Peas and carrots: a cup of vitamin A that wants a little fat

The strongest evidence near this dish is about pills. A meta-analysis of 8 randomized trials in 167,141 adults found that beta-carotene supplements of 15 to 30 mg a day raised lung cancer risk by 16 percent (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.26), and by 21 percent in smokers and asbestos workers. Those trials tested supplements and tell you nothing about carrots on a plate. For the food itself, a meta-analysis of 50 prospective studies with 52,000 cancer cases linked the highest carrot intake with 10 percent lower cancer incidence (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.87 to 0.94). That is an observational association, and peas were not studied. A 165 g cup of cooked peas and carrots in the US FNDDS database gives about 147 calories, 710 micrograms of vitamin A as RAE, 7.3 g fiber and 5.3 g protein.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• A cup of cooked peas and carrots supplies about 710 micrograms vitamin A (RAE) in FNDDS. — FNDDS food code 73111220 Evidence E source
  430 ug RAE/100 g; about 710 ug per 165 g cup
• A cup of cooked peas and carrots gives about 7.3 g fiber and 5.3 g protein in FNDDS. — FNDDS food code 73111220 Evidence E source
  Fiber 4.4 g/100 g (7.3 g per cup); protein 3.22 g/100 g (5.3 g per cup)

What a real portion looks like

• FNDDS counts one cup of cooked peas and carrots as 165 g, about 147 calories at 89 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g). — FNDDS food code 73111220 Evidence E source
  1 cup = 165 g; 89 calories/100 g; about 147 calories per cup

What your body absorbs

• In a randomized crossover trial of 12 adults, eating raw carrots with avocado raised beta-carotene absorption 6.6-fold and alpha-carotene 4.8-fold compared with carrots alone. — 12 healthy men and women, single meals, raw carrots with or without 23 g lipid from avocado (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Beta-carotene absorption x6.6, alpha-carotene x4.8 (P < 0.0001); conversion to vitamin A x12.6
• In a randomized crossover study of 7 adults, carotenoid absorption from a salad with carrots was negligible with fat-free dressing and rose with 6 g and more with 28 g oil. — 7 adults, single salads with 0, 6 or 28 g canola oil, washout 2 weeks (n = 7) Evidence B source
  Negligible with 0 g fat; higher with 6 g (P < 0.04); higher still with 28 g (P < 0.02)
• In a randomized trial of 8 young and 8 older adults eating 6.6 oz (188 g) carrot puree with fat, beta-carotene absorption and its conversion to vitamin A did not differ by age. — 8 adults aged 20-35 and 8 aged 60-75, single meals with 40 g fat (n = 16) Evidence B source
  No major age effect on chylomicron beta-carotene or retinyl palmitate response
• In 10 men fed carrot puree with oil in random order, only about 4.7% of carrot beta-carotene reached the absorbable micellar phase in the duodenum. — 10 healthy men, intragastric test meals with 40 g sunflower oil, 3 weeks apart (n = 10) Evidence B source
  All-trans beta-carotene in duodenal micellar phase 4.7% (SE 0.3)
• In 10 young women, iron absorption from a pea-protein formula rose from 20.7% to 33.1% when phytic acid was removed, and doubling vitamin C also raised it. — 10 healthy non-anemic young women, stable-isotope test meals (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Iron absorption 20.7% -> 33.1% after dephytinisation; 14.8% -> 22.1% with doubled ascorbic acid

What cooking and storage change

• Canned peas and carrots carry more sodium than frozen in FNDDS, 258 against 185 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) when cooked without added fat. — FNDDS canned vs frozen peas and carrots Evidence E source
  Canned 258 mg/100 g vs frozen 185 mg/100 g sodium
• By the USDA retention table for vegetables cooked from frozen, boiled and drained, about 80% of vitamin C, 70% of folate and 90% of thiamin remain. — USDA R6 group Vegetables and Vegetable Products, method 3789 Evidence E source
  Retained: vitamin C 80%; folate 70%; thiamin 90%; minerals 90-95%

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of 50 prospective studies linked higher carrot intake with 10% lower cancer incidence. — 50 prospective studies with 52,000 cancer cases (n = 52000) Evidence C source
  RR 0.90 (95% CI 0.87-0.94), highest vs lowest carrot intake

