24th July 2015

By Trinity Bourne

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

Its so easy to take carrots for granted. We all know that carrots are good for us; the carrot is arguably the most popular vegetable in the modern world, and it certainly does deserve a place in our daily cuisine. This article explores why. We’ll also bust a commonly held carrot myth or two along the way, whilst offering a delicious list of my favourite, easy, super-healthy recipe ideas, to inspire your carrot culinary adventures.

Carrots come in the orange, yellow, purple, white and red varieties, all with impressive health benefits. The original orange coloured carrots, with their sweet, earthy flavour, are thought to have come out of The Netherlands in the 16th century. These tasty root vegetables (along with parsnips, fennel, parsley, caraway and dill) belong to the Umbelliferaefamily (called so, because of the the umbrella-like flower clusters, that plants in this family produce).

Vitamin A and Beta-carotene

One medium sized carrot (about 75g) is said to give you a whopping 210% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for immune function, vision, reproduction, skin health and cellular communication. In the plant kingdom, carrots comes second only to sweet potatoes for their incredible vitamin A content. Carrots are an excellent source of provitamin A, containing the precursor to vitamin A in the form of  carotenoids. The main provitamin A caroteoid, is beta-carotene, although alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin also play important roles. The body converts these elements into vitamin A, which is then metabolized into retinal and retinoic acid (the active forms of vitamin A) to support the vitamin’s important biological functions.

Antioxidant superstar

Antioxidants prevent cell damage from oxidative stress on the body. Carrots (of all varieties) contain very helpful levels of antioxidants, each with their own unique protective function. Beta-carotene is the most common, making an especially abundant appearance in orange carrots. You’ll also find antioxidants such as, alpha-carotene, lutein, caffeic acid, courmaric acid, ferulic acid and anthocyanindins in various admirable quantities in different varieties of carrots. What this impressive line up antioxidants really means, is that which ever variety of carrots you go for, you are giving yourself a super protective, antioxidant boost.

Is super-human carrot vision a myth?

Hands up if you grew up believing that eating lots of carrots will make you develop cats night vision? “Me!”…. like many of us. I grew up believing the carrots promoted super-human carrot vision. It turns out that the carrot vision myth started in world war 2. You’ll love this! The British press put out a story about the top night-time fighter pilot John ‘Cats Eyes’ Cunningham, claiming that his cats-eye precision at night, was due to carrots. So began the myth; so much so, that people started eating more carrots in the belief that they’d see better during the blackouts. It turns out that, it was actually a fabricated story to disguise the fact that they were using new radar technology to locate the bombers!

Are carrots good for eye health?

Super-vision may well be a myth, however, it is true that carrots can promote healthy eyes. According to whfoods.com…

“Researchers at the Jules Stein Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles determined that women who consume carrots at least twice per week – in comparison to women who consume carrots less than once per week – have significantly lower rates of glaucoma (damage to the optic nerve often associated with excessive pressure inside the eye).”

Various studies have also shown that eye deterioration due to vitamin A deficiency in developing countries can be rectified by vitamin A supplementation. In addition to that, vitamin A is known to be essential for vision function as a component of rhodopsin (a protein that absorbs light in the retinal receptors), and because it supports the functioning of the conjunctival membranes and cornea. There are lots of reasons to suggest that carrots do indeed support eye health.

Cardiovascular benefits of carrots

The most studied health benefits of carrots appears to be in relation to the cardiovascular system. Whfoods report some fascinating findings from a 10 year study in The Netherlands. The study clearing shows a greatly reduced risk in cardiovascular disease in people who consumed carrots on a daily basis. It is thought that the powerful antioxidant quantities in carrots is, at least in part, responsible for the cardiovascular protective nature of these vegetables.

Leukemia support

A study in 2011 showed that carrot extracts stopped the growth of leukemia cells, suggesting that carrot may be an excellent source of bioactive chemicals for the treatment of leukemia.

Carrots shown to be a promising deterrent for prostate cancer

According the the European Journal of Nutrition; studies spanning all over the world, show that men who include carrots in their diet, show a significant decrease in instances of prostate cancer. It is thought that this may be because of the high carotenoid content. A Harvard study also showed that diets rich in beta-carotene may play a protective role against prostate cancer.

