Can a person eat too many carrots?

Answer 1

Yes. If all they eat is carrots then they can start to turn orange from the pigments in the carrot. There really is truth in the old adage that you are what you eat.

Answer 2

Not very likely, though you can overdose on Vitamin A supplements.

From Intelihealth about Vitamin A (nutrient carrots are high in):

Never eat more than 3,000 micrograms a day, because such high levels can cause severe liver disease and, in pregnant women, birth defects.

Vitamin A is crucial for good vision, immune function and other bodily functions. In poor countries, vitamin A deficiency is a huge problem that blinds thousands.

Here, vitamin A deficiency is very rare, because Americans have so many foods chock full of the nutrient: meat, fish, eggs, vitamin-fortified breakfast cereals, and dark-colored fruits and vegetables like oranges, carrots and spinach.

It's easy for most Americans to get enough through diet alone, said Tufts University nutrition professor Robert Russell, who chaired the Institute of Medicine panel.

Vegetarians, however, may need to eat more dark-colored fruits and vegetables, because new research shows those foods actually yield half as much vitamin A as previously thought.

Half a cup of cooked carrots is enough. Cooking doubles the body's absorption of vitamin A, so people who prefer raw veggies need more.

Answer 3

There is a such thing as vitamin A toxicity. I'm not sure how many carrots you would have to eat to get there. It would be more likely to end up in that state of health if you consumed too much carrot juice, as you would get a lot more vitamin A before you started to feel full.

Answer 4

Yes.
When I was growing up a guy in our street was addicted to carrots and ate so many that he turned orange & died!. I used to think that was a myth but apparently not.
Some people can become addicted to carrots and in fact since hearing that first story I have encountered someone else who is a bit of a carrot addict. She stops eating them when her hands start to turn orange!

I think that the cause of death comes from ingesting too much in the way of fat soluble vitamins which can hang around in the body sometimes impacting on the liver. Apparently polar bear liver can kill someone that eats it very quicky due to the sheer concentration of fat soluble vitamins in it. (Sorry - don't know how I found that out)
By contrast water soluble vitamins e.g. vitamin C can be easily peed out if you have more than you body can use.

Answer 5

I have eaten too many carrots and no orange glow... just the diareha ( the runs). I like carrots raw and also cooked. Carrots cooked
whole those thin ones are great in a hot dog bun with either margarine or cheese!
Oh Oh I think I had too many today too!

Answer 6

ok....here's the deal. You can eat the carrots (or sweet potatoes) and turn orange (happened to both of my kids when the started solid food as babies. They only like orange veggies. They turned orange. It's freaky...but it happens. The pediatrician was ok with it, I was ok with it and eventually they ate more stuff and it went away. So, no...you can't really eat too many. If you don't mind being orange and taking a multivitamin. Oh....and carrots can be constipating...so you'll have to rememdy that too.

Answer 7

I recall in my youth there was a girl in school who was trying to lose weight. So she only ate carrots for a few months and she began to turn orange. She looked like she had jaundice even the whites of her eyes began to change. So I say yes you can eat to many carrots.

Answer 8

My son loved carrots. Upon getting ill I took him to the doctor. He asked if he ate carrots, I responded,"yes everday he snacks on them." I was told to keep him off them for awhile because his skin was orange looking. It came from eating too many carrots. So yes you can eat too many carrots and change your skin tone somewhat.

Answer 9

Um, I once knew someone who went on a crash diet and ate so many carrots over the course of a few months that the skin of her hands started to take on a yellowish tinge. My guess it that if your diet is 25% carrots or more, that is too many.

Answer 10

Well no that's just silly!!! *munches on carrot and glances over at bowl of carrots on bedside* lol jk . But I've heard if you eat too many you start to look orange but I don't know if its true.