Carrots Provide Nutrition, Prevent Night Blindness

Native to Afghanistan, carrots are thought to have been domesticated around the Mediterranean, Iran and the Balkans. The conical-rooted varieties specifically originated in Asia Minor around A.D. 1000. Moorish invaders took them to Spain in the 12^th century and they reached northwest Europe by the 14^th century and England in the 15^th century.

Elizabethan and the early Stuarts used the flower, fruit and leaves as fashion accessories for hats and dresses, and carrot tops were highly valued as a substitute for feathers, particularly when they colored up in the fall months. European explorers took carrots across the Atlantic soon after discovery of the new world. Pilgrims took carrots to North America and it was grown by early colonists in Jamestown, Virginia in 1609.

Though there are white, yellow, purple and violet carrots, consumers are most familiar with the orange variety which have only been known since the 18^th century. Carrots are an excellent source of beta carotene, and a good source of potassium and fiber.

Carrots are reputed to be therapeutic against asthma, general nervousness and skin disorders. Recent research also suggests that high intake of beta carotene slows cancerous growths. Beet and carrot juice are reported to prevent diarrhea.

Because carrots are an excellent source of beta carotene and the body converts beta carotene to vitamin A, there is a direct correlation between carrots role in preventing night blindness. In the human body, Vitamin A combines with therotein opsin in the retina’s rod cells to form rhodopsin which is needed for night vision. Eating one carrot every few days provides enough vitamin A to prevent or overcome night blindness, if cause by vitamin A deficiency.

Cooking carrots actually increases their nutritional value because it breaks down cellular walls that encase the beta carotene. A few words of caution, excessive intake of carrots can give skin a yellowish tinge.