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Carrots

Carrots are a root vegetable known for their excellent antioxidant content.

Carrots are a crowd favorite vegetable to grab for a quick snack. They’re considered a root vegetable and come in a variety of colors. You can find carrots in purple, orange, yellow, red, and white varieties. They’re crunchy, slightly sweet and juicy. Carrots are great to use in both savory and sweet dishes!

Health Benefits of Carrots:

Carrots are well-known for their positive impact on our vision and overall eye health, this is due to the presence of vitamin A and carotenoids. The beta-carotene in carrots is actually responsible for giving them that bright orange color!

In regards to fiber, carrots are primarily made up of soluble fiber. This particular type of fiber can help slow down digestion and therefore reduce blood sugar levels. It can also help improve cardiovascular health by moderating LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels.

Nutrient Breakdown of Carrots:

*Per 1 cup

How To Use:

You can enjoy carrots in a variety of ways! They’re great roasted, steamed, pureed into soups, chopped in salads and slaws. They can also be used in pancakes, breads, muffins, cakes, juices, and smoothies.

Recipes:

Roasted Carrots With Sweet Tahini Drizzle

Carrot Orange And Ginger Soup

Vegan Carrot Cake Tahini Pancakes

NS Recommends:

Cooking and heating carrots actually increases the carotenoids found in this root vegetable. Unlike most vegetables where I would recommend eating them raw as much as possible, the nutrition in carrots actually increases when cooked.

Fun Fact:

Ever turn orange from eating too many carrots? This is actually common and not dangerous! It’s called carotenodermia, which happens when you eat very large amounts of carotene-rich foods that result in a yellowish discoloration of the skin or the “golden glow.” Carotenodermia isn’t associated with any health problems and clears after you slow down on eating carotene-rich foods.