Avoid watering down veggie nutrition

Liebling:-)))

Liebling:-)))

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Avoid watering down veggie nutrition

Minimize liquid and cook more quickly to preserve vitamins, antioxidants

Boosting vegetable consumption is an important step to lowering cancer risk and promoting overall health, but preparing them in a way that maximizes their nutritional value is important too. Scientific analysis shows that too much heat and water can cause the loss of some vitamins, minerals and other healthful plant compounds called phytochemicals. The key to retaining vegetables’ nutrients is to cook them quickly and with little water.

Boiling vegetables in a pan of water was long the traditional cooking method. Studies have found that this leads to loss of water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and folate, an important B vitamin. Now studies show that certain antioxidant cancer-fighting phytochemicals are also lost in cooking water. Broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, for example, contain antioxidants called glucosinolates. When comparing boiled to steamed broccoli, analysis found that steamed broccoli lost little of the vitamin C it contained when raw and contained more glucosinolates than boiled broccoli.

Steam instead of boil
This advantage of steaming rather than boiling vegetables was confirmed in another study with spinach and broccoli. Steaming produced no significant loss of folate, even after 4½ minutes of steaming spinach and 15 minutes steaming broccoli. Yet when these vegetables were cooked by boiling in water, each lost more than half its folate.

Another study showed that zucchini, beans and carrots cooked in a small amount of water were significantly higher in phytochemicals called flavonoids than those cooked in larger amounts of water. In yet another study, cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, lost about 90 percent of their glucosinolates when boiled, but showed no significant loss when steamed, microwaved or stir-fried.

Consider microwaving
The impact of cooking vegetables in a microwave depends upon how it is done. Microwaves offer the advantage of cooking vegetables quickly, often even more quickly than steaming. A quick cooking time minimizes the loss of heat-sensitive vitamins, such as vitamins C and B (including folate).

The key is to use the least amount of water required. Broccoli immersed in water while cooking in a microwave lost 74 to 97 percent of its antioxidants in one study. But as long as there is just the minimal amount of water required, studies show no significant loss of vitamins or healthful phytochemicals.

Watch the oil when stir-frying
Stir-frying is another method of cooking that studies show retains nutrients and protective phytochemicals. It’s important to control the amount of oil you use, since many vegetables absorb all the oil, which is a concentrated source of calories. Although stir-frying uses high temperatures, vegetables are chopped into relatively small pieces. This causes them to cook quickly and to minimize the breakdown of heat-sensitive nutrients.

Oven roasting is another way to cook vegetables without immersing them in water. Because this involves higher temperatures for longer periods of time, often 30 to 40 minutes at 400 degrees, vegetables may lose a small amount of some nutrients when compared with other water-free cooking methods.

For many vegetables, including onions, parsnips, winter squash, eggplant, sweet potatoes and onions, the flavor is so enhanced by this cooking method that it makes eating substantial portions a treat.

There are plenty of ways you can use minimal cooking water and cooking time while still retaining vegetables’ flavor and nutrients. When steaming vegetables, for example, try adding to the water subtle flavors, such as soy sauce or citrus. You can toss steamed orange vegetables with a small amount of honey or maple syrup. For vegetable recipes ideas, visit the American Institute for Cancer Research at AICR: homepage.

© 2007 MSNBC Interactive
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Avoid watering down veggie nutrition - Nutrition Notes - MSNBC.com
 
Steam instead of boil
This advantage of steaming rather than boiling vegetables was confirmed in another study with spinach and broccoli. Steaming produced no significant loss of folate, even after 4½ minutes of steaming spinach and 15 minutes steaming broccoli. Yet when these vegetables were cooked by boiling in water, each lost more than half its folate.
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Very true...

I use Steam for vegetables and peeling or unpeeling potatoes...
 
Liebling:-))) said:
Very true...

I use Steam for vegetables and peeling or unpeeling potatoes...
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I love steamed veggies than boiling it yucky... Also love eating the potatoes skin after it's been washed and baked .... as it's a good source of vitamins in it as well.. smile...
 
umm i eat vegetables and i also took pills of vitamins..
i think ill be fine..
 
Yea...I am one of those who tends to overcook veggies which is why my hubby is trying to teach me not to do that in order to retain the nutrition in the veggies. I didnt know that until he told me. OOOOpS! Good info Liebling! Thanks
 
shel90 said:
Yea...I am one of those who tends to overcook veggies which is why my hubby is trying to teach me not to do that in order to retain the nutrition in the veggies. I didnt know that until he told me. OOOOpS! Good info Liebling! Thanks
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ooh...how ur hubby know about that?!?
that interesting because most men dont know about cooking cuz they dont cares about it :hmm:
 
lol that's cute Animal Lover..

