Cucumber vs. Carrot — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Calories

Both carrots and cucumbers are considered low calories foods. Nevertheless, carrots have three times higher calories than cucumber.

Carrots have 42 calories per 100g (65 calories per serving), and cucumbers have 15 calories per 100g (7 calories per serving).

Minerals

Carrot is relatively richer in minerals than a cucumber. The amount of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc in carrots is higher than in cucumbers.

On the other hand, cucumbers contain less sodium than carrots.

Both plants contain equal amounts of iron, magnesium, and copper.

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Cucumber

2

Carrot

5

Contains less SodiumSodium	-97.1%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+200%

Contains more CalciumCalcium	+106.3%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+117.7%
Contains more ZincZinc	+20%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus	+45.8%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+81%

~equal in Magnesium ~12mg

~equal in Iron ~0.3mg

~equal in Copper ~0.045mg

Vitamins

In comparison, carrots have high vitamin content than cucumber.

Carrot provides 160 times higher Vitamin A than cucumber, falling in the range of the top 9% of foods as a source of Vitamin A.

Carrots also have more Vitamin E, VitaminB1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and folate.

On the other hand, cucumbers have more Vitamin K.

Both vegetables have an equal amount of Vitamin B5 and lack Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D.

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Cucumber

1

Carrot

9

Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K

+24.2%

Contains more Vitamin CVitamin C	+110.7%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+15810.5%
Contains more Vitamin E Vitamin E	+2100%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+144.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+75.8%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+903.1%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+245%
Contains more FolateFolate	+171.4%
Contains more CholineCholine	+46.7%

~equal in Vitamin D ~0µg

~equal in Vitamin B5 ~0.273mg

~equal in Vitamin B12 ~0µg

Fats

Both cucumber and carrot have fats of less than 1g. Cucumbers contain 0.11g of fat, and the carrot has 0.24g of fat. Due to their low-fat content, cucumber and carrots can be added to the list of recommended foods for low-fat diets, such as The Paleo Diet and The Vegan Diet.

Carbs

Carrots contain more carbs than cucumbers. They have 9.58g per 100g, whereas cucumbers have only 3.63g per 100g.

Fiber

Both vegetables have significant amount of fiber. Carrots have a good amount of fiber: 2.8g. Cucumber contains 0.5g of fiber and 3.13g of net carbs.

Cholesterol

Both carrots and cucumbers have no cholesterol.

Glycemic Index

A cucumber's glycemic index is calculated at 36, while the glycemic index of a carrot is calculated at 39. Both are considered low-GI foods.

Cardiovascular Health

Section reviewed by cardiologist Astghik Grigoryan

According to a study, cucumber consumption may help reduce arterial blood pressure, similar to some antihypertensive drugs, like Losartan. The combination of cucumber and Losartan has an additive effect in lowering blood pressure (1).

On the other hand, carrots contribute to healthy blood pressure levels through their high potassium and fiber content, antioxidants, and nitrates.

Cucumber seed extract, 500 mg daily, decreases LDL (“bad” cholesterol) and increases HDL (“good” cholesterol) levels in the blood, which is important for preventing atherosclerosis, the main cause of coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction (2).

As for carrots, their consumption may change how the body absorbs cholesterol and can improve antioxidant levels, potentially offering cardiovascular protection (3).

To sum up, adding cucumbers and carrots to your diet may significantly benefit cardiovascular health and help reduce cardiovascular risk.

Cancer

According to research, cucurbitacins inhibit tumor cell growth and signaling pathways, causing cancer cells to die. Cucurbitacins have been shown to have antitumor activity against lung, pancreatic, colon, breast, and cervical cancers (4). Cucumber triterpenes and lignans have shown anticancer activity against liver cancer by inducing cancer cell death (5).

Several meta-analysis studies (6) on carrot consumption have discovered that carrots are essential in cancer prevention. Because of the bioactive polyacetylene oxylipins falcarinol and falcarinol, carrots may have cancer-preventive properties.

Eye Health

Vitamin A can help prevent cataracts and macular degeneration, the world's leading causes of blindness (7,8). Individuals with low Vitamin A levels are more prone to night blindness, which can be alleviated by eating carrots or other foods high in Vitamin A or carotenoids. Carrots contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to Vitamin A, which is necessary for eye health.

Skin Health

Keeping your skin hydrated aids in the improvement of elasticity and firmness. Lack of hydration can make your skin look dry and flaky, making it more prone to fine lines and wrinkles. Cucumbers contain polysaccharides, which help to keep skin elastic and healthy. Cucumbers are mostly water; in fact, they contain 96% water. Cucumbers have a high water content, which allows them to provide superior hydration to the skin (9).

Other Health Benefits

Cucumbers are high in water (96%) and may help you stay hydrated. Because it can disrupt your water balance and make stool passage difficult, staying hydrated can improve stool consistency, prevent constipation, and promote regularity if it is due to dehydration (10). 

Beta-carotene also helps the body produce Vitamin A, essential for boosting your immune system, especially during cold and flu season. Vitamin A aids our bodies' immune responses and the regeneration of new cells (11).

Allergy

Cucurbits have been linked to oral allergy syndrome, nausea, diarrhea, asthma, rhinitis, watery eyes, and contact urticaria. Cucumbers contain salicylate, so Aspirin-allergic people should avoid cucumbers, apples, almonds, oranges, berries, tomatoes, and other foods.

Carrot allergy is an example of cross-reactivity, in which proteins in certain fruits and vegetables cause an allergic reaction because they are similar to proteins found in certain types of pollen. You may react to carrots if you are allergic to birch pollen or mugwort pollen (12).