Eat Your Veggies; Here's How

Cooking (or not) can boost nutrients, experts say
By Marie Morris,  Newser Staff
Posted May 20, 2008 4:42 PM CDT
Eat Your Veggies; Here's How
Raw veggies aren't always best, nutrition experts say.   ((c) galant)

Chomping on a raw carrot may give you the keen eyesight of a cartoon rabbit, but boiling the vegetable first is a better way to release its nutrients, scientists say. The New York Times looks at a variety of cooking methods and finds the goodness of the good stuff on your dinner plate may depend on the approach the chef takes.

  • Because it's water soluble, vitamin C flies out of canned veggies, cooked spinach, and even frozen cherries.
  • Steamed or boiled broccoli is worse than unappetizing: It loses far more vitamin C than the microwaved version.
  • The body absorbs certain nutrients better when avocados or full-fat salad dressing accompanies skinnier veggies; fat helps "unlock" lutein, lycopene, and beta carotene.
(More vegetables stories.)

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