So if the food is cooked incorrectly, it is not healthy no matter how tasty it is. A number of changes occur in the food components as a result of cooking. Some changes have a beneficial effect while others have an adverse effect. Hence it is important to understand and manipulate these effects.
It is important that the cooking procedures should be directed towards the prevention of nutrient losses. Also at the same time it is important to prepare food in a way that every one enjoys it. This means that while minimising nutrient losses, palatability should not be held at a stake. No cooking procedure allows for the complete retention of all nutrients. A few simple tips can help you to prevent or minimise the nutrient losses encountered during cooking:
- Wash vegetables before cutting as this helps to prevent the loss of water-soluble vitamins.
- Always cut vegetables just before cooking to prevent the loss of vitamin A and C.
- Do not cut vegetables in very small pieces as this increases the exposed area and hence the losses are more. So cut the vegetables in big enough pieces.
- Remove the skins of vegetables as thinly as possible. Some very vital nutrients might be present just below the skin.
- Avoid the use of soda to hasten up cooking and to retain the colour of the vegetables as it has an adverse effect on the vitamin C content of the vegetable. Instead use acidic foods such as lemon to minimise the loss of this nutrient.
- Prefer the pressure-cooking method to any other cooking method, both because it is quicker and is carried on in a closed atmosphere, leading to better conservation of nutrients.
- Do not peel the fruits and eat them. By peeling fruits you miss on both the vital nutrients beneath the skin and the vital fibre content.
- Minimise the use of water for cooking. Avoid the habit of pouring large quantities of water and then cooking for long time to dry up the water. This prevents the loss of water-soluble vitamins and at the same time saves the fuel used to cook the food.
- Some nutrients, such as vitamin C, are easily destroyed by cooking and also by exposure to light and air. So certain vegetables like carrots, radish, onion, which are rich in this nutrient are best when eaten in the raw form.
- Do not throw away the water left after boiling rice. This water is a rich source of many vitamins and minerals. Instead learn to cook rice in just enough water so that all of it is absorbed.
- Prefer methods such as boiling over frying since cooking at a high temperature destroys the vitamins in the food and also there is exposure to air, which further destroys the vitamin and minerals.
- Cook green leafy vegetables without adding any extra water since they have high moisture content and get cooked in their own water.
- Boil water and then add the vegetables, instead of adding them to cold water and then boiling them. The cooking procedure starts only when the vegetables are added to water, thereby minimising the nutrient losses.
