Chances are one of your New Year’s resolutions includes healthier eating. In fact, three of the top five 2019 resolutions, according to the website Vitagene, revolve around eating healthy and exercising.

That's where carrots come in! A medium-size carrot has 25 calories, 6 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of fiber. It’s an excellent source of vitamin A, providing more than 200% of your daily requirement in just one carrot. Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, a natural chemical that the body changes into vitamin A. The deeper orange the carrot, the more beta-carotene you’re getting. In fact, carrots were first grown as medicines, not as food.

Here’s some more fun facts about this root vegetable.

• Carrots can be traced back about 5,000 years through historical documents and paintings. No one knows exactly when the first carrots appeared, because many people mistook them for parsnips, a close relative of the carrot.

• There are more than 100 species of carrots.

• The name carrot comes from the Greek word “karoton.” The beta-carotene that is found in carrots was actually named for the carrot itself. The word carrot is first recorded in English in a 1538 book of herbs.

• Carrot seeds are so small that about 2000 seeds can fit in a teaspoon.

• Carrots clean your teeth and mouth. They scrape off plaque and food particles just like toothbrushes or toothpaste. Carrots stimulate gums and trigger a lot of saliva, which, being alkaline, balances out the acid-forming, cavity-forming bacteria. The minerals in carrots prevent tooth damage.

• The belief that eating carrots improves night vision is a myth put forward by the British in World War II to mislead the enemy about their military capabilities.

In the Fuddlebrook book, Bert’s Crazy Growth Concoction, Bert learns about healthy eating habits and making good food choices in a most entertaining way. Read the story and then watch our video as we grow a carrot from a carrot.

Happy 2020! And you might consider adding carrots to the menu!

Posted: January 3, 2020