Eat for CARROTS sake!

Carrots are now in season and although I am yet to have a bite of any of it, it seems to be everywhere I go. My mum got her fridge full of it, co- passengers in the bus are snacking on it. Carrot is all up in my face and so out of sheer curiosity and bewilderment at its popularity, I decided to do a little research of my own.

The carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) is a root vegetable, usually orange or white, or red-white blend in colour, with a crisp texture when fresh. The edible part of a carrot is a taproot. It is a domesticated form of the wild carrot Daucus carota, native to Europe and south-western Asia. With the exception of beets, carrots contain more sugar than any other vegetable, which makes them a satisfying snack eaten raw and a tasty addition to a variety of cooked dishes.

The results from a 10 year study conducted in the Netherlands about carrot intake and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) showed that fruits and vegetables in the colours orange/yellow (and in particular, foods with deeper shades of orange and yellow) emerged as most protective against CVD. Interestingly, carrots were determined to be the most prominent member of this dark orange/yellow food category.

Participants who had the least carrot intake had the least amount of CVD risk reduction, even though they still received risk-reducing benefits from their carrot intake. However, participants who ate at least 25 more grams of carrots (with 25 grams being less than one-quarter of a cup) had a significantly lower risk of CVD. And the groups of participants who ate 50- or 75-grams more had an even more greatly reduced risk of CVD! This simply means it can be easy to lower disease risk by making a food like carrot part of the everyday diet in significant quantity.

In the process of seeking different means of enjoying carrots, people who usually boil carrots have discovered that they taste better steamed!

Carrots are an excellent source of beta carotene, which is converted in the body to vitamin A. The deeper the orange colour of a carrot, the higher the beta carotene content. Vitamin A helps with night vision – that’s why children are told to eat carrots so they will be able to see in the dark!  Vitamin A also benefits the skin and is great for the immune system.  With many vegetables, cooking destroys some of their vitamins, but you can absorb more beta carotene from cooked carrots than from raw ones. However, if you prefer to eat carrots raw, that’s fine because even one carrot has many day’s supply of beta carotene.  Older carrots have a higher quantity of sugar than younger carrots and so taste sweeter, but younger carrots have more folate, one of the B vitamins which may help prevent birth defects in babies. Carrots are also a great source of dietary fibre.

Your Baby can have some too…

Carrots are often one of baby’s first food as they are easy to digest and are packed full of nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Calcium. They may be introduced between 6 and 8 months of age. Note that it is recommended that you thoroughly discuss any feeding issues with your pediatrician as generalities may not apply to your child.

Foods good to mix with Carrots: Apples, sweet potatoes, beans, lentils, tofu, pork, chicken, beef, peaches

Have a Carrot a Day! Instead of crisp/cookies in your child’s lunch box pack slices of carrot.

Photo by: comkbook.orgmunitycoo