Are Raw Veggies Always Better?

Are Raw Veggies Always Better?

You’d think that boiling veggies would suck the nutrients right out of them. But in the case of carrots and broccoli, that may not be so.

Seems that lightly boiling these two veggies can actually increase the concentration of carotenoids. The downside? It also depletes their phenolic compounds.

Settle for a Happy Medium
Steaming may be your best bet for both preserving phenolic compounds and boosting bioavailable carotenoids — at least for broccoli. For carrots, you’ll have to choose what’s more important to you.

Whatever cooking method you choose for your veggies, keep in mind that frying or sauteing kills off the most antioxidant compounds.
All They’re Cooked Up to Be
Try out these other tips and tricks to make your veggies extra nutritious:

• Skip the thaw. Cooking straight from frozen retains more vitamin C..)
• Spice them up. Adding cumin, ginger, and these four herbs will boost the antioxidant punch of both raw and cooked veggies.

Drizzle a little. Olive oil, that is. Your body better absorbs the nutrition in RealAge Benefit: Eating a diverse diet that includes 5 servings of vegetables per day can make your RealAge as much as 4 years younger.

References Published on 04/30/2008.

Effects of different cooking methods on nutritional and physicochemical characteristics of selected vegetables. Miglio, C., Chiavaro, E., Visconti, A., Fogliano, V., Pellegrini, N., Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 2008 Jan 9;56(1):139-147.