Karas na ɗaya daga cikin fitattun kayan lambu masu farin jini wanda aka fara shukawa a ƙasar Afghanistan a cikin shekara ta 900 AD. Karas na da launin lemon zaƙi nunanne, amma yana iya zuwa cikin wasu launuka, kamar rawaya, ja, purple da fari. Karas na farko ya kasance launin purple ko rawaya. An haɓaka noman karas launin lemu a tsakiyar Turai wajejen karni na 15 ko na 16.
Wannan mashahurin kayan lambu iri-iri na da ɗanɗano daban-daban dangane da launi, girma, da kuma inda aka shuka shi. Sikari a cikin karas yana sa shi ɗanɗanon zaƙi kaɗan, amma yana iya zuwa da ɗanɗanon gishiri ko ma ɗaci. Karas yana da amfani ga idanu, zuciya, nauyi, har ma da haƙora.
Nau’ikan karas
Karas yana da nau’ika da yawa. Ana iya rarraba su ta hanyar siffa, launi, da tsayin tushen, wanda shi ne ɓangaren da yawancin mutane ke ci. Mafi yawan nau’ikan sun haɗa da:
- Imperator carrot: Wannan nau’in yana da tsayi, tare da ƙarin wasu ƙananan rassa (ɓangaren kusa da saman koren genyen).
- Nantes carrot: Wannan kuma yana da matsakaicin tsayi kuma yana da baƙar magana. Ya shahara a lambunan gida.
- Danvers carrot: Shi kuma wannan nau’in karas yana da girma kuma da matsakaicin tsayi.
- Chantenay carrot: Wannan ma nau’in karas gajere ne tare da kauri daga samansa.
- Purple karas: Wannan shi ne ainihin karas. Dogo ne kuma ya ƙunshi sinadaran antioxidants da ake kira ‘anthocyanins’ waɗanda ke tallafa wa lafiya ta hanyar hanawa zubar jini, inganta farfadowar tsoka, da sauransu.
Sinadaran abinci da ke cikin karas
Karas babba guda ɗaya, wanda yana iya ƙunsar wadannan sinadarai:
- calories gram 25
- carbohydrates gram 6
- Sinadarin fiber gram 2
- Sukari gram 3
- Frotin gram 0.5
Har ila yau, karas na daga cikin manyan hanyoyin samun sinadaran bitamin da minerals. Karas babba guda ɗaya na kunshe da:
- Kashi 73% na bitamin A da ake buƙata a kullum
- Kashi 9% na bitamin K da ake buƙata a kullun
- Kashi 8% na potassium da fiber da ake buƙata a kullun
- Kashi 5% na bitamin C da ake buƙata a kullun
- Kashi 2% na calcium da ƙarfe da ake buƙata a kullun.
Dafaffen karas abinci ne da jiki ke buƙata. Karas ɗin da aka dafa ba tare da gishiri ba, mai nauyin gram 100, yana ƙunshe da:
- Gram 35 na calories
- Gram 0.8 na frotin
- Gram 8.2 na carbohydrate
- Gram 0.2 na maiƙo ko kitse
- Gram 3.5 na sinadarin sikari
- Milligram 30 na calcium
- Milligram 10 na magnesium
- Milligram 30 na phosphorus
- Milligram 235 na potassium
- Milligram 58 na sodium
Amfanin karas ga lafiya
Karas yana da wadatar sinadarin antioxidants kuma yana ba da fa’idojin kiwon lafiya da yawa. Ga manyan alfanun karas ga lafiyar jiki:
Rage haɗarin cutar kansa
Karas na dauke da sinadarin ‘Antioxidants’, waɗanda aka tabbatar suna yaƙi da ƙwayoyin bakteriya da sauye-sauye masu cutarwa a jiki. Waɗannan ƙwayoyin bakteriya suna lalata kwayoyin halitta (cell), suna ba da gudummawa ga ciwon daji. Manyan sinadaran antioxidants guda biyu a cikin karas su ne ‘carotenoids’ da ‘anthocyanins’. Carotenoids suna mayar da karas launin lemo da rawaya, yayin da anthocyanins ke haifar da launin ja da purple.
Tallafa wa zuciya
Duk waɗannan ‘antioxidants’ suna da kyau ga zuciya. Potassium a cikin karas shi ma zai iya taimakawa wajen kiyaye hawan jini.
