How do you keep nutrients when cooking?

Steaming. Steaming is one of the best cooking methods for preserving nutrients, including water-soluble vitamins, which are sensitive to heat and water ( 4 , 5, 6, 17 ). Researchers have found that steaming broccoli, spinach, and lettuce reduces their vitamin C content by only 9–15% (5).

How do you preserve nutrients when cooking?

The three R’s for nutrient preservation are to reduce the amount of water used in cooking, reduce the cooking time and reduce the surface area of the food that is exposed. Waterless cooking, pressure cooking, steaming, stir-frying and microwaving are least destructive of nutrients. Frozen vegetables can be steamed.

How do you cook without losing nutrients?

The Methods

1. Microwaving. Some research suggests that nuking may be the healthiest way to cook because of its short cooking times, which results in minimal nutrient destruction. …
2. Boiling. …
3. Steaming. …
4. Poaching. …
5. Broiling. …
6. Grilling. …
7. Sautéeing. …
8. No Cooking (Raw)

What method of cooking retains the most nutrients?

Cooking methods that preserve nutrients

• #1: Steaming. Steaming is the gentlest and healthiest way to prepare food. …
• #2: Grilling. Grilling lets you get maximum nutritional value from your vegetables and helps food retain its truest flavour. …
• #3: Baking or roasting. …
• #4: Sautéing. …
• #5: Microwaving.

How do you maintain nutritional value of food?

Some suggestions to retain the maximum nutrition in the foods you cook include:

1. Store foods properly, such as keeping cold foods cold and sealing some foods in airtight containers.
2. Keep vegetables in the crisper section of the refrigerator.
3. Try washing or scrubbing vegetables rather than peeling them.

Which is the best way to prepare fruit to retain nutrients?

Follow these tips to preserve nutrients in your kitchen:

1. Fresh is best, frozen is next. Fresh, ripe produce in-season–with virtually no cooking required–will usually be highest in nutrients. …
2. Be water wise. …
3. Cut cooking times. …
4. Make friends with your microwave. …
5. Chop less. …
6. Preserve the peel. …
7. Use it all. …
8. Keep it cool.

What is the best way to cook broccoli without losing nutrients?

Just steam the broccoli instead. Experts consider it the best way to preserve broccoli’s nutrition. The easiest way is just use your microwave. You don’t even need a steamer.

Why is it important to cook vegetables correctly?

Cooking vegetables breaks down the plants’ cell walls, releasing more of the nutrients bound to those cell walls. Cooked vegetables supply more antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene, than they do when raw. … Even so, in some cases vegetables may be better for you raw than cooked.

What factors can damage or reduce vitamins in food?

Heat, light, exposure to the air, cooking in water, and alkalinity all are factors that can destroy vitamins.

Is boiling a healthy cooking method?

Boiling. Although this is a fat-free cooking method, nutrients, such as vitamin C and folate, are lost in the water. Using less water will help preserve the vitamins and minerals in your vegetables.