DEAR DR. BLONZ: I'd like your advice about shopping for fresh carrots. I tend to like those with fresh greens attached, but I read in an organic gardening magazine that when carrots are pulled from the ground, it's best to break off the tops as soon as possible. The article said that this preserves the nutrients in the root -- which is the part we eat -- because the plant pulls nutrients to the top and away from the root. Is it best to pick carrots with or without tops? -- L.L., Fresno, California
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DEAR L.L.: We want a fresh carrot, and we also don't want the tops on for an extended period. Carrots that are slender, firm, bright and moist from periodic watering tend to be best, as opposed to large, tough, woody-looking ones. Carrots with healthy-looking tops indicate they're freshly picked -- these are usually iced and rushed to market. Otherwise, the tops wilt. As for carrots without tops, you have no idea how long those have been around.
A good option is a high-volume produce market that moves a lot of product, where you can have confidence that even the packaged, refrigerated fresh produce is not on the shelf too long. If packaged carrots without tops are your only option, check the stem ends for any spoilage, and ask the produce clerks how long the various carrots have been on the shelf. (Check b.link/vpzar8z for more on how best to store carrots at home.)
DEAR DR. BLONZ: I started taking Pycnogenol, as I thought this "miracle" antioxidant was the best for whatever ails you. I just heard that this might not be the case, and I wanted to ask what you thought. -- P.P., Seattle
DEAR P.P.: Pycnogenol is the trademarked name of a naturally occurring antioxidant substance derived from a maritime pine tree. I don't know the extent of what you heard, but it is dubious to suggest any substance is "the best" for anything that might ail you.
The key to health, good nutrition and effective antioxidant protection is to have naturally occurring teams of substances working together, which is what you get when your diet combines a variety of whole foods, each having evolved its own formula of protective substances. Our bodies produce their own antioxidant substances, but those systems rely on a diet that includes fruits, greens and other vegetables.
While supplements can help, well, "supplement" your food intake, the foundational focus to battle "whatever ails you" should be your healthful diet, as opposed to any "miracle" substance.
Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.