By Christine “Cricket” Giles, M.S., B.S., Certified Nutrition Consultant & Certified Health & Wellness Coach
Did you know that carrots actually become healthier when cooked? The antioxidant power of carrots increases no matter how they are prepared! Of course, they are still incredibly healthy when eaten raw, but they don’t lose any nutrients like some other vegetables when cooked. When we think of carrots, we usually think of the orange stalks or orange baby carrots, however, they can be blue, purple, red, yellow, or white. The antioxidant content and nutrients are just slightly different in those other varieties. For example, the blue/purple carrots contain anthocyanins, which provide the blue/purple color.
Nutrient Content of Carrots:
Carrots are mostly known for protecting against disease related to eye health, however, they are antioxidant powerhouses that protect against chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease, liver health, and protects against cancer. For specific benefits of the nutrient content of carrots, see below:
Food For Thought
Did you ever think you could have too many vegetables? Most of the time, the answer is no. However, in rare instances if you are eating an abundance of yellow/orange vegetables, it can turn your palms and other parts of your skin a yellow or orange color. The specific term for this is keratoderma. The change of the skin color is related to carotenemia, which just means there is an excess of carotene in the bloodstream. Don’t fret though, this condition usually goes away once consumption of yellow/orange fruits and vegetables are reduced. If the skin color turns yellow or orange after reduction of these specific foods, there could be an underlying cause resulting in the return of skin discoloration. This is one reason why it is important to have a rainbow of colors of vegetables and fruits every day. A variety of color in the diet provides the body with benefits from all the many antioxidants and flavonoids that each group consists of.
Roasted Carrot Soup
Ingredients:
1 pound cooked carrots (recipe below)
1 yellow onion, diced
1TBSP EVOO
1 potato, diced
1/2C celery, chopped
3TBSP chopped fresh ginger
1 clove garlic
1 - 14oz can coconut milk
2C vegetable broth
Directions:
Add EVOO to pan and heat to medium heat
Add chopped onion, garlic, celery, and ginger to pan (cook until fragrant)
For the potatoes: add water to a pot, add potatoes, and boil until tender to touch with a fork
Add carrots and vegetable broth to pan (if carrots have cooled, bring to boil to heat them up)
Add in cooked potatoes
Slowly stir in coconut milk
Use an immersion blender to blend all ingredients together
Salt to taste
Enjoy!
Roasted Carrots
Ingredients:
1LB Carrot Stalks
1-2 TBSP EVOO
1TBSP cinnamon
1TBSP Garlic Salt or Powder
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Add carrot stalks to a lined baking sheet
Sprinkle EVOO over carrots and coat evenly
Add spices, coat evenly
Bake for 25-30 min.
Enjoy!