Vegetables are full of goodness but how you prepare them can have an impact on nutrients and just how well your body absorbs them.
The vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are locked inside the plant cells. This is the structure that gives veggies their crunch, but it can break down in cooking.
So what’s better - cooked or raw? Unfortunately, the answer is not that simple.
Some vegetables contain water-soluble vitamins and phytochemicals and these can leech out when boiled. Picture boiling carrots; if you leave them to boil too long the water takes on an orange hue, which comes from some of the vitamins.
On the flip side, fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A and E are less effected by cooking and some nutrients such as lycopene – a powerful antioxidant that has been found to offer protective benefits against some cancers – is easier for the body to absorb when cooked.
The solution is to enjoy both cooked and raw veggies. If you are cooking, look for quick methods with minimal water or recipes that retain and make the most of cooking juices.
What are other ways you can get the most out of your food?
To peel or not to peel
For many fruits and veggies much of the goodness is retained in the peel or next to it, so if possible, try to resist peeling. As an example, the antioxidants in an apple are found in the peel and flesh, but there’s more than twice as many antioxidants in the peel.
Fresh or frozen
While you can’t beat fresh food for taste, often convenience and price will find you reaching for frozen fruit and veggies. Thankfully, the nutrient quality is often similar to fresh veggies, because in many cases the vegetables are snap frozen within hours of picking. So if frozen is easier for you, and it means you’re eating more fruit and veg, then go for it.
To juice or blend
Throwing a heap of fruit and veggies into a juicer, for a tasty drink on-the-go, may seem like a convenient way to reach your 2 fruit and 5 veg a day, but is it a healthy approach? The process of juicing actually removes much of the fibre found in fruit. As a result, you’ll likely end up with a drink that’s higher in GI and has a lot less fibre than the original fruit or vegetables. If you can’t go past a fruit and veggie drink, try blending instead of juicing so you don’t miss out on the filling, gut-friendly fibre.
Boil or microwave
Boiling can dissolve water-soluble vitamins in food. If you prefer cooking this way try to use minimal water and only boil your veggies for a short time. A quick blanch. If you microwave your veggies for convenience, you don’t have to worry. As a microwave cooks food quickly with a minimal amount of water, you’re able to retain a good amount of nutrients.
Stir-frying or stewing
Vitamin C and the B group vitamins (including folate) are water-soluble and they are found in vegetables like capsic*ms, broccoli, carrots and spinach. To retain more of these vitamins, try eating these veggies raw or use quick cooking methods like stir-frying or lightly steaming. If you prefer softer vegetables, cook them in stews or soups so any water-soluble vitamins are retained in the broth. You can even keep liquid from boiled veggies to use later as stock.
Our daily vegetable intake is alarmingly low (only 7% of adults and 5% of children eat enough veggies), so cook them the way you love to eat them so you’ll add an extra serve to your plate.
FAQs
In reality, while cooking can cause the loss of some vitamins and minerals, it can also make it easier for your body to absorb them.
Does cooking food really destroy nutrients? ›
Cooking food can reduce some nutrients, such as vitamin C and some B vitamins, but other nutrients (such as lycopene in tomatoes or beta carotene in carrots) are more available to our bodies if they are cooked.
Does cooking cause a loss of nutrients in food? ›
The nutrient value of food is almost always altered by the kind of processing it undergoes. The water-soluble vitamins are the most vulnerable to processing and cooking. Careful cooking and storage will help retain the nutrients in your food.
Is over cooking the food destroys its nutrients True or false? ›
The correct option is B True
Overcooking destroys some nutrients in food.
Are nutrients lost in the process of cooking True or false? ›
Nutrients like vitamin B and C are lost when foods are boiled or soaked in water and the water is thrown away. Nutrients like vitamin A are lost when fats are used for cooking foods. Loss of nutrients in vegetables begins from preparation onward and is greater during the cooking process.
