First of all, let’s clarify something. Generally speaking, when cooking vegetables, vitamins are not destroyed – but the nutritional value may be diminished, depending on the way you decide to cook them. The healthiest way to cook vegetables can depend on a number of factors, including the variety of vegetable, how you’re planning to store them and the type of vitamins they contain. For some vegetables, cooking may even help to release vitamins - this is true for carrots and courgettes.
The effects of cooking on vitamins differs. Whilst some vegetable could be more nutritious when cooked, there are types of vegetables whose vitamins may decrease during cooking or heating. This is because some vitamins are heat-sensitive, whilst others are heat-resistant. Here’s a quick and easy guide to each type of vitamin.
Heat-sensitive vitamins
A list of heat-sensitive vitamins and foods that contain them includes:
Heat-resistant vitamins
In contrast, heat-resistant vitamins do not get lost when cooked or heated. These include:
Now you understand about the effect of heat on vitamins and minerals, you’re probably wondering what the best way to cook vegetables without losing nutrients actually is. Unfortunately, there isn’t one answer on how to preserve the nutritional composition of foods, as all foods react slightly differently to heat. The fact of the matter is, it’s all about knowing when to cook and how to cook them.
When it comes to cooking vegetables, there are some general rules to keep in mind.
Fun fact: In its raw state, broccoli contains about 540 mg of vitamin C. After cooking it for a few minutes, it reduces to about 260 mg. The longer you cook it, the less vitamin it has. For veggies with heat-sensitive vitamins this is key to remember.
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When steaming, the food is evenly heated by hot steam from all sides and should remain crisp and aromatic.
Foods that contain many fat-soluble vitamins should be prepared with some oil or fat, otherwise, the body will not be able to absorb these vitamins. However, as with water solubility, they can dissolve in fat when cooking with fat, so you should keep the amount of fat to a minimum. Fat soluble vitamins include: