Bet we’ve all been faced with the problem of getting the
best out of vegetable nutrients without destroying the nutritional content
during cooking but sadly there’s no easy answer, since some produce is most
nutritious cooked, while other kinds do not need heat to bring out the best in
them. Now you need not to worry so much because we’ve prepared a list of how to
get the most from the farmers’ picks.
Onions
Just slice and eat them raw. You get less of the
phytonutrient allicin, a hunger busting ingredient when you cook onions. On the
other hand, they contain a flavonoid known as quercetin. It has anti-inflammatory
properties. Total amount of flavonoids can be increased by cooking. Yellow and
red onions have more flavonoids than white ones. Sauté or bake onions for five
minutes; any longer and the onion will begin to lose nutrients.
Broccoli
Eat it raw. Heating deactivates myrosinase, an enzyme that
helps cleanse your liver of carcinogens. Broccoli or other cruciferous veggies,
such as cabbage, cauliflower, kale and Brussels sprouts are good examples of
vegetables which should be eaten both cooked and raw. Raw broccoli contains an
enzyme called myrosinase which breaks down into sulforaphane, a compound
helping to prevent cancer and stomach ulcers. Cooking damages myrosinase. On
the other hand, cooking forms the compound indole in cruciferous veggies. It is
a phytonutrient that fights precancerous cells before they turn malignant.
Beets
Eat them raw. Beets lose more than 30 percent of their
foliate while cooking. Eating them raw will store this brain compound.
Mushrooms
Eat them cooked. Whether you heat, sauté, boil, roast or
grill them, more muscle-building potassium will be brought out.
Red peppers
Eat them raw. Their vitamin C breaks down while roasting,
frying, or grilling above 370 degrees. Red peppers are high in vitamin C that
is nutrient soluble in water. By boiling or cooking red peppers, the vitamins
dissolve in the water. It is best to eat red peppers raw.
Spinach
Eat it cooked. Have spinach cooked and you will absorb more
iron, calcium and magnesium. Though raw spinach is still good, cooking makes it
easier for your body to absorb the calcium it contains. Calcium is essential
for teeth and bone strength, so make sure you get the most out of the spinach.
Steam your spinach rather than boiling it to avoid losing nutrients.
Tomatoes
Eat them cooked. Are you surprised? When you eat cooked
tomatoes, your body absorbs more cancer fighting lycopene. Tomatoes contain
lycopene, an antioxidant linked to the prevention of cancer and other chronic
diseases. Researchers have found that lycopene molecules change tomatoes’
shape, which makes them more usable by the body. The amount of lycopene in
tomatoes is higher and it is better absorbed by the body after cooking with a
little oil, and particularly processing, rather than eaten fresh or raw.
Carrots
Raw carrots supply polyphenols, chemicals with antioxidant
properties thought to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Boiling
carrots destroys all the polyphenols as well as cooking, which breaks down the
vitamin C found in carrots. This vitamin is easily degraded when exposed to
heat. It is said that cooked carrots supply more of the antioxidant ß-carotene
than raw ones. Your body converts this antioxidant to vitamin A.
Garlic
Cooking makes the herb garlic less potent because heat
reduces the amount of healthy allicin, so it is best to add your garlic just
before you finish cooking rather than at the start. Garlic contains chemicals
that relax your blood vessels, helping to protect you from heart attack.
Cooking garlic reduces the amount of these vital chemicals, so it is better to
enjoy garlic raw.
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