International Carrot Day
Do you remember when you were young, and your parents told you that if you ate carrots, they would help you see in the dark?
It was one of many myths presumably introduced to get us to eat food we didn’t like at the time which, funnily enough always seemed to be aimed at encouraging you to eat more vegetables or avoid things you loved.
For instance, spinach makes you strong (like Popeye), eating green beans will make you taller and it takes seven years to digest chewing gum.
All complete nonsense of course, but doubtless there were lots of children who swallowed gum and then worried that it would be stuck in them forever.
But back to carrots.
Despite the myth (they definitely don’t give you night vision!), they are rich in vitamin A, which is important for good vision, as it helps the eye to convert light into a signal that is sent to the brain, helping to make us see in the dark.
So, there is a little truth in it after all, which is just fine with us because carrots are one of life’s wonders and one International Carrot Day, we thought we would share some fantastic facts about these orange pieces of magic.
Do you know, for example, that carrots are the Anthony Joshua of vegetables? While so many wimpy vegetables need to be dug up when they get too cold, the mighty carrot can freeze itself happily in the ground and show no ill-effects at all.
And did you also know that carrots are made up of 88% of water? Humans are made up of 60% of water so they beat us hands down and aside from the great taste of carrots, you are also getting plenty of hydration at the same time.
And here’s one thing you probably definitely didn’t know and that is carrots have sugar in them. But you will be pleased to know that despite the sugar they contain very little starch, which is great for everyone on a low or no carb diet.
And you won’t be surprised for us to say that another reason we like carrots so much is that they are great served with hummus.
There are very better pairings in life and its little wonder that you now see so much supermarket and convenience stores selling carrots and hummus as a combined ‘food-on-the-go’ snack.
Carrots also make a great hummus too. It can be made in 10 minutes with just 7 ingredients and is suitable for vegan, dairy-free and gluten free diets.
So, on International Carrot Day, why not try making it yourself?
Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients:
– 300g chopped carrots
– 1 can chickpeas (make sure you reserve the water from the can)
– 2 tbsp olive oil
– 4 tbsp tahini
– 1 crushed garlic clove
– 3 tsp lemon juice
– 1 tsp ground cumin
– salt and pepper
Method:
1. Boil the carrots until soft. Drain the chickpeas over a bowl to collect the chickpea water, known as aquafaba.
2. Add the carrots and chickpeas, plus 2 tbsp of the chickpea water, to a blender along with all the other ingredients. Blend for a few minutes until thick and creamy.
3. To keep it healthy, serve with chopped carrots or celery to use for dipping.
