Featured Ingredient: Carrots
Carrots are one of the most iconic vegetables in the American conscious. Their flashy colors lend themselves to graphics, logos, and animation, and they are a regularly featured prop in pop culture. Like any celebrity, carrots are the focus of gossip and intrigue among their fans. Despite their notoriety, carrots come from humble roots, (see what we did there). We’re here to lay certain rumors to rest and unearth the truth.
Rumor #1: Carrots improve eyesight.
Get ready for a yes/and answer. Yes, carrots are good for your eyes, but so are sweet potatoes, peppers, kale, spinach, broccoli… What all these foods have in common is high concentrations of carotenoids. In addition to giving many edible plants their vibrant colors, carotenoids have numerous benefits for human health.
Beta-carotene, perhaps the best-known carotenoid, is useful in its ability to be converted into vitamin A. Carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin have been studied specifically for their eye benefits. They are protectors of the macula, absorbing 90 percent of blue light. It is believed that lutein and zeaxanthin help prevent eye diseases like macular degeneration. Sadly, there is no strong evidence that carrots improve eyesight, but they do help keep your eyes in tip-top shape for a long, long time.
Rumor #2: Carrots are rabbit food.
Despite what Bugs says, carrots are not rabbit food, though they can be rabbit treats. In the wild, Rabbits do not eat root vegetables, mostly munching on leafy greens, grass, and hay. The rabbit-and-carrot stereotype isn’t totally fabricated. Like most creatures, rabbits have a predilection for sweets, and vegetables like carrots are absolute vehicles for sugar. Rabbit digestive systems are not built for processing sugary foods, and they should only eat small quantities of treats like carrots or sweet potatoes on special occasions.
Humans, don’t fret! Our bodies are equipped to handle the naturally occurring sugars in fruits and vegetables.
Rumor #3: Carrots are good for your teeth.
Carrots are not good for your teeth, they’re amazing for your teeth. Firm and crunchy root vegetables containing lots of water are like nature’s little dental hygienists, cleaning your teeth and gums with every bite. Carrots, in particular, are heroes of dental hygiene. Full of calcium and vitamin C, carrots are really good at preventing cavities and ridding your mouth of bacteria.