I forget where I heard this from -but I have heard that when you boil your veggies, you basically "cook" all the vitamins right out of them. So that it is best to eat them raw. True? How about steaming them? I have a hard time eating my veggies raw, but then I don't want to not get the full amount of vitamins either. Any thoughts?
'Tis true. Some vitamins are water soluble so the longer they're left in water, the more they lose.......Steaming is definitely better to retain the goodness and raw is even better! To be honest, unless you have really really fresh and organic products, fruit and veg don't contain as much goodness as they used to.
heat also destroys vitamins (see the debates around kinds of juicers) as does time, water and light exposure. steaming is adequate as would be stir fry (quick methods) I steam until the colors are gorgeous and the largest piece gives under pressure from a fork. If you do boil, freeze the liquid for stock or making rice later. you'll get some of the goodness back.
Oh and don't microwave the veggies. That takes out basically everything (and the texture/taste does funny too) If you can't always have fresh stuff then I think frozen vegetables are the best substitute. I know that frozen peas often are more nutritious than fresh. As the former are frozen and have the vitamins pretty much 'locked in' within a short space of time. Rather than sitting around on a supermarket shelf for days.
It's best to eat some raw, and some cooked. Some vitamins are water soluable, or are destroyed by heat. However, some nutrients are more available to us in cooked foods. So, a variety is best.
and it's also good to take some supplements. a good multivitamin that has minerals in it too will definitely be some "cheap insurance" to make sure you get proper nutrition. vitamin C is something you can basically take extra of, too...being the most water-soluable, it needs to be replenished several times a day.
