Carrots: Fruit / Vegetable of the Month

Carrots are a root vegetable, growing in the dirt below their long, shaggy, green tops. In the United States carrots are available year round making this an easy to vegetable to add to your daily and weekly menus.

Carrots are rich in carotenes, which give them their orange color. Since your body converts beta carotene into vitamin A, carrots are considered an excellent source of vitamin
A. One medium carrot contains 200% of your daily need for vitamin A and has only 25 calories. Because carrots only contain the precursor for vitamin A, eating large amounts of carrots or drinking large volumes of carrot juice will not result in an overdose of vitamin A. Your body will stop converting beta carotene into vitamin A when it has enough. (You might look a little orange though- but that is only temporary and harmless.) Carrots help promote eye health, heart health and have properties that appear to have a protective effect against cancer.

There are over 100 varieties of carrots grown throughout the world. Take a trip this month to a specialty grocery store or farmer's market and see if you can locate a few different varieties.

While in many areas of the country few varieties of carrots are present in grocery stores, carrots themselves are an extremely versatile food and can be prepared and served in an endless number of ways.

Humor us for a moment as we channel Bubba from the movie "Forrest Gump"...you can eat them raw, chop them, grate them, steam them, stew them, saute them, fry them, roast them, boil them, juice them and bake them in breads and cookies. Carrots have mild and slightly sweet flavor so they complement a wide variety of foods, herbs and spices which is why they are used cuisines throughout the world.

We made Spiced Carrot Soup using Real Simple's recipe. Since it uses paprika and thyme it was a very mild and and flavorful and something children will enjoy.

If you buy carrots with the greens attached, be sure to remove them before storing (the greens will draw water from the carrot) and store in a plastic bag away from apples. Ripening apples emit a gas that will make carrots develop a bitter taste. If you have limp carrots, perk them up by soaking in a bowl of ice water.

If you are a child care provider in California you can receive cash reimbursements for providing healthy food to the children in your care. If you are a child care provider in El Dorado, Alpine, Placer, Nevada or Mono county our agency can help you enroll in the California Child Care Food Program (CCFP).

Recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables varies with age.

Children ages 2-3 need   1- 1.5 cups of fruits and 1- 1.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Children ages 4-8 need   1-2     cups of fruits and 1.5-2.5 cups of vegetables each day. 

Children ages 9-13 need 1.5-2  cups of fruits and 1.5-3.5 cups of vegetables each day.

Teens ages   14-18 need   1.5 -2.5 cups of fruits and 2.5-4 cups of vegetables each day.

Keep in mind that fruits and vegetables are rich in essential vitamins and minerals needed for optimum growth and development. Check out  CDC's fruit and vegetable calculator for an more accurate recommendation based upon age, sex, and activity levels.

Remember your plate.......