5 Veggies Better For You Cooked Than Raw

 

 

 

Generally speaking, the less processed food is, the better. However, not all food is more nutritious when eaten raw. Some very common vegetables are actually more nutritious when cooked. Here are five of them. 

 

Tomatoes.
Cooking, using any method, greatly increases the antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes. Lycopene has been associated with a lower risk of a range of chronic diseases including heart disease and cancer. The increased lycopene amount comes because the heat helps to break down the thick cell walls, which contain several important nutrients. Cooking does reduce a tomato's vitamin C content by nearly a third but their lycopene content rises by more than 50%.

Carrots.
Cooked carrots contain more beta-carotene than raw carrots, which is a substance  that the body converts into vitamin A. This fat-soluble vitamin supports bone growth, vision and the immune system. Cooking carrots with the skins on more than doubles their antioxidant content. You should boil carrots whole before slicing as it stops these nutrients from escaping into the cooking water. Avoid frying carrots as this has been found to reduce beta-carotene levels.

Bell Peppers (Any variety).
Bell peppers are a great source of immune-system-boosting antioxidants, especially the carotenoids, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and lutein. Heat breaks down the cell walls, making the carotenoids easier to absorb. As with tomatoes, vitamin C is lost when peppers are boiled or steamed because the vitamin can leach out into the water. Try roasting them instead.

Broccoli.
Brassica, which include broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts, are high in glucosinolates, which the body can convert into a range of cancer-fighting compounds. For these glucosinolates to be converted into cancer-fighting compounds, an enzyme within these vegetables called myrosinase has to be active. Steaming these vegetables preserves both the vitamin C and myrosinase and, therefore, the cancer-fighting compounds you can get from them.

Green Beans.
Green beans have higher levels of antioxidants when they are baked, microwaved, grilled or even fried as opposed to boiled.

For all vegetables, higher temperatures, longer cooking times and larger quantities of water cause more nutrients to be lost. Water-soluble vitamins (C and many of the B vitamins) are the most unstable nutrients when it comes to cooking because they leach out of vegetables into the cooking water. So avoid soaking them in water, use the least amount of water when cooking and use other cooking methods, such as steaming or roasting. Also, if you have cooking water left over, use it in soups or gravies as it holds all the leached nutrients. 

Thanks to Laura Brown, senior lecturer in Nutrition, Food, and Health Sciences at Teesside University in the UK, for this good information.