Tips to help preserve food nutrients while cooking

It is one thing to cook food and cook well, and it's another to cook it and have it nutritious.

Even as you cook your favorite meal, compromising on the nutrients level will be doing your body more harm than good.

Here are some ways that can help preserve food nutrients while cooking and ensure you enjoy the taste.

Vegetables

When it comes to preparing vegetables, cooking with a small amount of water and keeping the cooking pot covered will do the trick for you.

This makes the cooking process turn into a steaming kind of style which is key in keeping the nutrients.

As a tip, vegetables get more nutrient-depleted when they get constantly reheated. Avoid overcooking the vegetables as most of them should be able to be eaten raw.

Dairy Products

Dairy products spoil very fast and lose out on their key nutrients. Highly rich in calcium and protein, you want your milk products to give you value for your money.

After boiling your milk, avoid keeping it exposed to light, as a considerable destruction of riboflavin can occur.

Roots

Are you a fan of root vegetables? An example of sweet potatoes, cassava and arrowroots, these need a specialized cooking technique.

They should be boiled with skins on and then peeled after boiling. When you do this, it helps the nutrients to migrate to the centre of the vegetables.

If you can, enjoy the cooked root vegetables when they still have their skin on.

If you are peeling the skin of vegetables, be keen on peeling as thinly as possible. The nutrients in vegetables and fruits are mostly concentrated below the skin. Because of this, when you peel before boiling, you will be increasing the loss of Vitamin C, Folic Acid and other B vitamins.

Avoid baking soda

If you use baking soda to retain the color of your vegetables as well as speed up the cooking process, be warned that it's use tends to destroy thiamine and vitamin C.

Deep frying

If you're a deep fried foods lover, ensure that you avoid leaving the food to stay in the hot oil for too long during the cooking process.

The proteins in the food will begin to become way coagulated and hard especially when the heat is above 650 degrees Celsius.

You can wrap your foods with aluminum foil to prevent moisture loss, which also evaporates with some essential nutrients. Not only does this keep your food hot but also healthy.