Inganta garkuwar jiki
Vitamin C da ke cikin karas yana taimaka wa jiki gina ƙwayoyin halitta masu kare garkuwar jiki. Vitamin C yana taimaka wa jiki wajen amfani da sinadarin ƙarfe da kuma daƙile cututtuka.
Tallafa wa bahaya
Idan ana fuskantar matsalar bahaya, a riƙa cin ɗanyen karas. Sinadarin fiber da ke cikin karas ɗin, zai iya taimakawa sauƙaƙa yin bahaya.
Sauƙaƙa ciwon sikari
Karas na daga cikin mahimman abubuwan ci masu kyau ga masu ciwon sukari. Fiber a cikin karas na iya taimakawa wajen kiyaye matakan sikarin jini. Akwai yalwar sinadarin bitamin A da beta carotene a cikin karas. Karas na iya rage haɗarin ciwon sikari.
Karfafa ƙasusuwa
Karas na da calcium da bitamin K, waɗanda ke da mahimmanci ga lafiyar ƙashi.
Taimakawa wajen rage ƙiba
Karas na da ƙarancin sinadarin kuzari. Har ila yau, sinadarin fiber a cikin karas zai iya ba da gamsarwa, don haka babu buƙatar cin abinci mai yawa, hakan na rage yawan sinadarin kuzari da kuma tallafawa rage ƙiba.
Ƙarfafa hakora da dasashi
Karas na taimakawa wajen goge haƙora a yayin da ake taunawa, yana cire ƙwayoyin bakteriya masu cutarwa daga jikin dasashi.
Amfanin karas ga fata
Karas yana cike da ‘beta carotene’, wani sinadari da jiki ke canjawa zuwa bitamin A. Vitamin A sinadari ne da ke taimakawa wajen kiyaye lafiyar fata, rashin samun isashen wannan sinadari yana ƙara hadarin kamuwa da matsalolin fata kamar bushewa da kumburi. Vitamin C a cikin karas shi ma yana da mahimmanci ga fa’idojin inganta lafiyar fata. Yana taimaka wa jiki wajen samar da ‘collagen’, wani nau’in furotin da ke tallafabwa tsarin fata. Haka nan yana kare fata daga illar hasken ultraviolet (UV).
Matsalolin cin karas
A matsanancin yanayin rashin lafiya, yawan beta carotene a cikik karas zai iya dakatar da aikin bitamin A wanda hakan kan shafi ƙarfin gani, ƙashi, fata, yanayin bahaya, ko tsarin garkuwar jiki. Yawaitar ‘beta carotene’ na iya haifar da matsala ga mutanen da jikin ba zai iya canja shi zuwa bitamin A ba. Ga wasu mutanen, cin karas na iya sa bakinsu ya yi zafi.
Yadda ake ajiye karas
Za a iya adana karas har zuwa makonni 2 a cikin firji. Amma a datse koren genyen.
Yadda ake shuka karas
Karas na bunƙasa a cikin ƙasa maras ruwa sosai mai yawan sinadarai tare da yalwar hasken rana. Kafin a dasa shukar, ƙara a taki a wajen da ake son yin shukar. Idan iri ne a shuka shi a cikin rami mai zurfin inci 1/4 zuwa 1/2. A riƙa yi wa karas ban ruwa akai-akai domin su girma sosai. Kula da ƙwari da cututtuka, da sarrafa su kamar yadda ake bukata. Ana girbe shi idan ganyen ya girma sosai.
Jijiyar karas
Jijiyar karas ita ce ainihin abin da mutane ke ci. Yana da wadatar sinadaran bitamin, minerals, antioxidants, carotenoids, da fiber. Ana iya cin karas ɗanye ko dafa shi a cikin nau’ikan girke-girke.
Saman karas
Saman karas shi ne yankin karas wanda ganye yake fitowa. Ganyen karas sinadari abinci ne mai ɗanɗanon yaji wanda ake haɗawa da salad ko wata nau’in miyar.
Manazarta
LD, M. W. R. (2024, January 17). What are the health benefits of carrots? . Medical News Today.
Seed, S. T. (2021, August 11). The different types of carrots, explained for home gardeners. Sow True Seed.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2025b, January 17). Carrot | Description, Domestication, & cultivation. Encyclopedia Britannica.
WebMD (2024, January 25). How nutritious are carrots? WebMD.