Luckily for us, plant-based foods boast an impressive nutritional profile. Yet our cooking techniques can prevent us from reaping all their beneficial vitamins. Our focus on cooking is taste and speed; how quickly can we make a delicious meal? It's uncommon to ask ourselves which cooking technique will help us absorb the most nutrients.
However, methods such as boiling, grilling, and sautéing can all impact the amount of nutrients we can obtain from food. Some enhance absorption, while others prohibit it.
You may be cooking carrots in a way that zaps over half of their vitamin B contents when you could be using a method that magnifies their antioxidant qualities. If we are aware of the methods to avoid and prioritize it'll help us get the most from our food!
I will share a small insight into how our cooking methods can affect the vitamins available and how we can maximize ingredients to their full, nutritious potential.
Key Takeaways
How Does Cooking Affect Nutrients?
While many plant foods contain more nutritional value when left in their natural state, cooking makes them easier to digest, which helps the body absorb their nutrients more effectively.
However, during the cooking process, some vitamins may get lost. For example, research suggests that foods high in vitamin C will experience nutrient loss when boiled, as vitamin C is a water-soluble and temperature-sensitive vitamin.
Whereas if you sauté tomatoes with olive oil, the powerful antioxidant lycopene is more readily available for us to absorb.
These examples underscore that the effectiveness of a cooking method varies on the food and nutrient in question, highlighting the importance of choosing appropriate techniques.
So, what is the best way to cook our plant-based delights?
Boiling
Unfortunately, boiling food is not the highest-ranking cooking method for nutrient retention. It is a speedy way to cook frozen vegetables and potatoes, but it inhibits your opportunity to soak up all the benefits (especially from vegetables).
For example, broccoli loses 54.6% of its vitamin C when boiled. Moreover, boiling vegetables high in minerals like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc can reduce these nutrients by up to 60-70%! Yet when it comes to protein sources like chickpeas and edamame, boiling is the preferred cooking method for protein retention.
But boiling vegetables is better than eating none. If this is your preferred cooking method, there are ways to reduce the nutrients lost. You can keep cooking times to a minimum by adding the vegetables only when the water is bubbling, ensuring the lid is on so no heat escapes, and using a small amount of water.
Lastly, don’t discard the cooking liquid because the nutrients have leached out of the vegetable and into the water! Save it and add it to stocks, sauces, or soups.
Steaming
Steaming may not be memorable when enhancing flavor, but it should be when it comes to nutrient retention.
A study found that loss of vitamin C in broccoli, spinach, and lettuce during steaming was only 14.3, 11.1, and 8.6 percent. This is because steaming uses less water and lower temperatures, helping to minimize the loss of these heat-sensitive nutrients.
Not only are water-soluble vitamins left intact, but steaming is great for keeping vegetables high in fiber and antioxidants. Moreover, when you finish cooking vegetables, mix them with olive oil, as this will help fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) to be more available for us to absorb. Vegetables like leafy greens, carrots, cauliflower, and asparagus are great for steaming.
It is tempting to grill, roast, or fry foods instead, but veg can taste great when steamed, especially with the help of flavorful dressings and sauces. Steamed asparagus only needs a pinch of salt and lemon to taste amazing.
Microwaving
The microwave is an underrated character when it comes to cooking. When I think of microwaves, I assume they are for reheating and microwavable meals.
But, they help foods to retain nutrients. They have very similar benefits to steaming due to minimal use of water. A study showed that iron retention was significantly higher in Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, and spinach when cooked in the microwave vs boiling.
Grilling
Grilling is not only for meat; it enhances plant-based foods with a smoky flavor while retaining more nutrients than other methods.
Since grilling doesn't require water, water-soluble vitamins B and C remain intact. As this is a quick cooking process, foods are not exposed to heat for a lengthy period, lessening the chances of nutrients leaching out.
But if you are grilling over a BBQ do so with caution, as blackening vegetables too much may create harmful compounds. The best way forward is to invest in a good griddle pan that gives a similar finish to food that a BBQ does without the risk of it becoming overly charred.
Sautéing and Stir-Frying
The beauty of stir-frying is its speed and the use of no water.
Additionally, stir-frying vegetables helps retain a high amount of beta-carotene, a fat-soluble vitamin, because the oil used in cooking increases its availability. Beta-carotene, found in carrots, broccoli, and spinach, helps protect our cells from damage.
However, selecting the correct oil is imperative for preserving nutrients. Select oils with a high smoke point, as stir-frying is a quick cooking method using high temperatures. The best oils are coconut, sesame, sunflower, or rice bran.
To Sum it Up
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FINAL THOUGHTS
In summary, the way we cook plant-based foods greatly impacts their nutritional value. Boiling often reduces vital nutrients, while methods like steaming, microwaving, grilling, and sautéing can help preserve or enhance them. Steaming and microwaving are especially effective at retaining nutrients, while grilling and sautéing can boost nutrient availability when done carefully. By choosing the right cooking techniques, you can ensure your meals are as nutritious as possible.
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