Raw Fermented Ginger Carrots Presents Bioavailability

“Eat those carrots. They’re good for your eyes! Rabbits like them too.” Our parents told us to grow up eating lots of carrots. We Americans average eating 11 lbs. annually per person. But is that enough? Perhaps that depends on how you eat them; raw carrots, cooked carrots, sautéed carrots, or raw fermented ginger carrots. What way to eat carrots gives the most bioavailability?

We heard “Eat raw food for more nutrition than cooked vegetables.” But wait. Is that so?

A study in the “Journal of Food Science” reported that many nutrients are heat sensitive. Exposed to heat for a prolonged period of time, they are destroyed. Pickled canned carrots lose 85% to 95% of their Vitamin C. Heat also reduces vitamin B. And so we eat more raw foods.

But now recent studies show that cooking carrots release more of some nutrients by breaking down the cellular walls so that our bodies can digest those nutrients. This lack of bioavailability of nutrients causes concern. When eaten raw, the carrots cannot release all of these wonderful nutrients for our bodies to absorb.  And so now we understand vitamins A, D, E and K all seem to fare better during the heating process. And perhaps they offer more nutrition than eating them as raw food.

Is there a solution?

So are we simply caught between these two enemies trapping our nutrients from us? Heat will destroy them. Devouring them raw allows them to pass through our digestives systems unrealized. The nutrients were not bioavailable for us. It would seem there’s little hope for getting what we need out of these carotene laden sticks.

But wait. Did you ever hear of possibly having your cake and eating it too? There is another way!

Fermentation. Fermented foods. Fermented foods make the vitamins and minerals from these carrots more bioavailable. In fact some levels of enzymes and vitamins are increased as much as 2 or 3 times through fermentation. Fermentation even produces a certain B vitamin, biotin that helps the body to assimilate other of the B vitamins formerly present. Fermented foods offer a richness beyond raw food. Fermented foods offer living nutrition missing in cooked food.

Raw Fermented Ginger Carrots Give us More Carrot Food!

Carrots equal beta carotene. And yes, the word is even derived from the word carrot. This beta carotene is converted into Vitamin A. With the softening of the cellular walls through the fermentation process, fermented carrots should yield more Vitamin A.

Eat more carrots for sharper vision. And a sharper mind may come from eating carrots too. So with a vision for the future and clear thoughts today for your well-being tomorrow, fermented ginger carrots may be a valuable food to start eating, even from childhood.

Coupling with these heavily loaded beta-carotene veggies with the cancer fighting spice, ginger, adds additional noteworthiness. Studies point to a reduction of lung disease cases in folks who receive beta carotene via veggies.

Raw Fermented Ginger Carrots Gives Us More Ginger!

We know ginger improves digestion. Malabsorption weakens our bodies. Weaker bodies leave us much more susceptible to diseases of many sorts. Ginger helps with motion sickness, morning sickness and nausea. Ginger carrots provide another option for increased ginger consumption.

Helen Sanders in her blog, Health Ambition, presents 10 top benefits of juicing ginger.

Highly valued for its anti-inflammatory properties, ginger contains very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. Consuming more gingerols via ginger may benefit those suffering from arthritis. Folks with other inflammatory disease may want to consider more ginger for its anti-inflammatory benefits.

In addition to gingerols, ginger contains anti-blood clotting abilities enhancing the flood of blood. Perhaps this is why you would have a party of ginger tea and ginger snaps  for a cozy time on a cold winter morning.

Along with numerous antioxidants, ginger helps to fight the common cold. And so you might want to make ginger carrots a regular portion of your diet as winter approaches and you want to increase to defenses against colds. Colds cause inflammation. Choose more ginger because of its anti-inflammatory values.

Ginger cleanses the lymphatic system in addition to enhancing our immune systems. And we benefit in the fight of infections from pathogenic bacteria by the use of ginger. The chemical compound zingerone gives ginger its pungent zing character. Studies suggest zingerone helps to overcome E.coli induced diarrhea.

Raw Fermented Ginger Carrots Crunching and Munching

Serve as a salsa with chips. Or press a few avocados into guacamole, mixed with ginger carrots. Top them over your fresh lettuce salad. Sprinkle them on seafood or stack them on your burger. Pile them over your cooked food or raw food. Crunch. Munch.  And enjoy the bioavailability of nutritious Ginger Carrots.