It’s fairly common for the foods we eat to be relatively the same from day to day.
Humans are creatures of habit, and eating is one of the most habitual behaviors we have.
It’s common to wonder, then, what happens if you eat a lot of the exact same food day-to-day.
So that leads us to the topic of carrots.
Well firstly, nothing magical will happen if you eat carrots daily.
Carrots are indeed healthy, and nutritious and are a good food to include in your diet on a regular basis — they are nutrient-dense without overloading your body with bad calories, which makes them a good food choice for weight loss plans and dietary maintenance.
The only reason why you might want to avoid eating carrots on a daily basis is if you have a sensitivity to them which causes digestive distress if you eat them regularly, or if you simply dislike them and prefer other nutrient-dense foods in their place.
Finally, carrots are not a substitute for high-quality protein (like meat, fish, dairy, and eggs), so while they are an overall healthy choice, they should not be eaten in place of high-protein foods.
How many carrots can I eat in one day?
How many carrots you choose to eat per day is entirely up to your own individual tolerance and dietary preference.
There isn’t really a black-and-white upper limit on how many carrots could be eaten in a single day, outside of how you feel when you eat them and how many you’re actually capable of eating.
Carrots are actually pretty difficult to eat extremely large quantities of since they’re pretty high in fiber and have a texture that requires a lot of chewing.
Since there’s no solid number on the maximum amount of carrots that can be eaten per day, you should experiment and discover what works best for you.
Some people may feel just fine eating a handful of baby carrots at lunch every day, but if they try to eat a pound of carrots they may feel bloated or sick to their stomach.
If eating an excessive amount of carrots starts to make you feel uncomfortable, reduce the amount that you’re eating per day and balance it out with other foods.
As noted above, it’s actually pretty difficult to stomach a large number of carrots in one sitting.
There are some exceptions to this general rule, however.
For example, it will be much easier to throw down a large number of carrots if they are in a liquid form, like carrot juice or a smoothie that contains large amounts of carrots.
For example, Dr. Rhonda Patrick’s popular “micronutrient smoothie” recipe has you adding 2 medium to large carrots in a single recipe!.
In this case, you’d be ingesting much larger quantities of carrots than you’d ever be able to eat if you had to chew and swallow each bite.
Another example of a situation where you’d be capable of eating more carrots than normal at a single sitting is when you’re snacking or mindlessly eating — for example, at a Super Bowl party or another social engagement.
What would make it even easier to overeat carrots is if they’re accompanied by a delicious dip!
If you’re simply eating a handful of carrots as part of an otherwise balanced lunch composed of sufficient protein (25-35 grams) and an appropriate amount of carbs and fat, it would be very difficult to overeat carrots.
Eating one carrot per day
Eating an entire carrot per day may provide high amounts of some micronutrients — especially vitamin A — as well as large amounts of fiber, which may possibly help you feel more full if you’re eating that carrot as part of a balanced diet.
It may be difficult for you to stomach eating an entire carrot per day, however — it may give you excessive gas or bloat, or it may just be psychologically difficult to eat that much.
In that case, don’t force yourself to eat an entire carrot every day — there’s nothing magically health-promoting about this practice, and eating a well-balanced diet is much more effective.
If you’re actually eating an entire carrot every day, here’s an idea of the macronutrients and calories you’d be getting from that carrot:
| Type of nutrient | Amount in 1 medium (~61 gram) carrot |
| Total calories | 25 kcal |
| Protein | 0.6 grams |
| Carbs | 5.8 grams |
| Fat | 0.1 grams |
Data sourced from NCCDB / Cronometer meal tracking app
As you can see, carrots are an extremely low-calorie food.
Eating a medium-sized carrot that weighs about 61 grams would feel like eating a lot of food, but you’d only be getting 25 calories out of it!
The reason for this is that carrots are mostly composed of water, with some fiber and other components as well.
Now let’s take a look at the micronutrient (vitamin and mineral) content of the same medium-sized carrot.
Carrots are often claimed to be very nutrient-dense — is this true?
| Type of nutrient | Amount in 1 medium (~61 gram) carrot | % RDA |
| Vitamin A | 10,191 IU | 437% |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.0 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin B2 | 0.0 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin B3 | 0.6 mg | 4% |
| Vitamin B5 | 0.2 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg | 6% |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.0 mg | 0% |
| Choline | 5.4 mg | 1% |
| Folate | 11.6 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 3.6 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin D | 0.0 mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin E | 0.5 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin K | 5.1 mcg | 6% |
| Calcium | 20.1 mg | 2% |
| Copper | 0.0 mg | 3% |
| Iodine | 0.0 mcg | 0% |
| Iron | 0.2 mg | 1% |
| Magnesium | 7.3 mg | 2% |
| Manganese | 0.1 mg | 5% |
| Phosphorus | 21.3 mg | 3% |
| Potassium | 195 mg | 8% |
| Selenium | 0.1 mcg | 0% |
| Sodium | 42.1 mg | 3% |
| Zinc | 0.1 mg | 2% |
Data sourced from NCCDB / Cronometer meal tracking app
You can see from the numbers above that carrots have an extremely high level of vitamin A (the plant form—beta-carotene), and a decent amount of potassium as well (9% of the recommended daily intake).
Carrots contain much smaller amounts of nearly every other nutrient.
So they provide a vast array of nutrients, but not in large amounts (with the exception of vitamin A).
What happens if you eat 3 carrots per day?
Eating three entire carrots every day would be extremely difficult, unless you’re ingesting them in liquid form (i.e., as a juice or smoothie).
If you are successful in eating that many carrots every day, you’d be getting very large amounts of vitamin A per day, but this may not be a positive thing — there is such a thing as vitamin A toxicity.
For most people, it would be best to eat a more moderate amount of carrots as part of a balanced diet that also includes ample, high-quality protein and appropriate amounts of carbs and fats, according to your goals and individual context.
An interesting report on the potential dangers of eating too many carrots per day for an extended period of time is found here.
The report describes an individual labeled “carrot-man” who reported eating 6-7 pounds of carrots every week as part of a weight-loss diet.
He reported abdominal discomfort and skin that had turned yellowish-orange.
Upon further investigation, the doctor discovered a colon that was full of stool (indicating severe constipation), and elevated liver enzymes.
Once he stopped eating excessive amounts of carrots, his liver enzymes resolved within 1 month.
The takeaway from the report is that there is such a thing as eating too many carrots.
The best strategy for both health and weight loss is almost always going to be a balanced diet with as much food variety as you can tolerate — getting a balance of both macro nutrition (protein, carbs, fat) and micronutrition (vitamins and minerals).
I’m Chris Watson & the Founder of EatForLonger.com. I’m a food and wellbeing enthusiast researching and sharing foodstuffs and simple food-based concepts, such as fasting and clean eating.
I hope it inspires you to make tiny changes to what you eat and when you eat while optimizing your healthspan and all-around well-being.
Read more About Me here.