Increasing health of everyday food - carrot tops to pasta

We should all be looking to increase our intake of healthy food. One way of doing this is to add vegetables to what we are already eating. For example I add pineapple sage, purple/blue pansy and violet flowers to salads. I figure they much be good for me as they are brightly colored, fresh and you don't typically have them in a salad. Therefore I am increase my intake of good stuff.

A study looked at adding a herb (oregano or carrot leaves) to "home made" pasta. These leaves had been dried and processed so they were easy to mix in with the flower. Unsurprisingly they found that the more green stuff added, the higher the antioxidant levels in the pasta. The good news is that they pasta still tasted great even at the 10% concentration of either oregano or carrot leaves.

What is extra great about this is that you are using a "waste" product. I have never considered using carrot tops in any cooking. Therefore if you purchase organic or grow your own you are eating more of the produce which means you are getting better value for money (or value for time).

So the addition of green stuff into pasta is good for you. Now is it going to work a miracle? No but make these small changes across all your diet - then you are talking miracles.

Reference: Marcela Boroskia, Ana Carolina de Aguiara, Joana Schuelter Boeinga, Eliza Mariane Rottaa, Camila Leite Wibbya, Elton Guntendorfer Bonaféa, Nilson Evelázio de Souzaa and Jesuí Vergílio Visentainer Enhancement of pasta antioxidant activity with oregano and carrot leaf Food Chemistry Volume 125, Issue 2, 15 March 2011, Pages 696-700 doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2010.09.068