Here’s an old newspaper cutting from 1985 of an article titled “Carrots are worth their weight in gold” by H. K. Bahru. The article describes how carrots consist of a variety of vitamins including Vitamin A, C, B1 and B2. They’re also a source of carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A in the liver.
The carrot’s mineral content includes potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorous, sulphur, iron and iodine, much of which lies close to the skin. So the article advises not to peel carrots.
The article goes on to describe carrot juice as a “miracle juice”, which arguably has some justification given the abundant benefits the carrot provides. Though the terms “miracle food” or “superfood” are overused these days, and often oversell the benefits of that particular food.
Not mentioned in the article is the low calorie content of carrots. At 41 calories per 100g, carrots are a versatile vegetable that help with weight loss or maintenance goals. In 1985, depending on where you were, calorie counting may not have hit the mainstream. It was only until 1990 in the United States that the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act came into effect, which required producers to label “the number of calories per serving and derived from total fat and saturated fat“.
