Cooking Vegetables May Increase the Nutrient Value

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COOKING VEGETABLES MAY INCREASE THE NUTRIENT VALUE

Cooking your vegetables may increase antioxidant levels.

Although raw vegetables have always been touted to provide the most nutritional value. A recent study showed that cooking vegetables might actually increase the release of some nutrients. Scientists measured levels of various antioxidants in the raw vegetables. Then they boiled, steamed, or fried the vegetables. Lastly, they measured antioxidant levels in the cooked vegetables.
Raw vegetables were loaded with antioxidants. After cooking, their antioxidant levels were a mixed bag.
In some cases, the veggies lost antioxidants to cooking. But not all antioxidants decreased when cooked -- and in some cases, certain antioxidant levels rose when cooked.
For instance, steamed broccoli contained higher levels than raw broccoli of glucosinolate compounds, which may reduce cancer risk. And boiled carrots contained higher levels than raw carrots of carotenoids, which give carrots their bright orange color. Frying caused a significantly higher loss of antioxidants in comparison to the water-based cooking methods.

However, no single method of cooking stood out as being best for all antioxidants. The findings suggest that it may be possible to select a cooking method for each vegetable that can best preserve or improve its nutritional quality. The most important thing is to ensure that you eat the required daily serving of vegetables- whether you prefer them cooked or raw.