How to Prepare Vegetables to Retain Nutrients

Did you know that the way you prepare vegetables can affect their nutritional value? The greatest loss is that of vitamin C - we lose from 1/4 to 1/2 when we mash and puree vegetables. To ensure that you make the most of your veggies, follow these steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Canned Vegetables
• Fresh Vegetables
• Frozen Vegetables
• Microwaves
• Pressure Cookers
• Vegetable Steamers

1. Avoid washing or cutting vegetables before you're ready to use them.
2. Rinse quickly rather than soak.
3. Use a sharp knife when cutting fresh vegetables; bruising vegetables can deplete them of valuable vitamins.
4. Cut off only the inedible parts of vegetables. Sometimes the best nutrients are found in the skin (or just below the skin and in the leaves).
5. Avoid peeling vegetables such as potatoes and beets until after cooking.
6. Try steaming, microwaving or pressure-cooking rather than boiling, since boiling can leach out the nutrients into the water.
7. If you must boil vegetables, cook them only until crisp and with only a small amount of water.
8. Use a lid to avoid steaming away precious vitamins.
9. Avoid cutting vegetables up into small pieces. Prepare them whole, if possible.

Tips & Warnings

• These guidelines also apply to frozen and canned vegetables.