Is raw beef healthier than cooked? ›
Although the meat will weigh less, the nutritional value remains the same. (ex: 4 oz of raw beef and 3 oz of cooked beef will contain the same calories/macros, the weight just changes because the meat lost water) this is why we want to keep it consistent with whatever method of tracking you choose to use!
How to cook food without losing nutrients? ›
Holding On
- Keep skins on when possible.
- Avoid continuous reheating of food.
- Use a minimal amount of cooking liquid.
- Choose steaming over boiling.
- When you do boil, retain the cooking liquid for a future use (like soups and stocks)
- Use the microwave.
- Use a pressure cooker when possible.
- Avoid using baking soda to retain color.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble and temperature-sensitive vitamin, so is easily degraded during cooking, and elevated temperatures and long cooking times have been found to cause particularly severe losses of vitamin C [12].
Which cooking method causes the most nutrient loss? ›
Boiling and cooking vegetables in high temperatures or in water can also decrease their nutrient level. Water soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B vitamins are often lost during these cooking methods. Minerals like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc may be reduced by up to 60-70%.
Which vitamin is not cleaned out by cooking? ›
Cooking for a short time without water prevents the loss of B vitamins, and the addition of fat improves the absorption of plant compounds and antioxidants (6, 13 , 14 ). One study found that the absorption of beta carotene was 6.5 times greater in stir-fried carrots than in raw ones ( 15 ).
Turns out cooking food with baking soda (a.k.a. sodium bicarbonate) can indeed damage a number of nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin D, riboflavin, thiamin, and one essential amino acid. Yet it doesn't hurt others, including vitamin A, vitamin B12, niacin, and folic acid.
Why over cooking should be avoided? ›
Over-cooking also results in making food: - Harder to Metabolize: It becomes more difficult to digest once it has been cooked above a certain temperature. - Loses Nutrients: Generally, the longer you cook a food the more nutrients are lost and the longer it cooks more chemical reactions can occur.
What is the healthiest way to cook meat? ›
Carolyn Berry, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator in Vancouver, says to choose cooking techniques that don't add extra fat and calories. Grilling, roasting, baking, broiling, steaming, press cooking and slow cooking are some of the healthiest ways to cook meat.
Does cooking food destroy nutrients? ›
Cooking can reduce the nutritional value of your food by destroying essential vitamins and minerals. Specifically, heat-sensitive vitamins such as Vitamin C, B1 (Thiamine), and B9 (Folic Acid) can lose up to half of their content during the cooking process.
Is vitamin K destroyed by cooking? ›
Vitamin K is stable at room temperature. It doesn't need to be refrigerated. It isn't destroyed by cooking. But light can cause some loss of effects.
Does boiling broccoli remove nutrients? ›
Boiling leaches out the vegetable's water-soluble vitamins in these vegetables, such as vitamin C and folate, as well as many of the glucosinolate compounds, which are water-soluble, too. Moreover, too much exposure to high temperatures destroys the enzyme that converts the inactive glucosinolates to active compounds.
How do you prevent nutrients from destroying when cooking? ›
Waterless cooking, pressure cooking, steaming, stir-frying and microwaving are least destructive of nutrients. Frozen vegetables can be steamed.
What nutrients are easily destroyed by cooking? ›
The following nutrients are often reduced during cooking: water-soluble vitamins: vitamin C and the B vitamins — thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), folic acid (B9), and cobalamin (B12) fat-soluble vitamins: vitamins A, D, E, and K.
What cooking method loses the most nutrients? ›
Boiling and cooking vegetables in high temperatures or in water can also decrease their nutrient level. Water soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B vitamins are often lost during these cooking methods. Minerals like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc may be reduced by up to 60-70%.
Does cooking food make it unhealthy? ›
Contrary to some claims that cooking destroys the nutritional content of food, heat actually makes it easier for us to digest our food and extract enough energy from it. Cooking also makes some potentially dangerous foods, like raw meat, fish, and dairy, safe by eliminating pathogenic microbes.
