Don't Underestimate the Power of a Carrot

My son, Jeremiah, tries to find ways for us to come back in his room after we have tucked him in for the night. He requests anything from a drink of water to a pair of socks or simply just to say, "I love you" (yep, he knows how to melt this momma). I would like to think its because he wants to spend time with us because we are so fun but realize its because he doesn't want to go to bed. A few nights ago shortly after leaving his room, Jeremiah came up with the funniest excuse yet.
Jeremiah starts crying (a little harder and louder than normal).
Matt goes to his room to see how he can help; "What's the matter buddy?"
Still crying Jeremiah says, "My I eyes don't work very good. I didn't eat my carrots."
"Well tomorrow you can ask mommy to give you some carrots with your lunch," Matt now laughing.

Because Jeremiah is such a good boy and does what daddy says, he asked for some carrots at lunch the next day. Together we sat at the table munching these yummy carrots that we picked up from the farmer's market. After lunch Jeremiah was so excited to try out his improved eye sight. How do you think the boy wanted to do this? "Come on mommy, let's go play 'I Spy' in my room...in the dark!" We sat in his floor, with the lights out, playing 'I Spy'.
"I see in the dark mommy! I eat my carrots really good!"

Is this boy a dietitian's kid or what!?! Carrots are a great source of beta carotene (a precursor to Vitamin A) which can help prevent macular degeneration and night blindness. Vitamin A Deficiency is the number one cause of blindness world wide, not necessarily in the United States but is definitely a huge issue for other countries. Think about the hardships that people in other countries go through to just survive and how much harder it would be to do those things necessary for survival if you were blind! Don't you feel lucky to live in a country that has access to fresh fruits and veggies or any food for that matter? Don't take it for granted...eat your carrots.