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FOOD OF THE WEEK
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The Golden Health Stick!
 
My husband pulled a batch of carrots from his organic garden this week and as I bit into the sweet crunchy veggie I knew what this weeks food would be!
 
Easy to pack and perfect with that favorite dip, the crunchy texture and sweet taste of carrots is popular among both adults and children. Golden stick called a carrot is shipped around the country from California throughout the year.
 
The carrot has a thick, fleshy, deeply colored root, which grows underground, and feathery green leaves that emerge above ground. It is known scientifically as Daucus carota, a name that can be traced back to ancient Roman writings of the 3rd century. Carrots belong to the Umbelliferae family along with parsnips, fennel caraway, cumin and dill which all have the umbrella-like flower clusters that characterize this family of plants.
 
The carrot is an herbaceous plant containing about 87% water. The power and goodness of carrots have many important vitamins and minerals, when grown organically. They are rich in antioxidants Beta Carotene, Alpha Carotene, Phytochemicals and Glutathione, Calcium and Potassium, and vitamins A, B1, B2, C, and E, which are also considered antioxidants, protecting as well as nourishing the skin. They contain a form of calcium easily absorbed by the body. Finally they also contain Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorous and Sulphur, a real wonder drug!!
 
More nutrients, in small amounts, essential oils, carbohydrates and nitrogenous composites. They are well-known for their sweetening, antianemic, healing, diuretic, remineralizing and sedative properties. In order to assimilate the greatest quantity of the nutrients present in carrots, it is important to chew them well to garner those nutrients.
 
Carrots are nutritional heroes; they store a goldmine of nutrients. No other vegetable or fruit contains as much carotene as carrots, which the body converts to vitamin A - great for the skin and tissues... This is a truly versatile vegetable and contains an extraordinary pectin fiber that has been found to have cholesterol-lowering properties.
 
Clearly a raw carrot has more goodness in it when it is raw and therefore you would assume it is the healthiest way to eat it. Not true! Most healthy is juiced then consumed, the body cannot break down all that great goodness as well because of the cellular nature of the carrot. So in reality, unlike most other vegetables (not all), carrots are more nutritious when eaten slightly cooked than eaten raw (except when juiced raw). Because raw carrots have tough cellular walls, the body is able to convert less than 25 per cent of their beta carotene into vitamin A.  Cooking, however, partially dissolves cellulose-thickened cell walls, freeing up nutrients by breaking down the cell membranes. So long as the cooked carrots are served as part of a meal that provides some healthy plant fat the body can absorb more than half of the carotene. Carrots are usually cut into pieces and eaten after boiling or steaming, but done in this way, half the proteins and soluble carbohydrates will be lost, so it is more advisable to cook them whole and then cut up.
 
Experiments show that eating lightly-cooked carrots is much more beneficial than eating raw carrots, which confirms the ancient wisdom in traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have always recommended that their patients eat lightly-cooked carrots in order to get the best nutritional absorption. Research by Dr. Xiangdong Wang at Tufts University found that beta carotene can change in the human body into a substance called retinoic acid, which is widely used to treat and prevent cancers.
 
Often overlooked, but found in carrots, is alpha carotene. According to an article in NCI Cancer Weekly (Nov. 13, 1989), Michiaki Murakoshi, who leads a team of biochemists at Japan's Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, contends that alpha carotene may be more powerful than beta carotene in inhibiting processes that may lead to tumor growth. Murakoshi indicates that neuroblastoma (cancer) cells coated with carotenoids experience a drop in N-myc activity compared to untreated cells. N-myc is a gene that codes for cell growth-stimulating proteins and can contribute to cancer formation and growth. Alpha carotene was found to be about ten times more inhibitory toward N-myc activity than beta carotene. Murakoshi concludes that all types of carotenoids should be studied for possible health benefits.
 
Carrots benefit our bodies by:
* Boosting immunity (especially among older people).
* Reducing photosensitivity (beta-carotene protects the skin from sun damage).
* Improving symptoms of HIV.
* Easing alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
* Helping to heal minor wounds and injuries.
* Reducing the risk of heart disease.
* Reducing the risk of high blood pressure.
* Cleansing the liver, and when consumed regularly, can help the liver excrete fats and bile.
* Fighting bronchitis.
* Fighting infection (vitamin A keeps cell membranes healthy, making them stronger against disease-causing microorganisms)
* Improving muscle, flesh, and skin health.
* Helping fight anemia.
* Reducing acne.
* Improving eye health.
 
Have you ever seen a purple, white, yellow, or red carrot? Most people haven't, even though such carrots have existed for hundreds of years. You may see them in the future. Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that pigments in these colorful carrots, which taste just like regular carrots, may help prevent heart disease and cancer, and reduce cholesterol. Studies examining the health benefits of fruits and vegetables are revealing the disease-preventive powers of the pigments that give plants their distinctive colors.  I found some of these at the Farmer's Market and they indeed do taste like carrots even though they don't look like them.
 
According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency partially or totally blinds nearly 350,000 children from more than 75 countries every year. Roughly 60 percent of these children die within months of going blind. However, vitamin A deficiency is preventable.
 
Healthful juice of our family's choice
 
12 large carrots
2 large apples (I usually use Fuju Apples but any will do)
½" piece of peeled ginger root.
 
Wash carrots, ginger root and apples well before juicing!
Juice carrots and ginger root together then the apples.
Tasty refreshing and healthy!
 
Eat Carrots as often as possible!
Lena

PS: Sadly food alone can yield all the necessary healthy nutrients, as they did in centuries past, so we can't rely totally on our food intake, because of the lack of nutrients in our soils and the pollutants added in the form of air pollution, pesticides and fertilizers. Read the 1936 Report Click Here to understand why and how today is worse than most never think about!

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 HEALTH TODAY
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