How to Cook Vegetables without Losing Their Vitamins and Nutrients?

Vegetables are part of our lives, as every human being eats them for both taste and to fulfill the nutritional requirements of the body. Everything that God has created has its benefits and it is up to us to learn how to prepare and eat them for a good and healthy life. Dieticians, doctors and the media seem to

be constantly reminding us that we need to eat vegetables for their nutrients, antioxidants and disease- fighting powers. But often when we cook vegetables, we lose the very nutrients we are trying to add to our diets by overcooking or cooking them with the wrong method. Fortunately, there are some ways to cook vegetables that will preserve most of their vitamins and minerals.

Following are the ways by which we can get maximum nutrients from the vegetables:

1.     The freshness of vegetables also add up to there nutrient content so one may try best to get the most fresh vegetable as far as possible. Farmer’s markets are best place to get the fresh vegetables. As the freshness of vegetables start degrading they start loosing nutrient contents. So, vegetables must be purchased just before their preparation.

2.     Store the vegetables properly. Before cooking or serving the vegetables, store them in the new Green Bags or Green Containers. These storage pieces keep fruit and vegetables fresh longer by trapping gasses in them and away from the foods.

3.     Wash the vegetables before cutting or chopping to minimize nutrient loss, but do not soak them. Water takes away nutrients.

4.     Cut vegetables just before eating or cooking to retain the most amount of vitamins especially Vitamin C. The Vitamin C content of vegetables is lost at a fast rate once the vegetables have been cut or bruised. Larger the exposed area, more the loss.

5.     Vegetable should be cooked for a limited period of time as heat destroys the nutrient contents of vegetables.

6.     Steaming the vegetables is a good method of cooking as it takes less time and preserves the nutrients while frying is the worst method as they absorb huge amounts of fats thus becoming high in calories too and produces cancer-causing chemicals. Other than this Stir-frying, microwaving are also the good ways to preserve their natural goodness.

7.     Least amount of water should be used for cooking as Vegetables contain vitamin C, vitamin B and foliates, all of which dissolve in water when cooked or if more water is used don't throw away the water drink it or use it in soups or sauces.