Nutritious food is key to your health and wellbeing. Many of us believe that all we need is fresh fruits and vegetables to meet our daily dose of nutrients, but it is far from reality.
Believe it or not, the way you cook your food has a great impact on the amount of nutrients your dishes would retain. The process of cooking stimulates digestion and increases the absorption of nutrients.
Longer exposure to heat, light and water may drain out vitamins, minerals and plant compounds from the food. Few ideal ways of cooking are using less water, pressure cooking, steaming, stir-frying and microwaving.
Cleaning Rule
Wash vegetables and fruits before cutting. Chopping veggies first and then washing, rinse away all necessary nutrients. If you are cooking with root vegetables like potato, turnip, carrot or colocasia boil the skin first and then peel. Boiling root veggies with the skin helps in retaining the nutrients and colour.
Go For Big Chunks
Do not cut vegetables into very small pieces as most of the essential nutrients will get destroyed in the process. The perfect way is to cut vegetables into larger chunks. The trick is to cook soon after cutting veggies, as exposure to light and air may decrease the amount of nutrition.
Water Usage
Cook vegetables in a very little amount of water. Cooking in excess water depletes the nutrients and it is ideal to cook vegetables covered with a lid on low flame. Do not discard excess water drained after boiling rice or vegetables. The water is a rich source of all vitamins and minerals and it can be used in making gravies, soup or kneading dough.
Do Not Reheat
Avoid reheating of the cooked food as it destroys the natural properties of vitamins andminerals. Try eating within 4 hours of cooking your food as this helps in reducing further loss of nutrients.
No To Baking Soda
Never usebaking sodawhile cookingvegetables. Though it helps in retaining the colour of vegetables as well as speeds up the cooking process, adding baking soda releases carbon dioxide that can cause nutritional deficiency.
Disclaimer:
The content provided here is for informational purposes only. This blog is not intended to substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider for any questions or concerns you may have regarding a medical condition. Reliance does not endorse or recommend any specific tests, physicians, procedures, opinions, or other information mentioned on the blog.
FAQs
The process of cooking stimulates digestion and increases the absorption of nutrients. Longer exposure to heat, light and water may drain out vitamins, minerals and plant compounds from the food. Few ideal ways of cooking are using less water, pressure cooking, steaming, stir-frying and microwaving.
Does overcooking destroy nutrients? ›
Over-cooking also results in making food: - Harder to Metabolize: It becomes more difficult to digest once it has been cooked above a certain temperature. - Loses Nutrients: Generally, the longer you cook a food the more nutrients are lost and the longer it cooks more chemical reactions can occur.
Is overcooking the food destroys its nutrients True or false? ›
The correct option is B True
Overcooking destroys some nutrients in food.
Which cooking method destroys nutrients? ›
In general, boiling results in the greatest loss of nutrients, but it is also the most destructive for anti-nutrients. In addition, boiling reduces the mineral content because they are lost to the water.
How do you cook food without destroying nutrients? ›
Gentle steaming
This technique uses a low-temperature steamer (meaning the temperature remains below 212°F). It is the most appealing solution to optimize nutritional quality and preserve as many vitamins and minerals as possible. It also maintains the flavor and texture of foods.
What is the healthiest way to cook food? ›
17 healthy cooking tips
- Cook at home. ...
- Cook with basic ingredients. ...
- Avoid cooking at high temperatures. ...
- Avoid deep frying. ...
- Use low-fat cooking methods like boiling or steaming. ...
- Measure your ingredients accurately. ...
- Avoid cooking meat or fish to well-done or browned. ...
- Minimize added sugars and sweeteners.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble and temperature-sensitive vitamin, so is easily degraded during cooking, and elevated temperatures and long cooking times have been found to cause particularly severe losses of vitamin C [12].
Why overcooked food is not very healthy? ›
Expert-Verified Answer. When a food is Over cooked its minerals and other nutrients gets reduced and so it is not healthy and causes stomach problems if we eat burnt food.
Does overcooking chicken lose nutrients? ›
You can cook chicken in many different ways, whether that means steaming, roasting, grilling, or frying. This helps kill any germs and improves flavor prior to consumption. However, cooking for too long can break down the chicken's nutrients and reduce its health effects.
Does baking soda destroy nutrients? ›
Turns out cooking food with baking soda (a.k.a. sodium bicarbonate) can indeed damage a number of nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin D, riboflavin, thiamin, and one essential amino acid. Yet it doesn't hurt others, including vitamin A, vitamin B12, niacin, and folic acid.
Overcooked broccoli will be mushy and lose more nutrients. You can add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon juice to the broccoli after cooking for extra flavor. Steaming or microwaving are also good options for other vegetables that you want to retain their nutrients.
Which method of cooking has the highest nutrient loss? ›
In fact, boiling reduces vitamin C content more than any other cooking method. Broccoli, spinach, and lettuce may lose up to 50% or more of their vitamin C when boiled ( 4 , 5).
What is the healthiest way to cook vegetables? ›
Researchers found steaming kept the highest level of nutrients. “Boiling vegetables causes water soluble vitamins like vitamin C, B1 and folate to leach into the water,” Magee said.
Do boiling vegetables destroy nutrients? ›
Boiling and cooking vegetables in high temperatures or in water can also decrease their nutrient level. Water soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B vitamins are often lost during these cooking methods. Minerals like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc may be reduced by up to 60-70%.
What is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world? ›
Deficiencies in iron, vitamin A and iodine are the most common around the world, particularly in children and pregnant women.
Does overcooking meat make it less nutritious? ›
Nutrients can also be lost during the process of cooking meat. The extent to which this occurs is strongly influenced by the cooking method. What's more, heating meat to high temperatures for long time periods can lead to the formation of harmful compounds that may increase disease risk.
How overcooking decreases the nutritive value of food? ›
The process of cooking stimulates digestion and increases the absorption of nutrients. Longer exposure to heat, light and water may drain out vitamins, minerals and plant compounds from the food.
Is overcooking food harmful? ›
Overcooking certain foods lead to the growth of bacteria, making them carcinogenic in nature. This majorly happens when food gets charred or burnt.
What nutrients are lost when meat is cooked too long? ›
Most vitamin losses are minimal with this cooking method, including vitamin C. However, due to long cooking times at high temperatures, the B vitamins in roasted meat may decline by as much as 40% (6). Roasting or baking does not have a significant effect on most vitamins and minerals, except for B vitamins.
