Sasparilla Article - Spring 2000

Beware of Carrot-Bashers

Recently, a new client informed me that carrots are bad for you because they contain too much sugar. When I was growing up, carrots were “good for your eyes.” Today, our nutrition beliefs are driven by the best-sellers that promise instant weight loss. Carbohydrates are a popular scapegoat. Many of the professed experts writing these books have twisted the scientific facts to fit their gimmicky theories.

Let's set the record straight. Carrots are indeed good for you! The fear about sugar in carrots stems from the scientific research conducted on the glycemic index (GI). The GI classifies foods based on their potential to raise blood glucose or blood sugar. Some research associates low-GI diets with decreased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Whenever you take the science out of context, it loses something. The glycemic index measures an equal carbohydrate serving of each food. But that serving is much larger than any individual would eat at one sitting. For example, to achieve the rise in blood sugar described in the GI, you would have to consume at least 100 baby carrots at one sitting. Furthermore, the combination of foods that you eat changes blood sugar dynamics.

Here’s a simple scientific fact that’s easy to understand: When you overeat anything – carbohydrates, protein, or fat – your body turns the excess into body fat. If you want to lower your risk for chronic diseases, eat less! No books to buy, no complex theories to unravel. Just eat moderate portions. Portion control doesn’t sell books, but it works.

Getting back to carrots, because they are loaded with beta carotene which converts to vitamin A, they are still good for your eyes. Beta carotene also acts as an antioxidant, a function which slows aging and decreases the risk of cancer and coronary artery disease. Carrots are high in dietary fiber, the substance that helps prevent constipation and diverticulosis.

Is the much-maligned carrot the next miracle food? Prevents cancer! Stops heart disease! Slows aging! Keeps your bowels moving! When the carrot-bashers start in, here’s my advice: Take a deep breath, close your ears, and use the Nike approach – Just chew it.

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Sandra S. Karp, MS, MBA, RD, CD-N
Santa Fe, NM
505-231-0054

sandrakarp@comcast.net

Member of The American Dietetic Association
Your link to nutrition and health.^SM