Does heating up vegetables ruin their nutritional value?

[thef0x]

Does heating up vegetables ruin their nutritional value?

[rossio]

In short - yes....and no...

Basically, if you heat most vegetables over a certain temperature then the nutrients will start to wane.

Steaming preserves the nutrients more so than boiling or baking.

But then there are certain exceptions like tomatoes (I know, they are a fruit!) that actually increase in lycopene when heated.

In the large part, the more raw/lightly steamed you go, the more nutrients you will get.

Hope that makes sense!

Ross

[stephencp]

Heating anything over about 120 degrees (what you can typically tolerate sipping) kills the enyzmes in the food that are in there to help you digest it (actually to help itself digest itself and break down for the seeds...). The nutrients are typically still there (unless soaked and boiled) but you body will worked harder to digest it since you've got to make your own enzymes.

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[Dimitry]

And is that such a bad thing? Probably still good enough to eat for long term health. Pluis just eating raw veggies all the time will get kinda boring imo.

[joey m]

I do not agree that cooking foods will make it more difficult to digest them. For instance, cooking often making assimilation of protein better. Also, certain nutrients are better absorbed once cooked (e.g. lycopene, beta carotene, and many phytochemicals). The healthiest way to ensure a good balance and quantity of all these nutrients is to eat a high quantity of raw fruits and veggies, as well as some cooked veggies (either in soup or steamed).

Best,
Joey

[Keith]

Originally Posted by rossio

Steaming preserves the nutrients more so than boiling or baking.

Note however that boiled vegetables tend to lose their nutrients into the water. So if you're making soup, you'll still retain most of the nutrition - it's just in the liquid now rather than the vegetables.

Alternately, if you're boiling the vegies for some other reason, it's good to at least save the water for stock...

[fballer11]

when you cook a vegetable, you lose some of the nutrients, true. However, you also break down the cell walls, which makes it easier to get the nutrients left. A raw veggie's micronutrients can be merely flushed down the toilet, especially with the state of most people's digesive tract these days.

Of course, juicing gets all the micronutrients without cooking . . . but no fiber

[colint]

Originally Posted by rossio

... there are certain exceptions like tomatoes (I know, they are a fruit!) that actually increase in lycopene when heated.

That's not quite true, Ross. Raw tomatoes contain the lycopene, but we are unable to access it. Tomatoes that have been processed in some way (such as ketchup, tinned tomatoes or just cooked) have been broken down slightly and this gives us access to the lycopene.

Originally Posted by fballer11

Of course, juicing gets all the micronutrients without cooking . . . but no fiber

You can retain the fibre by making a smoothie instead of juicing ... or tip the solids from the juicer into the juice. Whatever you do, don't think of the "dry" compartment as "waste"! (If you do eat cooked food, the dry results from juicing make great muffins ...)


Colin

[Kate Saltfleet]

I think the key is not to overcook your veggies. I like to stir fry vegetables such as broccoli, beansprouts and cabbage with a little groundnut oil and add chopped root ginger, garlic and a little soy sauce.

Of course, some people don't like crunchy veg, but that is another issue.

[innocentpreneur]

There is nothing better than raw vegetables.heating up vegetable affects its nutrition value? I think it depends on the vegetable, some vegetables are not affected by heating.

[spicetoes]

does makinnng a salad of boiled potatoes, carrots, peas beetroot cauliflower and raw cucumber alll cut into cubes... worth as a diet part to reduce weight ???? or will it make me gain weight???