The standard modern commercial organic orange carrot available at every major grocery store.
Most people think of orange when carrots are mentioned. This is because almost all commercially grown carrots world-wide are orange varieties. Most carrots did not become orange until after the 17th century, however, and it was politics in the Netherlands that made them this color. Carrots before this time were purple, red, yellow or white. Some of these colored varieties still survive and can be grown at home or found at farmers’ markets. Supporters of William of Orange and Dutch independence bred the first orange carrots and all of the modern commercial varieties are derived from those.
Most people also think of carotenoids when carrot nutrition is mentioned. These are certainly important antioxidant agents, with beta-carotene getting most of the press so far. Carrots are also good sources of other phytonutrient antioxidants such as hydroxycinnamic acids, polyacetylenes and anthocyanindins. Color is important here, as each carrot color variation also differs in the concentrations of specific antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. This is why I like to grow, buy and eat the whole spectrum of colored carrots-in order to get the whole spectrum of health benefits they offer.
Old varieties of purple, red, yellow and white carrots can still be found at farmers’ markets and specialty food stores.
Carrots supply many of the standard vitamins and minerals, too. These roots are good sources of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin K(even more in the edible greens than in the root), vitamin E, vitamin C, and vitamins B1, 2, 3 and 6 and folate. The minerals manganese, potassium, molybdenum and phosphorus are also abundant in carrots.
Carrot greens are edible and much higher in vitamin K than the root.
As with many other vegetables and fruits, the majority of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds are concentrated in the skin. This makes buying organic carrots important whenever possible, so the skins can be eaten. Non-organic carrots should be peeled to avoid pesticide residues that absorb into the skin.
Baby colored carrots freshly picked from the backyard garden.
Carrots can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw carrots release more nutrients for use by the body if they are chewed well. They are also one of the vegetables that are even more nutritious when cooked. Flavor and nutrition are both best when this root is cooked whole, either steamed or roasted, until just tender in the center.
Cooking carrots whole instead of cutting them up preserves more of their flavor and nutrients.
Carrots are one of the most widely grown commercial vegetables and organic carrots are easily available, making them a cornerstone for every healthy whole food diet. Health benefits linked specifically to eating carrots include lower death rates from heart disease, lower rates of colon cancer and better eye health. The only caution is that it is possible to overwhelm your body’s ability to convert beta-carotene into vitamin A and it is then stored in the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, turning them yellow.
The following links are to web sites with more in-depth information on carrots and carrot nutrition:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21