These Vegetables Have Higher Nutritional Value When Cooked
There are many different diets that serve
many different beliefs about nutrition. One of them is the raw food
diet, and while there are various advantages to eating raw, unprocessed
food in its most natural form, we'd like to add our two cents to the
matter. There are some big advantages to cooking your food. It helps
with digestion by softening fibers, for example. But there's more to it
than texture and taste. Some vegetables have higher nutritional value
when they are cooked.
Besides the nutritional values, there are
some dangers in consuming certain foods raw. Here are the 9 vegetables
better consumed cooked.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes and other red fruits like
watermelon, red bell pepper, and papaya all contain a very potent
antioxidant by the name Lycopene. It is said by some to be even more
powerful than vitamin C! Lycopene lowers the risk for cancer and heart
attacks. Lycopene in tomatoes rises to 35% when they're cooked in 190
degrees Fahrenheit (88 degrees Celsius) for 30 minutes. The heat breaks
down that hard cell walls, helping the body absorb the nutrients more
efficiently.
This specific recipe hits the sweet spot, as Lycopene is absorbed by
your body more effectively when consumed with healthy fat. You can also
just grill or bake tomatoes with some olive oil. In fact, this may even
be a healthier option than cooking them in water, as water is
responsible for the loss of much of the vitamin C in tomatoes. This is
because vitamin C is water-soluble. It just melts away. But keep in
mind, it is a vitamin that's much easier to come by than Lycopene. And
as with everything, balance is the key.
Asparagus
Cooking asparagus boosts its antioxidant
activity by 16 to 25%. Just like tomatoes, a lot of the asparagus'
nutrients are oil-soluble, meaning they're more easily absorbed into the
body when they're consumed with fats. Consider cooking your asparagus
in olive oil, or serving it with some toasted seeds.
Spinach
Steaming spinach can reduce the contents of
oxalic acid in spinach, which interferes with your body's absorption of
iron and calcium, by 53 percent! Cooked spinach also offers more
calcium, magnesium, and iron than when it's raw. Now, who said healthy
isn't fun?
Mushrooms
Any form of heat will help enhance the
mushrooms' overall antioxidant activities. In my opinion, they're also
much tastier when cooked. They also have higher levels of potassium,
niacin, and zinc than raw ones.
Celery
Celery's antioxidant capacity only rises
when you use certain cooking methods. These are pressure-cooking,
grilling, frying, baking, and even microwaving! What these all have in
common is the use of little to no water when cooking. As with the
tomatoes, the water breaks down celery's vitamin C. When boiled, this
veggie actually lost 14 percent of its antioxidant activity. If you like
throwing it in your pot of chicken soup for flavor, that's fine.
Carrots
Beta carotene is a carotenoid found in
carrots. It is an antioxidant that the body converts into vitamin A, and
it is what gives the carrot its orange hue. Cooking carrots boosts its
beta-carotene levels. This aids in supporting bone growth, enhancing
your vision and strengthening your immune system. It is even used as a
powerful anti-aging ingredient in skincare, commonly known as retinol.
It increases cell turnover and boosts collagen production.
Cooking carrots can triple their antioxidant activity! When cooking them
keep the skin on. You can roast or boil them or use any other method of
cooking really, but not frying. This will reduce carotenoid levels by
13 percent.
Green Beans
Green beans are the real shocker on the
list. Frying them is one of the best methods for unlocking their extra
nutritional value! Steamed ones also have greater cholesterol-lowering
benefits. When baked, green beans also have higher levels of
antioxidants. If you're after nutritional value, avoid boiling or
pressure cooking. Notice that there's nothing harmful about that, but
these methods won't help you unlock the extra benefits.
Brussels Sprouts
When cooked, Brussels sprouts contain a
compound called indole. It has been found to kill precancerous cells.
Cooking Brussels sprouts may also aid in digestion, minimizing bloating
and gas.
Artichokes 
Did you know that steaming artichokes
increased their antioxidant levels by 15-fold? Insane, isn't it? Boiling
only boosted it by 8-fold, but we can settle for that too. In this
post, you'll find 6 different recipes for stuffed veggies, including
artichoke, mushroom, and tomatoes.