating. Also, too much sugar prevents the production of the leptin hormone, which helps regulate energy balance.[4]
Certainly, consuming foods naturally containing sugars, such as fruits, vegetables, and beans, isn’t bad for you. Although, they have a high sugar content, fruits and beans are beneficial for health, as they’re packed with vitamins, fiber, antioxidant compounds, and other health-promoting phytochemicals.
What’s the sugar content of carrots?
Most calories of carrots come from carbs. Carrots have 0.9 g of protein, 0.2 g of fat, and 9.6 g of carbs per 100g. Carbs consist of 2.8 g of fiber and 4.7 g of sugars.[5]
A baby carrot has about 2.4 g of sugar. A large carrot has up to 3.4 g of sugar.
So, carrots contain moderate amounts of sugars.
Are carrot leaves high in sugar?
Not only are carrot leaves edible, but also they have a superior nutritional value. For instance, they’re good dietary sources of omega-3s, vitamin C, calcium, chlorophyll, and fiber!
Moreover, carrot leaves contain no sugar!
How much sugar is in a glass of carrot juice?
Carrot juice contains moderate amounts of sugar. It has 3.9 g of sugar per 100 mL. An 8 fl oz glass of carrot juice contains only 9.4 g of sugar![6]
Carrot juice contains less sugar than other favorite fruit juices, such as orange juice. You could mix it with your favorite fruit juice in order to boost your vitamin A intake!
You can find a wide variety of carrot juices and powders on Amazon.
Dehydrated carrots are high in sugars
On the other hand, dehydrated carrots are pretty rich in sugars. They have 39 g of sugars per 100g.
Moreover, a typical 1-cup serving has 29 g of sugars!
Hence, you better consume them in moderation.
What types of sugar are in carrots?
Sucrose is the main type of sugar in carrots. The other sugar types are glucose and fructose.
In fact, 75% of sugar in carrots is sucrose, 13% is glucose, and 12% is fructose.
Can people with diabetes eat carrots?
Carrots don’t spike blood sugar. They have a low Glycemic Load between 2 and 10, depending on the variety and the cooking method.[7]
People with diabetes should eat many foods with a low Glycemic Load (10 or lower), while they should avoid consuming foods with a high Glycemic Load (20 or higher).
Actually, according to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes can eat carrots and many other non-starchy vegetables, such as beets. These vegetables won’t spike blood sugar. They contain reasonable amounts of sugar, while they’re packed with fiber and antioxidant compounds, which help control blood glucose![8]
Certainly, you should consult your physician before changing your diet.
Are carrots keto-friendly?
People who follow a ketogenic diet shouldn’t consume more than 20-50 g of carbs a day.[9]
As carrots contain fewer than 10 g of carbs per 100g, reasonable amounts could be eaten on a ketogenic diet. For instance, a medium carrot contains fewer than 6 g of carbs. It contains less than 3 g of sugar!
Most noteworthy, carrots are high in fiber. As it’s a bit tricky to meet the daily needs of fiber on keto, eating many keto-friendly foods rich in fiber is vital.
Can the sugar content of carrots make us gain weight?
Carrots are pretty low in calories and sugars. They won’t make us fat. Actually, they’re great for losing weight.
