How To Cook Vegetables Without Losing Their Vitamins and Nutrients

Weall know the importance of geting our 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day in order to reduce our risk of certain chronic diseases such as cancer. But are you really getting the maximum impact from the vegetables you eat or are you cooking away all the vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants?

A recent study conducted in the U.K. showed boiling vegetables that are members of the cruciferous family, including cabbage, broccoli, and brussel sprouts, significantly reduces their anticancer properties. The active anticancer ingredient which is destroyed by the boiling process is called gucosinolate. Glucosinolate is an important compound that converts inside the body to a cancer fighting chemical called isothiocynate which helps to remove cancer causing components from our system. When cruciferous vegetables are boiled, most of this important compound is destroyed along with the cancer protective properties.

Do you lose ALL the important vitamins and nutrients from our vegetables when we boil them?

The preponderance of evidence suggest there is some truth to this. It's been shown when we boil vegetables, a considerable amount of the vitamins leech out into the cooking water are poured down the drain. This will vary depending on how much water is used in the cooking process as well as how long the vegetables are exposed to hot water. It seems disheartening to eat your vegetables as recommended and not get the full anticancer and vitamin protection!

What can you do to retain the healthy vitamins and cancer protecting agents?

The solution lies in choosing the correct way to cook your vegetables. Probably the best method for preparing vegetables to preserve their vitamin and anticancer properties is to steam them in a metal or bamboo steamer. Using one of these devices, your vegetables are elevated above the boiling water which means they never have direct contact with it. If you don't have access to a steamer, you can try stir frying or microwaving your vegetables since the U.K. study showed these cooking methods had little effect on the vegetables they studied.

If you choose to microwave your vegetables, use as little water and as short a cooking time as possible to minimize loss of vitamins. It also may help to cut your vegetables into large pieces before cooking to reduce the surface area exposed to hot water.

Now that you know how to prepare vegetables to give yourself maximum health benefits, why not prepare some steamed vegetables at your next meal? They'll taste delicious and pack a powerful punch against cancer!