My husband taught me about foods More than my mother teachs me (its true) I tend overcooks everything...... even on meats Now... anyway... i have not overcooks anything yet. except for my own foods I rather overcooks as in WELLDONE...


Sorry for going off topic :)


:ty: Liebling, That is very true. my mother has been nagging on me about steaming veggies more often than using boil veggies. *sigh* I guess I should start listening to her :giggle:

Oh yes Lance tells me there's lots of vitamins In Romaine lettuce than Iceburg so that's how I love about my husband because he took his time to explain to me.. even takes YEARS to get thru my thick skull head :giggle:


Wendy
 
WBHarley said:
lol that's cute Animal Lover..

My husband taught me about foods More than my mother teachs me (its true) I tend overcooks everything...... even on meats Now... anyway... i have not overcooks anything yet. except for my own foods I rather overcooks as in WELLDONE...


Sorry for going off topic :)


:ty: Liebling, That is very true. my mother has been nagging on me about steaming veggies more often than using boil veggies. *sigh* I guess I should start listening to her :giggle:

Oh yes Lance tells me there's lots of vitamins In Romaine lettuce than Iceburg so that's how I love about my husband because he took his time to explain to me.. even takes YEARS to get thru my thick skull head :giggle:


Wendy
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hehe thanks :D

I want to be one of few men who know a lot about cooking cuz i like to cook :D
 
Good info--like for myself, I much rather have my veggies steamed than anything else...I can remember back to the days when the 'wok' was all in a rage a few decades ago and cooking several meals out of them.

( Wok - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )


Being able to maximize and utilize the retaining of certain vitamins can perhaps enrich and prolong one's life....other than that, the food can taste much better too.





~RR
 
Welcome :)

I steam vegetables, unpeeling or peeling potoatoes with a little water with steam cooker like this. I also do with gulasch as well.

schnelltopf - Google Bilder

Oh yes, wok. I still have wok here but I didn't use it much... I only use it to fry the rice with vegetables/any meats/noodles... (chinese meals)...
 
Animal_Lover said:
ooh...how ur hubby know about that?!?
that interesting because most men dont know about cooking cuz they dont cares about it :hmm:
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Oh I dont know where to start when it comes to my hubby's culinary skills! He is the best cook for an amueter in my opinion!!!

He loves to cook and experiment with foods. Also, he watches the food channel often.

He made our wedding cake from scratch and it came out beautifully!

I think he learned about this issue with steaming veggies from the Food Channel.
 
wow, your hubby made wedding cake, Shel90... :jaw: Have you any picture of wedding cake, I like to see...
 
Liebling:-))) said:
wow, your hubby made wedding cake, Shel90... :jaw: Have you any picture of wedding cake, I like to see...
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My problem is everytime I try to post pics here, it says file too big. I have been trying to play around with different ways but no luck so far. grrrr! Any ideas?
 
shel90 said:
My problem is everytime I try to post pics here, it says file too big. I have been trying to play around with different ways but no luck so far. grrrr! Any ideas?
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I will be happy to resize the picture for you if you like to... If yes, then exchange our email address via PM.
 
hehe Shel.


Sound like my husband too, He doesnt watch tv but He just look around and just pick this or that or this or that.. often it came out real good too...

His mom made our wedding cake ;) I will have pictures too...


Animal lover-- Hehe true you can be one of the few men who could cook..

Honestly I prefer his cooking than my own! but most of time I cook cuz He works. He just don't want to cook when he comes home from work, depend on the days If I am havin' a bad hairday he will cook tho.. smile.. My kids loves his cooking too.. and they do love my cooking..


Woks, I often use them sometime I just throw in the electric skillet pan and mix it with the hmm.... some meat in with these veggies.. My husband knows I must have my favorites stir fries with veggies only. I often use it with olive oil just a little bit.. it doesnt harm much.. I like it crunchy (not too soft, not too hard) Just crunchy right taste!


wendy
 
I love fresh vegetables. I steamed mine. I don't like the canned type. Bleah!! I love to eat raw veggies. My favorite is salad including the fresh spinach leaves in it. I don't take fake vitamin pills because I don't know what's in it.
 
care tell why most people peel the green off cucumbers before eating? I feel the green is good boost for blood.
 
efua said:
care tell why most people peel the green off cucumbers before eating? I feel the green is good boost for blood.
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Good question...

I do eat unpeeling cucumbers... Wash and dry green cucumbers and then eat simple... Yes, green is good health.

I do peeling green cucumber sometimes to use for my face... Just rub green peeling all over my face and neck... and leave it dry... before throw them away to rubbish bin or compost. Liquid of green cucumber is good for your skin.

I guess the reasons why some people do that.
 
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