Many people suffer from vitamin deficiencies in winter because the selection of fresh vegetables and fruits is not as extensive as in summer. One vegetable, however, is particularly popular in winter: the carrot. And with good reason. In this article you will learn how versatile and healthy carrots are and how best to prepare them.
You have probably heard the saying "carrots are good for your eyes". But is it true?
In fact, carrots contain more beta-carotene than almost any other vegetable. Beta-carotene is a precursor of vitamin A, which plays a number of important roles in our body. Among other things, vitamin A is of central importance for the retina of our eyes. It ensures that we can distinguish light from dark.
Beta-carotene is also responsible for the vegetable's bright orange colour: the more intense the orange colour of the carrot, the more beta-carotene it contains. But carrots also provide us with other important nutrients: they are an important source of vitamin E, vitamin K, carbohydrates, folic acid and magnesium.
Carrots can be prepared in many different ways: whether raw in a salad or cooked as a side dish, carrots are very popular. However, to get the most vitamins out of the root vegetable, you should cook the carrots.
Although some vitamins are lost in the process, heating them up makes the carrots easier to digest for your stomach. This way, your body can absorb the vitamins better. Heating carrots up also releases a lot of their beta-carotene.
Beta-carotene is fat-soluble. That is why you should always prepare carrots with a little olive oil or butter. This ensures that your body can absorb the important substance optimally.
Orange carrots are clearly the most popular. But did you know that there are also yellow, white, red and even purple carrots? They all have slightly different properties, depending on their colour.
While orange carrots contain the most beta-carotene, white carrots have none at all. White carrots have a particularly mild taste though. Yellow carrots are less sweet, while purple carrots are particularly crunchy and aromatic. But beware: they lose their beautiful colour when cooked. So it is better to enjoy them raw!
The best thing is to try out all the different carrot varieties and decide for yourself which ones you like best. Add them to your shopping list right away. In our app, you'll also find great carrot recipes to try out.
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