Carrots provide more health-promoting carotenoids than any other vegetable. Crunch your way to better vision, healthier kidneys, and a stronger liver with this sweet, bright root.

　　

Ingredients

　　

HEALTH BENEFITS

Step 1

Carotenoids, the antioxidants that give carrots their yellow-orange pigment, may protect against certain types of cancer, heart disease, and cataracts. What’s more, beta-carotene is converted by the body into vitamin A, which is essential for healthy skin and for helping the eyes adjust from bright light to darkness. Vitamin A also nourishes the tissues of your respiratory and intestinal tracts, and helps to boost the immune system. Other perks include soluble fiber, vitamin C, and some calcium. Purple carrots also contain anthocyanin, a flavonoid with antioxidant properties that may help prevent heart disease and stroke.

　　

HOW TO BUY

Step 2

Choose firm, bright orange carrots without splits or cracks. The deeper the orange color, the more beta-carotene is present. The leafy tops should be bright green.

　　

HOW TO STORE

Step 3

If carrots come with greens, trim them down immediately to one inch; otherwise the carrots will go limp and lose their nutrients more quickly. Compost the greens, discard them, or keep them to integrate into salads. Carrots without their tops will stay fresh for about two weeks stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

　　

PREPARATION TIP

Step 4

Since beta-carotene is fat-soluble, cook carrots with a bit of healthy fat, such as olive oil, or toss them into a salad with an oil-and-vinegar dressing to help your body absorb the beta-carotene more fully. Steaming carrots until crisp-tender makes their nutrients more available to the body; cook in a basket or colander, covered, over simmering water until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Watch the mush factor, though—overcooking can diminish the beta-carotene.

　　

DID YOU KNOW?

Step 5

“Baby carrots” aren’t a different breed or shorter versions of regular carrots. Farmers plant these carrots closer together to keep them slim and easier to cut. Once picked, they’re peeled, cut to snack size, and packaged for the baby-cut market.

　　

Recipes

Step 6

Greek Yogurt and Vegetable Sandwiches p.125

　　

Step 7

Carrot Soup p.140

　　

Step 8

Lentil, Carrot, and Lemon Soup with Fresh Dill p.152

　　

Step 9

Miso Soup with Tofu, Spinach, and Carrots p.159

　　

Step 10

Curry-Rubbed Salmon with Napa Slaw p.211

　　

Step 11

Chicken Breasts with Fennel, Carrots, and Couscous p.260

　　

Step 12

Glazed Carrots with Ginger p.281

　　

Step 13

Carrot Latkes p.285

　　

Step 14

Roasted Fall Vegetables p.294

　　Power Foods