You wouldn’t think that slicing up a vegetable could alter its disease-fighting powers, but according to a new study out of the United Kingdom, not all carrots are equal.
Food scientists found that carrots cut prior to being cooked contained 25 percent less of the anti-cancer compound falcarinol than those cut post-boil. Previous research had concluded that falcarinol halted tumor growth in rats.
According to the BBC’s report, the study’s lead author pinned the problem on size: Chopping up your carrots increases the surface area, so more of the nutrients leach out into the water during the boiling process. So by keeping carrots whole through the preparation process, you’re effectively locking in nutrients and taste.
What's more, eight of every ten study participants favored the post-cut carrots in a taste test when compared to the pre-cut vegetable, due to a higher concentration of naturally-occurring sugars. Again, leaching and high temperatures are to blame for the difference.
So next time you're cooking carrots, keep them whole, and you'll keep the anti-cancer compounds intact.