This Is The Best Way To Eat Carrots For Peak Nutrition
Carrots are a great source of beta-carotene, a compound your body converts into Vitamin A, which helps with immune function and, famously, good vision. (However, the idea that carrots help you see in the dark is a myth that came out of a WWII misinformation campaign!) Seemingly always wet baby carrots packed away in school lunches, and images of Bugs Bunny chomping away on a whole, raw carrot make it seem the best way to eat the root vegetable is raw. That's not necessarily the truth, however, as the beta-carotene is more bioavailable to our bodies if we steam or roast the carrot.
Luckily, both potassium and fiber survive cooking, maximizing the nutritional value of the carrots. As long as you don't overcook or over-boil them, the vitamin C remains in the carrot. Honestly, though, if you over-boil your carrots, you may want to start over because who wants to eat a mushy carrot? The fact that cooking them increases the amount of nutrition your body can absorb from the carrot is great news for those who love a good roasted carrot dish.
Ways to eat carrots that maximise both nutrition and deliciousness
There are many great ways to make delicious cooked carrots. A recipe for replacing hot dogs with boiled carrots went viral in the vegan community recently. As long as they aren't overboiled, they will be a great, healthy alternative to hot dogs.
Roasted carrot soup is a great way to pack a lot of carrots into a meal. It's extra delicious with the addition of some healthy ginger as well. You can add the ginger near the end to give it a raw ginger zing and get the antioxidant benefits of gingerol, or cook the ginger to transform the gingerol into zingerone, which has its own host of benefits and has less of a hot, gingery taste.
Or, just enjoy yourself. Who needs to add extra nutrition to an already nutritious ingredient? Add those carrots to a delicious carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and enjoy a rich and tasty dessert. Not everything you eat has to maximize nutrition; there's plenty to be said for just eating what tastes good!