Kids Cuisine

My son is not the biggest fan of cooked carrots. He loves to eat raw carrots — no dip required even, but cook them up and he really struggles to eat a few bites. So last week while grocery shopping, I was looking at the frozen vegetable selection and was surprised to find a blend that contained yellow carrots. I pointed them out to Zander, and he started jumping up and down in the aisle, singing the praise of the yellow carrot. When I explained to him that these were frozen and I was going to have to cook them he nodded and assured me that yellow carrots are delicious when cooked. We had them for dinner the next night, and sure enough, the yellow carrots went right down the hatch, yet they tasted no different than the standard orange carrots.

Xanthophyll is what gives these carrots their golden hue. Xanthophyll is similar to beta carotene in that it helps with healthy eye development and has the potential to help prevent certain types of cancers. Carrots also come in other interesting colors. Red carrots contain the champion antioxidant lycopene, and purple carrots have anthocyanin, a powerful ally in cleansing the body of free radicals. White carrots, while pigment free, still contain helpful phytochemicals to boost the body’s immune system. No matter what color carrot you choose, they all have fantastic health benefits.

After cleaning his plate of yellow carrots, my son eagerly asked if we could try growing some yellow carrots this year. You can bet that this year’s garden will contain a rainbow assortment of these gorgeous health-boosters. The next time your child gives you a hard time about eating their vegetables, give a new color a try — you never know when you’ll strike vegetable gold.