Energetics of Carrots: Sweet, Crunchy & Healthy
“Everyone open their desks, please,” announced our fourth grade teacher. We were all anxious for the last day of school, but first came the ritual of retrieving waylaid winter woolies from the cluttered coat cubbies and cleaning out our desks.
A sickly sweet smell permeated the room once our desks were opened. Ms. Tripp hurried to open the windows, saying, “Remove anything even resembling food and place it in the trash can as I walk past your desks.”
“Eeew!”, “Gross!” and “Ugh!” became a chorus as 32 students discovered parts of one or more forgotten lunches. Among the castoffs—half-eaten sandwiches, mystery pudding cups, and crumpled snack wrappers—lay the poor under-appreciated carrot. Tossed in school and even office lunch bags with the best of intentions, carrots are so often set aside until they’re discovered, unappealing and forgotten, at the bottom of a desk.
But the humble carrot deserves a little love. Bursting with beta-carotene, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, this crunchy root isn’t just a nostalgic lunchbox casualty—it’s a nutritional powerhouse waiting to brighten your plate and support your health. Let’s give the carrot its due credit and explore why it’s more than just a forgotten snack.
Popular Carrot Varieties
Orange Carrots: Scarlet Nantes (especially sweet), Danvers (often raised for processing), Camden (often raised for processing), Navajo, Sirkana, Top Cut and Inca
Purples Carrots: Indigo, Maroon, Purple Dragon, Cosmic Purple, and Purple Haze
Yellow Carrots: Sunlite, Solar Yellow and Yellowstone
White Carrots: Creme De Lite, and White Satin
Red Carrots: Supreme Chateney, and Red Samurai
Carrots are in season in the summer and fall.
How to Choose and Store
Select deep colored, firm, smooth and straight carrots – the tops, if attached should be fresh (not wilted) and vibrant green. If tops are missing, then stem end shouldn’t be black (aged). Fat carrots are sweeter than thin ones. Store them in the coolest part of the refrigerator in a plastic bag to retain moisture, but add a paper towel to reduce condensation (so they don’t get slimy). Keep them separate from ethylene producing fruits or vegetables to reduce bitterness.
Energetics
Neutral thermal nature; sweet flavor; benefits lungs (whooping cough); strengthens spleen-pancreas; improves liver functions; stimulates elimination of wastes; diuretic; dissolves accumulations (stones and tumors); treats indigestion (excess stomach acid, heartburn); eliminates putrefactive bacteria in intestines; used for urinary tract infections, diarrhea and chronic dysentery; contains an essential oil that destroys pinworms and roundworms.
Carrots are alkaline-forming and clear acidic blood conditions including acne, tonsillitis and rheumatism; rich source of anti-oxidant beta-carotene (Vit A) which protects against cancer. In fact Beta-carotene was named for the vegetable (carrot). Also, treats night blindness, ear infections, earaches and deafness. Beta-carotene benefits the skin and is anti-inflammatory for mucous membranes. Carrot juice heals burns when applied topically. Increases breast milk production and regulates hormones. Helps ripen measles and chicken pox. Contains silicon and strengthens connective tissues and aids calcium metabolism. Juiced carrots with some green tops added reduces sweetness and is a better remedy for cancer prevention, liver stagnation and damp conditions.
Smoky Carrot Bacon
This one for the vegetarians and vegans!
Ingredients
1 large carrot
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation
With a mandoline or vegetable peeler, cut carrot into long, thin strips. In a shallow bowl, whisk maple syrup, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and liquid smoke. Dip carrot slices into syrup mixture, allowing excess to drip off.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook carrot slices in batches until browned, 4-6 minutes, turning once.
Source
Mateljan, George. The World’s Healthiest Foods: Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating. George Mateljan Foundation: Seattle, 2007. Print.
Pitchford, Paul. Healing with Whole Foods: Oriental Traditions and Modern Nutrition. North Atlantic Books: Berkeley, 1993. Print.