The importance of organic carrots and not peeling away the skins

Organic carrots almost always taste better than their non-organic cousins. They are richer in taste, nutrients and don’t come laden with harmful pesticides. The highest concentration of nutrients is found right under the skin, so just wash your carrots and leave the skins on. I always buy organic and never peel my carrots.

Delicious carrot recipes for optimal health

Carrots are so versatile. You can eat them raw in a salad, use them to dunk in a dip, bake them, add them to soups and stews or incorporate them into many tasty dishes. Here are some of my favourite ways to enjoy carrots. Click on the links or images to go to the recipes…

Super-Healthy Festive Recipe: Seed & Carrot Roast Loaf (Vegan & Gluten-Free)

This is a popular, surprisingly light, nut roast alternative, using carrots and sunflower seeds.

A very healthy, gluten-free dish. Easy to make.

No-Bake Carrot Cake Recipe (Gluten Free & Vegan)

I’ve been making raw carrot cake as long as I can remember. No baking required.

This is based on an original recipe that I created over 15 years ago. Everyone loves it. It’s an absolutely delicious way to use carrots.

Carrot and Ginger Wellness Soup

Carrots make the perfect ingredient in this soup.

This is my favourite carrot soup recipe. It includes other super health-affirming ingredients such as fresh ginger, coconuts and lentils.

Carrot Falaffel Burgers

Carrots play an exciting role in these falafel burgers.

They complement the chickpeas, cumin, coriander and garlic whilst acting to moisten and help bind everything together.

Super Healthy Raw-Slaw

I eat carrots in one way, shape or form on a daily basis.

They make such a valuable addition to a salad with a sweet, crunchy bite.

Ginger Power Detox Juice Recipe with Carrots

Juicing is an excellent way to unleash the potent benefits of carrots.

This juice is an excellent way to include these super healthy vegetables into your weekly rhythm.

Ginger Beet and Carrot Salad

This is a very special salad with almond butter dressing.

Jam packed with nutritional goodness and just the sort of thing I enjoy for lunch.

Enlightenment by Carrot Cake

“Enlightenment by Carrot Cake” is a very special carrot cake recipe using spelt flour. It is also free from refined sugar and made without eggs or dairy. It has been tried and tested over many years on the retreats and courses that I have catered for,  and is an all time favourite. It is deliciousness at it’s absolute finest! The recipe is available in my book Trinity’s Conscious Kitchen (available as a full colour printed book or ebook).

I do hope that this has inspired you to unfold into ever deeper levels of health and wellness.

Enjoy your carrots!

Trinity
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Article references:

• Carrots & Night Vision: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2005/10/26/1392430.htm
• http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8425823
• Nutrition of carrots: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2383/2
• http://www.nap.edu/read/10026/chapter/1

More articles by Trinity Bourne:

• 10 Reasons Why We all Should be Eating Ginger – Recipes Included
• Recipe: Green Superfood Smoothie Jam Packed with Health Benefits
• Top Tips for Making Deliciously Healthy Salads
• No-Bake Carrot Cake Recipe (Gluten Free & Vegan)
• The Importance of Eating Seeds for a Healthy Diet – Tips, Benefits & Recipes
• Foraging Guide – with 12 Nutritious Wild Plants That Anyone Can Find
• Keeping Slugs & Snails Off Your Veggies – Compassionately
• Chocolate Paradise Coconut Bar Recipe – Vegan, Raw, Absolutely Delicious!
• The Superfood Health Benefits of Celery (with Recipes!)

About the author:

Trinity is an experienced, empathic energy worker and the author of ‘Trinity’s Conscious Kitchen’, a recipe book designed to inspire the soul through conscious vegan, wheat-free cuisine.

Around 18 years ago, during a profound spiritual awakening, the world around her shattered. She became engulfed in a white, universal, timeless, formless light until nothing else existed – other than the nameless truth at the core of all sentient beings. During this life-changing experience Trinity experienced the soul of all other sentient beings, trees, creatures, people as one pulsating energy. Transcending her into a higher realm of unity and oneness, this experience imparted a divine energy that she has been sharing through spiritual work ever since.

Understanding that the energy of our food directly impacts sentient life on all levels, Trinity founded Trinity’s Conscious Kitchen, a website devoted to inspiring the soul through conscious vegan cuisine. She is the co-founder of the Openhand Foundation, an organisation dedicated to the evolution of humankind. She works as the divine complement to her soul mate Open to help facilitate the global ascension process and feels incredibly blessed to be of divine service.