Cooking can impact the nutrients in your food, sometimes enhancing or reducing their availability.
When it comes to cooking, were often focused on flavor and texturebut what about how it affects nutrition?
Heres what you should probably know to keep your food both delicious and nutritious.
Does Cooking Your Food Destroy Its Nutrients?
Cooking can change the nutrients in your food, for better or for worse.
Cooking can destroy nutrients, but it depends on the method of cooking.
Eating a variety of both raw and cooked foods can help you get the most nutritional benefits.
Overcooking can negatively affect the nutrient value of most vegetables.
Some Antioxidants
Hydrophilic antioxidantswhich tend to dissolve in waterare often lost during boiling.
One study showed that boiling cauliflower resulted in a loss of antioxidants.
Antioxidant activity is how well antioxidants can protect the body from oxidative damage by scavenging free radicals.
The study revealed that microwaving or steaming cauliflower and carrots for 15 minutes retained the most antioxidants.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Cooking meat, eggs and fish at high temperatures can change their nutritional value.
To preserve these healthy fats, try baking, steaming or poaching your favorite proteins.
Lycopene, found in tomatoes, is a great example, she adds.
Lycopeneis an antioxidant linked to improved heart health and a reduced risk of certain cancers.
Steaming and microwaving carrots and sweet potatoes increases their antioxidant availability without destroying other important nutrients.
A clue that you’re prepping them correctly?
Lightly cooking these foods can increase the amount of calcium your body can absorb.
So, Should You Be Worried About Cooking Your Food?
The short answer is no.
Cooking makes some foods taste better and can be necessary for food safety.
It can also make certain nutrients more available to your body.
As with anything, the key is to embrace a balanced approach.
Eat a variety of fruits and vegetablesboth raw and cookedto get the most nutrients.
Mix it up and use a variety of cooking methods to support your overall health.
