As tempting as they may seem, baby carrots are far from a healthy dietary choice. The thing is these carrots, also known as small cocktail carrots, are not grown like regular carrots. Many people don’t know, but these carrots are actually made using the larger crooked or deformed carrots. Then they are cut and shaped into cocktail carrots through a mechanical process.
Why Are Baby Carrots Bad for Your Health
The most disturbing fact about baby carrots is that they’re processed into a final product with chlorine – a well-known carcinogenic chemical widely used to keep swimming pools clean.
The thing is carrots lose their protective cover as soon as they’re cut and shaped into cocktail carrots. In order to be preserved, they’re dipped in a solution of water and chlorine. If you aren’t familiar, chlorine is an extremely poisonous, yellow-green gas commonly used in chemical agents like household cleaners. It’s also found in the air close to industrial areas, especially near paper processing plants.
How Can You See the Chlorine in Baby Carrots?
There’s a simple test you can do to trace chlorine in baby carrots. Simply refrigerate the carrots for a few days, and you’ll see a white covering form on the carrots. This is the chlorine which comes to the surface. But, not everyone agrees with this.
The Contrary Belief
Dr. Joe Schwarcz, a professor of chemistry at McGill University, claims that this is not dangerous to human health. According to him, vegetables are washed with chlorinated water so as to reduce food-borne bacteria thus protect consumers’ health.
Conclusion
All in all, chlorine is a toxic chemical, which effectively kills living organisms. This means that when ingested, it can also kill beneficial gut bacteria and intestinal flora.
And, that’s not all. A number of studies have linked chlorine exposure to a number of health issues including sore throat, coughing, eye and skin irritation, rapid breathing, pain in the lung region, narrowing of the bronchi, wheezing, blue coloring of the skin, accumulation of fluid in the lungs, severe eye and skin burns, lung collapse, and asthma.
Via curejoy.com
