Vegetables play an important role in our diet, for their richness in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. But sometimes the vegetables sold in supermarkets have much left natural and have no health benefit, as is the case of baby carrots, which deserved an article!
Carrots are one of the most consumed vegetables and appreciated both raw or cooked, for their pleasant and quite sweet. They are also one of the first vegetables to give a baby when it starts its diversification, especially as they have high nutritional value and are easily digestible.
Indeed, carrots contain a large amount of vitamins (A, K, C, E, B), in addition to their high mineral content (iron, phosphorus and potassium). The orange color of this vegetable is due to its high carotene, a powerful antioxidant that helps to fight against the harmful effect of free radicals responsible for premature aging and an inflammatory state in the body.
The virtues of the carrots on health
As explained above, carrot, with its nutrients and antioxidants, provides the body with a multitude of benefits, including the following examples:
Rich in vitamin A, improves vision, especially night, and protects the eyes of some degenerative diseases such as cataracts.
It is recommended for weight loss, since it allows to satisfy the munchies while providing nutrients and energy to the body, with a low caloric intake.
Its high antioxidant content protects the skin from premature aging and stimulates cell regeneration. It also increases the resistance of the skin to ultraviolet rays.
It helps to strengthen bones and teeth thanks to its combination of vitamin A and phosphorus.
Containing a large amount of antioxidants (beta carotene in particular), it helps prevent many diseases such as cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and even cancer. According to a study conducted by Harvard University, people who consume more than 6 cores per week have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those who eat only once or not at all.
There are several varieties of carrot on the market:
white, yellow, orange, red. But you need to know is that the more the color of the core is lively, the more it is rich in carotene and its antioxidant power is great. In addition to its various colors, we find on the market another type of carrots, called baby carrots or baby carrots.
What is the origin of the Baby Carrots ?
Go back in history to 1986 in the United States, where, for a place for your vegetables and fruits within large area, they had to meet certain criteria in shape and size, and of course those who had defects, if one can call them that, were rejected.
A California farmer named Mike Yurosek, seeing that a large part of its production was not accepted by supermarkets, then decided to find a way to limit its losses. So he gathered the misshapen carrots, washed and cut so that they are all the same size, and then completed her makeover by passing them under the peeler for a smoother appearance and signing the birth of baby carrots that have wreaked havoc in vegetable rays.
Is the baby carrot good for health?
The baby carrots are now produced industrially, in the city of Bakersfield. They are thrown into machines that cut them, to give them this small size that characterize them. Then they are roughly peeled, polished and washed in a chlorine solution to eliminate some pathogenic bacteria that might contaminate them.
This process requires a lot of time cost the carrot most of its nutrients, especially those that lie just under the skin. Thus, consuming industrial baby carrots provides no nutritional value.
However, the real baby carrots exist. They result from a particular variety and require a specific mode of cultivation and an early harvest. Sweet and savory, they guarantee a better nutrient intake.
It is therefore important to know the origin of your baby carrots before buying, so as not to miss their health benefits!