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Eat Your Veggies; Here's How

Cooking (or not) can boost nutrients, experts say

By M. Morris,  Newser Staff

Posted May 20, 2008 4:42 PM CDT

(Newser) – Chomping on a raw carrot may give you the keen eyesight of a cartoon rabbit, but boiling the vegetable first is a better way to release its nutrients, scientists say. The New York Times looks at a variety of cooking methods and finds the goodness of the good stuff on your dinner plate may depend on the approach the chef takes.

  • Because it's water soluble, vitamin C flies out of canned veggies, cooked spinach, and even frozen cherries.
  • Steamed or boiled broccoli is worse than unappetizing: It loses far more vitamin C than the microwaved version.
  • The body absorbs certain nutrients better when avocados or full-fat salad dressing accompanies skinnier veggies; fat helps "unlock" lutein, lycopene, and beta carotene.

Raw veggies aren't always best, nutrition experts say.
Raw veggies aren't always best, nutrition experts say.   ((c) galant)
Carrots are good for you, and they can be even better if they're prepared correctly.
Carrots are good for you, and they can be even better if they're prepared correctly.   ((c) foodistablog)
Serve salad with avocado or full-fat dressing to get the most out of the other ingredients.
Serve salad with avocado or full-fat dressing to get the most out of the other ingredients.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Pick your cooking method as carefully as you pick your veggies to get the most nutrition from them.
Pick your cooking method as carefully as you pick your veggies to get the most nutrition from them.   (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
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