Carrot tops and roots are packed with phyto power

When redheaded Scott Thompson, aka Carrot Top, told his friends he wanted to get into the comedy business, they laughed at him. He thought that was a really good sign! Now, after major success for a couple of decades, he says that when he gets older and turns gray, he’ll change his name to Cotton Top.

He never thought of dying his hair green, we guess, even though that’s the colour of actual carrot tops. And they are, like the orange (and now multicolored) roots, packed with serious nutrition.

“Superfood.” That word gets tossed around a lot, but researchers have found that carrots are packed with powerful phytochemicals that are antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anticancer (for example, research has found that they may help fight the recurrence of breast cancer). Interestingly, the powerful punch of disease-fighting chemicals is greatest in white carrots, followed by orange, purple and yellow. Well, at least orange is second.

Carrots also deliver beta (and alpha) carotene, essential for forming vitamin A in your body. That vitamin promotes eye, skin, mucous membrane and immune system health.

As for carrot greens; they add great flavour when sprinkled into chicken broth or salsas. And according to the U.K.’s Carrot Museum (we kid you not!), these greens contain six times more vitamin C than the root, and lots of potassium and calcium. We recommend organic carrot tops.

Juiced, grilled, sliced into a salad or a soup, various colored carrots can help you top off your day’s nutrition; the greens are an added bonus.

Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” and Mike Roizen, M.D. is Chief Wellness Officr and Chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic. To live your healthiest, tune in to “The Dr. Oz Show” or visit www. sharecare.com.