Safety, limits and interactions

• An 11-year-old boy with birch pollen allergy had a systemic reaction within a minute of drinking raw carrot juice, through PR-10 cross-reactivity. — one 11-year-old boy with seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Anaphylactic reaction; carrot-specific IgE Dau c 40.63 kUA/L
• In a European diagnostic study, 34% of pollen-allergic people who tolerated carrot still had IgE to carrot extract. — 49 carrot-allergic patients, 71 pollen-allergic carrot-tolerant patients, 63 nonatopic controls; Spain, Switzerland, Denmark (n = 183) Evidence C source
  Carrot extract test sensitivity 82%; 34% of carrot-tolerant pollen-allergic controls IgE-positive

What people believe that the data does not support

• A meta-analysis of 8 RCTs in 167,141 adults found beta-carotene supplements raised lung cancer risk by 16%, and by 21% in smokers and asbestos workers. — 8 RCTs, 167,141 adults, beta-carotene 15-30 mg/day supplements (n = 167141) Evidence A source
  RR 1.16 (95% CI 1.06-1.26); smokers and asbestos workers RR 1.21 (1.08-1.35)

Who this works differently for

• In a survey of 370 Indigenous people in British Columbia, peas and carrots made up 7% of foods respondents did not want on hospital menus. — 370 Indigenous respondents, British Columbia, 2021-2022 (n = 370) Evidence C source
  Peas and carrots 7% of 254 unwanted items

What is still unknown

• A scoping review of 47 studies found pea is among legumes implicated in severe allergic reactions, yet no study addressed labeling or education for pea allergy. — 47 studies on chickpea, pea, lentil and lupine allergy (n = 47) Evidence C source
  No studies on labeling or education needs

The bottom line

Carotene from carrots needs fat to get in. In a randomized crossover trial of 12 healthy adults eating raw carrots with or without 23 g of fat from avocado, beta-carotene absorption rose 6.6-fold and alpha-carotene 4.8-fold. When 7 adults ate a salad with carrots and a fat-free dressing, the carotenes barely showed up in the blood. Even with 1.4 oz (40 g) of sunflower oil, only about 4.7 percent of the beta-carotene in carrot puree reached the absorbable phase in the gut of 10 healthy men, who were fed through a tube. Age made no significant difference in a trial of 8 younger and 8 older adults eating 6.6 oz (188 g) of carrot puree. The iron data come from pea protein isolate in a formula, a processed product. In 10 young women, iron absorption rose from 20.7 to 33.1 percent once its phytic acid was removed. Form changes the salt. In FNDDS, canned peas and carrots carry 258 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 185 mg for frozen, both counted with the salt typically added in cooking. By the USDA retention table, vegetables boiled from frozen and drained keep about 80 percent of vitamin C, 70 percent of folate and 90 percent of thiamin, using a factor for vegetables in general that dates from 1975. In a survey of 370 Indigenous people in British Columbia, peas and carrots made up 7 percent of the 254 foods they did not want on hospital menus. Who should be careful. People with birch pollen allergy can react to carrot. An 11-year-old boy with hay fever had a systemic reaction within a minute of drinking raw carrot juice, which is a single case. In a European diagnostic study, 34 percent of pollen-allergic people who ate carrot without trouble still had IgE to carrot extract, so a positive test on its own is weak evidence of allergy. Pea is among the legumes frequently involved in severe allergic reactions, by a scoping review of 47 studies, and none of those studies looked at labeling. Smokers should note the supplement result above, which concerns pills and not the vegetable. We have no card on peas and carrots in pregnancy or alongside medicines.

