Preparation of Veggies?!
I eat a lot of salads, but as far as things like broccoli, carrots, peppers etc go I cook them. Actually, I tend to boil them and makes different soups.
Does the high temperature cause the vegetables to loose all their nutritional value? Also I re-heat my soup in the microwave - is this bad?
Thanks for you help!
Answers: I am new to vegetarianism - I eat a lot of vegetables, but I know the they way they are cooked affects their nutritional value. Raw is best, right?
I eat a lot of salads, but as far as things like broccoli, carrots, peppers etc go I cook them. Actually, I tend to boil them and makes different soups.
Does the high temperature cause the vegetables to loose all their nutritional value? Also I re-heat my soup in the microwave - is this bad?
Thanks for you help!
There is a common misconception that microwaving food causes it to lose nutritional value. This is COMPELTELY false. Yes, raw is best if you want to maintain all the vitamins, but for vegetables that need to be cooked, the microwave is actually your best bet. Direct heat sources are what strip vegetables of nutrition--that's why boiling is generally avoided. Since microwave ovens don't use a direct heat source to cook food, they leave the taste, texture, color, and nutrition much more intact than traditional cooking methods.
So, to sum it up for you, raw is better than microwaving, microwaving is better than steaming, and steaming is better than boiling, frying, or baking.
Different vegetables come out best with different cooking methods. I find that corn and green beans are good boiled, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, and spinach are good microwaved, bell peppers are good steamed, and potatoes are good baked. Overall, I usually go with the method that maintains the color and flavor best, sometimes at the detriment of the vitamin levels. You might want to experiment to see how these methods work out for you.
Oh, and the only way heating soup in the microwave might be bad for you is if you spilled the hot soup on yourself, lol.
Happy cooking!
yes steamed is better or they lose their vitamins
Raw is best. All processing destroys some vitamins and minerals (not all of them)- but boiling and microwaving will kill ALL of the enzymes. You need the enzymes in the food in order to DIGEST the food. Save some of your carrots to eat raw. Your colon will thank you.
: )
Boiling veggies does strip them of nutritional value. Steaming is better, but raw is the best. Please take into consideration that raw veggies can carry chemicals and bacteria, and if not cooked, should be thoroughly cleaned. Some, like green onions, are almost impossible to rid of pathogens so you might want to exclude them from your raw diet.
One last point - there are nutrients that you need to remain healthy, that you may not be getting from an all veg diet. Talk to someone who can direct you to the right supplements to stay healthy.
Raw or steamed is better but you are still getting some by eating things in soup. As long as you are eating a variety and not lacking in needed servings of veggies , you will have no problems getting what you need.