To cook or not to cook?

Veggies need no introduction. They play a vital role in our diet because they help our body organs function smoothly. Veggies are the ultimate health-enhancing superfoods. We can consume them on a daily basis and they won't do us any harm, even when eaten in king-size portions.

They are low in calories and high in nutrients, which is excellent for our bodies. The best part is vegetables are available everywhere and most of them are affordable. But on the lop side, most of us do not know how to prepare these vegetables in a way so that we retain most of its nutrients. Should they be eaten raw or cooked? Should they be microwaved or pressure cooked? These questions often leave us befuddled. We all want to get healthier, leaner and fitter than before, but how can vegetables help us get there?

Well, to begin with, vegetables are rich sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Thus, most health experts recommend eating at least 4-5 servings of vegetables and 2-3 servings of fruits every day.

Assessment of cooking methods
Boiling or pressure cooking: Let's start with the worst way of cooking your vegetables. Boiling vegetables saps 80 per cent of their glucosinolates - compounds believed to break cancer causing substances and improve immunity.
Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and sprouts lose about 77 per cent of their nutrients when boiled. But if you wish to opt for this technique, save the water used for boiling and use it as broth in other preparations. However, do remember there are always exceptions to every rule. Several studies also indicate that boiling carrots boosts their carotenoid (vitamin A) content more than steaming or frying them or even eating them raw. So, it also depends on the vegetable you're cooking.

Steaming: It is one of the best cooking methods; it maximises taste and colour, while retaining most nutrients. Steaming for a minimal amount of time (where you are actually adding humidity), so that the vegetables emerge `al dente' -crisp inside and tender outside -is the ideal way to maximise their nutritional value.

Stir frying: Quick and easy, stir frying is a healthy way to cook your veggies. Reduced fat consumption coupled with quick cooking keeps them nutrient-packed with their vital antioxidants and minerals.

Frying: It's no surprise that this method fails the test when it comes to preserving the nutrition levels in vegetables. It may enhance the taste manifold of many not-so delicious vegetables, but it does your body no good and in fact, adds way too much fat to your diet.

Microwaving: It may be seen as the most evil appli most evil appliance in the kitchen, but microwaving is far better than boiling. A microwave cooks a food item by heating it from the inside out. It emits radio waves that `excite' the food molecules, which generate heat, thus cooking the food.

This method uses minimum heat and prepares the food faster thus preserving most of the nutrition within the vegetables. Studies have proved that microwaving broccoli is the best way to pre serve its vitamin C.

Eating raw: We read this all the time: Raw vegetables are a must in our diet as they have most of their vitamins, minerals, phyto-chemi cals and enzymes intact for opti mum use by the body. Buy fresh, store well and consume immediately after cutting them are some of the other parameters that ensure maximum gain from raw veggies.

There is no 'one ideal way'
If heat degrades the nutrients, boiling leaches them into the cooking water. On the other hand, cooking also enhances the bio-availability of certain nutrients like in carrots and tomatoes. It is also interesting to note that oxalates and phytates -compounds found in greens, grains and beans -are deactivated by cooking, which other wise interfere in the absorption of certain minerals like calcium.

Also, studies conducted by researchers rom the British Diabetic Association say that fresh always isn't the best. Lycopene -the antioxidant found to lower risks of some cancers, notably prostrate -is absorbed better rom processed tomatoes than fresh ones.

This is because when they are broken down, more lycopene is released.

Thus, my advice is: Enjoy a variety of both cooked and raw vegetables, and try your best to get as much goodness as possible from nature's bounty.

Most health experts recommend eating at least 4-5 servings o vegetables and 2-3 servings of fruits every day for adequate intake of all nutrients

(Pooja Makhija, Consulting Nutritionist & Clinical Dietician)

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