Sources

1. pcar-daily-r8-02 · food composition dataset
   Peas and carrots, cooked, NS as to form [2709687] Vitamin A, RAE 430 UG per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 73111220 Peas and carrots, cooked, NS as to form (fdc_id 2709687) · checked 2026-10-02
2. pcar-daily-r8-03 · food composition dataset
   Peas and carrots, cooked, NS as to form [2709687] Fiber, total dietary 4.4 G per 100 g; Protein 3.22 G per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 73111220 Peas and carrots, cooked, NS as to form (fdc_id 2709687) · checked 2026-10-02
3. pcar-daily-r8-01 · food composition dataset
   Peas and carrots, cooked, NS as to form [2709687] Energy 89 KCAL per 100 g; 1 cup 165 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 73111220 Peas and carrots, cooked, NS as to form (fdc_id 2709687) · checked 2026-10-02
4. pcar-daily-r8-06 · randomized crossover trial
   In study 2, the source of provitamin A carotenoids was raw carrots (delivering 27.3 mg of β-carotene and 18.7 mg of α-carotene). ... In study 2, the absorption of β-carotene and α-carotene increased by 6.6- and 4.8-fold, respectively (P < 0.0001 for both).
   J Nutr, 2014 · checked 2026-10-02
5. pcar-daily-r8-07 · randomized crossover trial
   The subjects (n = 7) each consumed 3 salads consisting of equivalent amounts of spinach, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots with salad dressings containing 0, 6, or 28 g canola oil. ... After ingestion of the salads with fat-free salad dressing, the appearance of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and lycopene in chylomicrons was negligible.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2004 · checked 2026-10-02
6. pcar-daily-r8-08 · randomized trial
   These sources were either 188 g carrot purée which provided 30 mg betacarotene as the main carotenoid, or 61 g tomato purée providing 30mg lycopene, or 260 g cooked chopped spinach providing 30 mg lutein. ... There was no significant effect of age on the ratio of CM retinyl-palmitate to the sum of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene measured after the carrot meal.
   Eur J Nutr, 2003 · checked 2026-10-02
7. pcar-daily-r8-09 · crossover clinical study
   The proportion of all-trans carotenoids found in the micellar phase of the duodenum was as follows (means +/- SE): lutein (5.6 +/- 0.4%), beta-carotene (4.7 +/- 0.3%), lycopene (2.0 +/- 0.2%).
   Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol, 2003 · checked 2026-10-02
8. pcar-daily-r8-10 · randomized trial
   Geometric mean Fe absorption increased from 20.7 (+1 SD 41.6, -1 SD 10.3) % to 33.1 (+1 SD 58.6, -1 SD 18.7) %; (P < 0.0001; n 10) after enzymic degradation of virtually all phytic acid.
   Br J Nutr, 2001 · checked 2026-10-02
9. pcar-daily-r8-04 · food composition dataset
   Peas and carrots, canned, cooked, no added fat [2709686] Sodium, Na 258 MG per 100 g; Peas and carrots, frozen, cooked, no added fat [2709685] Sodium, Na 185 MG per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, Peas and carrots, canned, cooked, no added fat (fdc_id 2709686) and frozen, cooked, no added fat (fdc_id 2709685) · checked 2026-10-02
10. pcar-daily-r8-05 · nutrient retention dataset
    USDA-RETN-R6:3789 VEG,OTHER,CKD FROM FRZN(BLD,DRAIND) vitamin_c_mg 80%; folate_total_ug 70%; thiamin_mg 90%
    USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), Retn_Code 3789 VEG,OTHER,CKD FROM FRZN(BLD,DRAIND) · checked 2026-10-02
11. pcar-daily-r8-12 · meta-analysis of cohort studies
    Of 198 observational studies, in 50 prospective studies with 52000 cases recording carrot intake, the cancer-risk was substantially reduced (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.87-0.94,
    Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
12. pcar-daily-r8-13 · case report
    We report an 11-year-old boy who experienced a unique anaphylactic reaction after consuming raw carrot juice. The patient exhibited symptoms within one minute, including abdominal pain, facial and eyelid swelling, dyspnea, a macular rash, choking sensation and drowsiness.
    Children (Basel), 2023 · checked 2026-10-02
13. pcar-daily-r8-14 · diagnostic study
    The sensitivity of the carrot extract-based test was 82%. ... Among pollen allergic controls, 34% had IgE to carrot extract
    Allergy, 2012 · checked 2026-10-02
14. pcar-daily-r8-11 · meta-analysis of RCTs
    The findings indicate that beta-carotene supplementation was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer (RR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.06-1.26). This effect was even more noticeable among smokers and asbestos workers (RR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.08-1.35)
    Nutrients, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
15. pcar-daily-r8-16 · cross-sectional survey
    Respondents identified 254 items they did not want to see on hospital menus, which were commonly energy-dense/processed foods (16%) or poorly prepared/flavored items (13%), as well as peas and carrots (7%).
    Nutr Clin Pract, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
16. pcar-daily-r8-15 · scoping review
    Nonpriority legume allergies, which include chickpea, pea, lentil, and lupine, are frequently implicated in severe allergic reactions. ... Moreover, no studies addressed labeling or educational needs for these allergens.
    J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract, 2021 · checked 2026-10-02