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WEEK 5 - BLOG CHALLENGE - Red/purple carrots!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing everyone a wonderful day to enjoy family, friends and a delicious turkey dinner with many yummy leftovers for the week.

Looking to add some more colour to your diet and your turkey leftovers? Why not try some heritage carrots - the red or purple variety. They are rich in beta-carotein (like all carrots but with higher levels) and all carrots are extremely high in vitamin A. Did you know that ONE carrot will give you 200% of your daily requirement of Vitamin A? Vitamin A is essential for vision and bone growth. Foods rich in cartenoids (such as carrots) protect against cataracts.

Purple and red carrots also have higher anitioxidant levels than orange carrots. The phytonutrient anthocyanin (which is the plant pigment) have strong antioxidant effects and anti-inflammatory effects according to nutritional researchers from the University of Maryland. The anti-inflammatory effects of anthocyanin are stronger than aspirin and anthocyanin inhibits the growth of cancer cells in the colon. So two very good reasons to add some purple or red plant food to your plates!

Pastel and pencil drawing.

How can you not resist the colours of red/purple carrots! They are not as sweet tasting as the orange ones, but are a great addition to mix in with orange carrots for a colourful side dish. They were just as much fun to draw as the less colourful parsnips, but more striking in colour. Some of the carrots transitioned from purple to orange at the tips, others were a more red/orange, and some of the purple carrots were so dark they were almost black in spots.

Red Roasted Carrots.docx

How to get started...
1) Introduce red or purple carrots into your diet this week. Use the recipe provided or find your own. An easy alternative, you can roast them with olive oil and salt and pepper.

2) Be creative with how you cut and slice your carrots. Cut them into medallions, or diagonally or julienne style (long, thin strips). Of course you can shred them into salads or coleslaw too. Why not cut them into a variety of shapes and sizes, and make a picture on your plate. Remember, I am asking you to play with your food! Then take a photograph of it before eating it!