Carrots are awesome, and not only because they taste good either. Carrots are fantastic for our health, but you have to make sure that you’re eating the correct ones.
We have probably all been told by our parents that carrots will make or eyes stronger and healthier. While we probably hated hearing this, we scarfed them down anyways. However, our parents weren’t lying when they said carrots are good for our eyes. They really are, and that’s not all either. They are among the most widely and enjoyed vegetables today and they are packed full of nutritional value. They are a great source of antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin K, copper, iron, magnesium, and potassium. They taste great in a stew too, but we often use baby carrots instead of the regular sized ones.
Where Do Baby Carrots Come From?
While baby carrots are oddly satisfying and tasty, they are nowhere near as healthy for you as real carrots. Baby carrots 
were invented by a California farmer, Mike Yurosek in the early 1980’s. Nowadays, Bolthouse Farms is a company that grows and distributes most of our baby carrots. President of the company, Scott Laporta said he noticed the broken pieces of carrots that were cast aside. So, they began peeling and reshaping the broken pieces of carrots that were thrown aside, thus making baby carrots. Baby carrots are sculpted rounded sticks of carrot waste, washed and packaged for us to eat. Prepackaged baby carrots makeup for about 70% of all carrot sales according to the Washington Post.
To help prevent the spread of food borne illnesses, baby carrots are washed in an FDA and EPA regulated chlorinated solution that kills certain bacteria, but can be harmful for people. Another reason you should always wash your fruits and veggies before consuming, not that you could get it all off anyways.
They are also heavily processed. In this process, baby carrots go from an easy and fun nutritional snack to a multi-million dollar business venture. They have turned their waste into profits, I mean it’s smart from a business standpoint – but not so much from a health standpoint. At the end of the day, these precut chlorine rinsed carrot waste pieces are a food to avoid.
What’s The Solution?
Let’s all agree to get back to the basics! Stop buying that over-priced garbage and go back to the real thing. Vote with your dollar, and just say no to processed food… “vegetables” or not. When you stop buying it, you are sending the message that you are not going to take it anymore. Just buy real carrots instead, they’re tastier, healthier, and more nutritional. Also, buy local when possible, that is always the best way to go!