If you puree and steam a veggie, do you lose any of the nutritional value? What do you think?!
Answers: Yes! All raw vegetables are high in vitamins but the minute you steam or cook them then the vitamins are depleated. They will still hold some vitamins but not as much as raw veggies. I am an italian chef and we are big veggie eaters. We do not believe in processed foods what so ever. We eat alot of raw veggies in our salads but we also cook them by saute them, boiling them, and grilling them. The key point in cooked veggies are that you do not over cook them to the point that they are mushy. You want to keep them aldente so they still have a bite to them and still holds some vitamins. Mushy fades the vitamins. The skin, or stems of vegetables carry the most vitamins and that is the part that most people throw away.
Puree no, steaming i think you lose a bit but I believe thats the way you keep the most in the veggies over any other cooking method.
No. Steaming is the best way to maintain the nutrients. I would steam the vegetable first... then steam it. Not puree first.
yes, but it is better than frying it...
Very little, though you might lose some of the texture. Actually, steaming is better for most vegetables as far as preserving the nutritional value, and the flavor.
Yes, by cooking, peeling, pureeing and even washing vegetables will loose some vitamins. However, it's still better to eat a steamed veggie than none at all. Just don't overdo it. It's better to have it undercooked than overcooked.
you will lose a little bit of nutritional value by altering vegetables in any way- BUT by steaming you will also release some of the nutrients in a way that makes it more beneficial to your body- so by steaming you gain and lose! :)
Any time you expose a vegetable to heat, some of the beneficial nutrients begin to break down. This is because heat speeds up the process that happens naturally over time. Likewise, cool temperatures for storage will retain the most nutrients because cold will slow down the natural process of breaking down cell walls.
Raw veggies or flash-frozen are going to have the best nutritional value, but remember, eating veggies at ALL is a good step.
If you create a simple physical change - chopping it, pureeing, anything like that, that does not expose the veggie to heat, or put it in a more acidic environment ( like lemon juice, or vinegar) - that won't affect the nutritional values.
If you create a change on the chemical level, by heating it or adding acidic ingredients, that causes the cell walls to break down and you may lose some nutrients - the softer that it gets, the more cell walls broke down.