Grocery shoppers in the U.K. will soon be able to bring home purple carrots. Next year the selection will include black and white and more colors. On this side of the pond, a Texas grower has been selling a carrot that was created to match Texas A&M;’s colors (maroon and white). Those were found to contain more vitamin A and 40% more beta-carotene. Not bad. Over at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, they started looking into creating carrots with the aim of improving human health. The various colors of carrot contain different helpful chemicals. Red carrots have lycopene, which has exhibited antioxidant properties in studies on tomatoes. Purple carrots have anthocyanins, which is the same pigment that you see in fall leaves and blueberries. I call blueberries “cancer pills” (prevention, not cause!). The anthocyanins neutralize free radicals. Even pigment-less white carrots have phytochemicals.