Give your dinner a health kick with these tasty tips
Best to buy
Look for firm, bright carrots without cracks on the sides or sprouts where the green tops have been removed.
Cut & clean
If desired, peel just before cooking—or, to retain more juices and nutrients, try scrubbing instead. To preserve their natural sugars and sweet flavor, cook carrots in as little liquid as possible.
Power food
Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A.
Quick & easy recipe: veggie roast
Cut carrots diagonally and combine with diced turnips, potatoes, and onions. Toss with olive oil and rosemary, and bake at 400°F (200°C) until tender.
Varieties and forms
Besides the long, cylindrical, orange variety, carrots also come in stubby oval shapes, tender baby (bunched), and in white and yellow varieties that are harder to find but worth the search.
Preparation, uses, and tips
Scrub carrots just before cooking, and peel if desired. To preserve their natural sugars and sweet flavor, cook carrots in as little liquid as possible. Steaming and baking both help seal in the flavor. For a vegetable roast, cut carrots on the diagonal, combine with diced turnips, potatoes, and onions, toss with olive oil and rosemary, and bake at 400°F (200°C) until tender.
Nutritional Highlights
Carrots (raw), 1 medium
Calories: 26
Protein: 0.63g
Carbohydrate: 6.18g
Total Fat: 0.116g
Fiber: 1.83g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin A (17,158 IU)
*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.
Copyright 2007, Healthnotes, Inc., 1505 S.E. Gideon St., Suite 200, Portland, Oregon 97202, www.Healthnotes.com.
2006-09-07
