Tag: Cooking carrots

According to a study published in *The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition*, adding a source of dietary fat to vegetables can dramatically increase nutrient absorption. So, do you need to eat fat with carrots? The short answer is yes, especially if you want to maximize your body's ability to absorb the beneficial beta-carotene.

Carrots were originally purple or white, with the familiar orange variety only emerging in the 15th or 16th century. Knowing what are the best carrots to eat depends on your intended use, as different types offer unique flavors, textures, and nutritional profiles.

Before the 16th century, orange carrots were not the norm, and cultivated varieties were more commonly found in shades of yellow and purple. Today, while orange carrots dominate grocery store aisles, their yellow counterparts are experiencing a resurgence in popularity. These different hues signal subtle but important distinctions in both nutritional content and flavor.

According to research published in the *Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry*, cooking carrots can actually increase the body's absorption of beneficial beta-carotene. While many believe raw is always best, this finding reveals a fascinating truth about what happens if we eat boiled carrots and how our bodies process their nutrients.

Carrots are approximately 10% sugar by weight, a surprisingly high percentage for a vegetable. This natural sugar content, combined with several other key factors, explains why your carrot tastes sweet and sometimes even more like a candy than a veggie.

According to researchers at Tufts University, while some vitamins and antioxidants are more concentrated in the skin, there's plenty of nutritional value in the carrot's flesh, too. So, are carrots better with skin on or off? The answer depends largely on the carrot's age, your cooking method, and personal preference, making it a surprisingly complex question.

According to the USDA, a single medium raw carrot provides approximately 1.7 grams of dietary fiber, primarily in the form of cellulose and pectin. While fiber is crucial for digestive health, the body's inability to fully break down these tough plant fibers can make raw carrots particularly challenging to digest for some individuals.

A single study found that a cooked whole carrot served with olive oil can provide eight times more beta-carotene than a raw one, a key antioxidant the body converts to vitamin A. So, is eating roasted carrots good for you and how does cooking impact their overall nutritional value? The short answer is yes, and for reasons that might surprise you, roasting can enhance certain health-promoting properties of this popular root vegetable.