Suzy Eats

To stay healthy and fit, we know that eating vegetables is crucial. But, do you know which vegetables provide more nutrients raw or cooked? When we refer to cooked, we are referring to boiled or steamed (not fried). Fried veggies usually contain numerous free radicals which are not good for our health while boiled and steamed can actually provide numerous nutrients.

Suzy Eats says that EATING vegetables is better than NOT EATING vegetables, but if you are someone who will eat them either way than it is important to know that many vegetables contain more nutrients when cooked….

• For many veggies heating them is beneficial because it breaksdown the cell wall of the plant and helps aid in the uptake of nutrients bound to cell walls.   
• Lycopene: A red pigment found in tomatoes, watermelon, pink guava, red bell pepper and papaya is always absorbed best when COOKED!! Several studies have linked lycopene to a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. One study in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that lycopene was always better absorped when veggies where cooked.

All of the following vegetables supply more antioxidants (ie carotenoids and ferulic acid)  cooked than raw!

• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Carrots- cooked helps provide more Vitamin A which is great for our eyes
• Kale
• Mushrooms
• Peppers
• Spinach
• Zucchini

There is evidence that says when you cook vegetables you receive LESS vitamin C, but the trade-off is worth it since most vegetables do not contain as much vitamin C as fruits and you should get your vitamin C from your fruits. Also the cooked benefits of lycopene and other antioxidants (i.e. carotenoids, etc) outweigh the vitamin C amount.

Now…..do you like your veggies raw or cooked????