Cook These Veggies for Better Nutrition Than Eating Them Raw

We all know that we should eat our veggies for better nutrition. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a slew of other nutrients that allow our bodies to function at our best.  That said, if you truly want to get the most out of your food – and at current prices, that’s becoming increasingly important – the way it is prepared makes a considerable difference.

Cooking Your Veggies for Better Nutrition

Whether you’re eating your veggies for better nutrition on the whole, for weight loss, for immune support, or another reason, the key is to get all the nutrients you can from them.  There are many techniques you can use, such as:

• Choosing vegetables that are in season
• Buying locally grown produce
• Eating foods with a short shelf life before those that can be stored for a longer time.

These techniques will all help to get more from your veggies for better nutrition. However, there’s more to it than that. Some vegetables give you more when they’re cooked than they do if consumed raw.

Raw food diets have been very trendy over the years. Moreover, many of us think of raw vegetables when we picture in our heads the most nutritious snacks. That said, in some cases, cooking your veggies for better nutrition is the way to go. These vegetables need a bit of help before your body will truly be able to get the most from them.

Top Cooked Veggies for Better Nutrition

The following are some of the top veggies that need to be cooked for better nutrition.

1 – Carrots

You know how you never see a rabbit wearing glasses? That association between carrots and vision health is from the carotenoid called beta-carotene, which the body will convert into vitamin A. That is a fat-soluble vitamin great for the immune system, bone growth, and vision.  That said, in this case it’s the cooked veggies for better nutrition.  Cooking carrots in their skins more than doubles the beta-carotene your body can absorb from them. Boiling is better than frying, if you truly want the most nutritional benefit from carrots.

2 - Asparagus

Asparagus is a powerhouse vegetable.  These are one of the top veggies for better nutrition.  That said, cooking them helps to break down cell walls, making the vitamins A, B9, C and E far easier for your body to absorb.

3 - Mushrooms

Mushrooms are often included on lists of top veggies for better nutrition because of the ergothioneine (an antioxidant) they contain. That said, the majority of that antioxidant is released during cooking and is unavailable if eaten raw.

4 – Bell Peppers

Like their fruit friends, tomatoes, bell peppers contain lots of fantastic nutrients such as carotenoids, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin and lutein. That said, they’re tucked inside the tough cell walls and can be tough for the body to absorb unless they are softened through cooking. That said, the method of cooking is very important. For instance, the vitamin C contained in bell peppers (and tomatoes) for that matter, is nearly entirely lost if boiled, since vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and will dissolve into the water. Roasting is among the top ways to eat these veggies for better nutrition.

Final Thoughts on Preparing Veggies for Better Nutrition

While it’s helpful to prepare your veggies for better nutrition, it’s also important to be sure you enjoy them! As long as you have lots of variety in your diet, feel free to prepare your veggies in various different ways and eat lots of different types.  By doing this, even if you eat them raw on occasion or boil your tomatoes, you’ll still have an overall nutritious diet that you’ll enjoy eating.