We have all heard that eating fruits, vegetables staves off health problems. Research suggests this is due to the rich nutrients in these foods. However, despite eating the right foods you may not capture the health benefits if you expose the foods to heat. Are you cooking away the benefits?
There are 3 nutrients destroyed by cooking: vitamin C, thiamin and folate. Each of these nutrients is also susceptible to leaching out of foods into cooking fluids. This week we will cover vitamin C. In the coming weeks we’ll get to the rest.
Vitamin C is easily destroyed by cooking heat and readily leaches into cooking fluids. To retain vitamin C, foods should either be eaten raw or cooked quickly (e.g., steaming or microwaving). Broccoli, for example, loses little vitamin C when steamed or cooked in a microwave with minimal water. However, boiling broccoli takes out most of the vitamin C.
Aside from cooking, vitamin C can react with cooking fluids. One study showed a marked decrease in vitamin C in dishes cooked with soy sauce or miso. Think twice before dousing your bell pepper, onion and broccoli stir-fry with soy sauce!
Maximize your vitamin C intake by enjoying the following foods raw or steamed:
- Sweet red peppers
- Sweet green peppers
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Peapods
Strawberries, peaches, papaya, oranges and kiwifruit are also rich in C. Pick 3 to add to your diet this week.
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Gliszczynska-Swiglo A, et. al, Changes in the content of health-promoting compounds and antioxidant activity in broccoli after domestic processing. Food Additives & Contaminants. 23(11):1088-98, Nov 2006
Kishida E, et. al, Effects of seasonings on the stability of ascorbic acid in a cooking model system, J of Nutr Science & Vitaminology. 50(6):431-7, Dec 2004
Hands, Elizabeth; Nutrients in Food. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000.
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