There's some debate over whether or not its safe to eat carrot tops and carrot greens. I used to always wonder why when you purchase carrots in the store, if they are not organic why they don't still have the green leaves on them. Well the carrot tops and the leaves are highly nutritious for the body and should be eaten and digested. Mother Nature didn't create anything for us to waste!
The carrot leaves can act as an antiseptic. You can chew on them and they will relieve bad breath.
Carrot leaves can be used in a mixed green salad or as a garnish. They contain high amounts of chloropyll which combat against the growth of tumors.
Carrots are a blood purifier and act as an energizing tonic for the eyes, skin, and hair. They can be eaten raw and cooked and are best when juiced along with apple, beet, and some lemon. Carrots are high in fiber, low in calories, available all year round, and are a great source of beta carotene and vitamin A. Kids love carrots as a snack and they are very inexpensive.
Juicing the whole carrot is a wonderful way to get more enzymes into your body.
Here are some wonderful carrot juice recipes:
Carrot Beet Apple Tonic
4-6 carrots (if they are organic you do not need to peel the skin)
1 whole red beet
1 whole lemon
1 apple
Juice in a juicer and serve.
Carrot Almond Milk recipe
4-6 carrots
1 cup almond milk (2 cups organic raw almonds to 3 cups water; blend in a blender and strain with a cheesecloth)
few pinches of cinammon
few pinches of nutmeg
Carrot Chips
Thinly slice 4-6 carrots and dehydrate. This is a wonderful snack for children. You can flavor your carrots with a cinammon/cayenne pepper/chili flavor to give it that sweet and spicy flavor or even a cumin/tumeric/agave nectar combination to give an Indian spice flavor. Have fun with your carrots.
Carrot Raisin Seaweed Salad
4 carrots (tops and greens included)
1 celery stalk (chopped)
sprigs of cilantro
a handful of raisins
olive oil
lemon juice
dulse flakes
arame seaweed (soaked, drained, and chopped)
Process the carrots in a food processor until it has a couscous texture. Finely chop the carrot greens with a knife. Chop your cilantro, celery, and seaweed. Add in your raisins in a mixing bowl. Toss some olive oil, lemon juice, and dulse flakes and enjoy!
Nwenna Kai is the author of The Goddess of Raw Foods available for purchase at www.amazon.com and the FREE e-book Nwenna Kai's Holiday Recipes. You can get the e-book by signing up for her e-newsletter at her website www.the-guide-to-raw-foods.com. She is the previous owner of Taste of the Goddess Cafe, one of LA's pioneering organic raw food cafes. She is the 2007 winner of the Elizabeth Dole Young Entrepreneurial Scholarship sponsored by Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) for her work as a health and wellness entrepreneur. Visit her website at www.nwennakai.com and her blog at www.theguidetorawfoods.com/blogspot.com.