[00:00.00]Carlene Thomas is a dietitian, a person who gives advice about healthy foods to eat.
[00:07.62]When it comes to eating healthy vegetables, Thomas says there are two kinds of people who ask her for advice.
[00:15.98]The first kind wants to know how different cooking methods affect the nutrition in vegetables.
[00:23.95]The other kind of person wants to know how to eat more vegetables.
[00:29.95]Thomas' simple answer to both groups is this: The best vegetables are the ones you actually want to eat.
[00:39.15]Thomas told the Associated Press that many people buy vegetables that they think they will eat.
[00:47.66]Maybe the produce is popular or someone is bringing attention to it on social media.
[00:54.71]But then they end up not using it.
[00:58.16]That means the vegetable gets thrown away after it goes bad.
[01:03.59]In that case, Thomas said, "It doesn't matter how you cook them, because if they're going in the trash, they're not in your body."
[01:14.89]However, Thomas said research shows cooking methods do affect nutrition.
[01:21.99]But it is not as simple as comparing raw, or uncooked, vegetables to cooked ones.
[01:30.32]Cooking methods can include steaming, roasting, boiling, or sauteing.
[01:38.39]So, are raw vegetables healthier than cooked? Not always.
[01:45.17]When vegetables are cooked with high heat for a long period of time many nutrients break down.
[01:53.55]However, cooking softens the cell walls in vegetables, making them easier for the body to digest.
[02:03.57]Cooking changes the structure of vegetables which increases what dietitians call bioavailability.
[02:13.27]This is the body's ability to use the nutrients in vegetables, Thomas said.
[02:20.23]Cooked food is often more nutritious than raw food.
[02:25.75]For example, cooked tomatoes release more of the antioxidant lycopene than raw tomatoes, she said.
[02:36.35]Lycopene is believed to have qualities that prevent cancer.
[02:41.71]Also, cooked carrots have more beta-carotene that can be absorbed by the body.
[02:50.23]Roasting pumpkins, carrots and sweet potatoes increases available carotenoids.
[02:58.42]These antioxidants are thought to prevent inflammation in the body.
[03:04.63]However, the shorter the cooking time, the more nutrients are kept in the food.
[03:12.26]That advice comes from Amber Pankonin, a dietitian in the U.S. state of Nebraska.
[03:21.10]Cooking over boiling water, or steaming, and in a microwave are considered the most nutritious methods.
[03:29.70]These two methods use little time and require no fat.
[03:36.05]Another healthy method is blanching.
[03:39.92]This is when you boil vegetables in water for a minute or two.
[03:44.64]But not too long. Boiling vegetables runs the risk of losing water-soluble nutrients including vitamin C, B1 and folate.
[03:59.25]Thomas explained the reason boiling is not good for vegetables:
[04:03.93]The nutrients are "... leaching into the water, and you're tossing out the water."
[04:09.59]However, you could save the water from boiled vegetables and use it for other purposes, such as soups, or just drink it.
[04:20.41]Dietitians say there is no problem using a small amount of fat.
[04:26.29]Besides making vegetables taste better, a little cooking oil helps the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, said Pankonin.
[04:37.83]That means more vitamin A from squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes; more vitamin D from mushrooms; more vitamin E from bell peppers, leafy greens and asparagus; and more vitamin K from greens, broccoli and onions.
[05:01.37]For pan frying or sauteing, Pankonin suggests cooking with enough oil so the vegetables do not stick to the pan.
[05:11.98]The amount of oil will depend on the quantity of vegetables and the size of the pan.
[05:19.16]For roasting, you will likely need more oil.
[05:23.36]Despite the longer cooking time, roasting will still keep some nutrients and will increase the flavor with the heating of natural sugars.
[05:35.73]"Flavor is king," Pankonin said.
[05:39.10]"I would much rather see people roasting their vegetables and enjoying them."
[05:44.92]I'm Anna Matteo.
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Words in This Story
produce -n. fresh fruits and vegetables
roast -v. to cook with dry heat in an oven
sauté -v. to cook using fat in a flat pan on a stovetop
digest -v. to biologically change food in the digestive system to forms that can be directly used by organs and tissue in the body
antioxidant -n. a substance that prevents oxygen from chemically changing food
absorb -v. to take into and biologically use in the body
inflammation -n. swelling and reddening of tissue in the body
blanch -v. to cook something in hot water for a brief time
water-soluble -adj. able to dissolve in water
leach -v. to remove a substance from a material by having it dissolve in water
toss out -v. (phrasal) to throw away
pan -n. a relatively flat metal cooking tool usually used for frying
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