Baby Carrots: Think Again

Yup, I was taken in and used to buy them. They are so convenient, crisp and sweet. Little did I know, they are imposters.
There are naturally small carrots called miniature carrots and that is what I thought I was buying in those packages. Never, ever trust big business.
What they really are is carrots that have been left in the field so long they are fit only for animal feed. These huge carrots (yes the carrot like the radish will grow to enormous proportions if left in the ground.) are then taken to a factory where the center of the carrot is cut out forming that nice little "baby" you see. The center of the carrot is nothing more than cellulous. It is a series of "straws" that allow water and nutrients to travel up the root to the leaves of the plant sort of like our intestines. They then take those "babies" and soak them in sugar. Now you know why they are so tasty and you aren't losing any weight. Since the center of the carrot is a pale yellow, they dye them orange. Have you lost your appetite yet?
For a cheap alternative, you can buy a box of paper drinking straws, soak them in sugar and color them orange with food coloring and you have the same thing but cheaper.