Cooking food can improve digestion and increase absorption of many nutrients.
"For example, an egg. You're going to absorb the protein a lot better than if it was a raw egg," Dietitian Brenda Duby said. Even some veggies are healthier when cooked.
"When you have a tomato that's cooked, so maybe canned, rather than fresh it makes it increases lycopene and makes it more available to the body," Duby said. However, key nutrients can be reduced with some cooking methods like boiling, simmering and poaching.
"Those water soluble vitamins will leech out into the water. So, for example, these green beans have been boiled at some point and then canned. So you're going to lose things like vitamin C for example, and some of your B vitamins. That can be okay if you're going to drink the green bean juice, not many people are going to do that," Duby said. So, what about grilling and broiling?
"Most of that is going to be retained. You don't have that water where it's going to leech out. Some of the B vitamins can kind of drip out of the meat," Duby said.
As for microwaving, about 20 to 30 percent of vitamin C in green veggies is lost. That is actually less than most cooking methods. Sauteing can be safe as long as healthy fat is included.
"That fat is going to help you absorb some of those nutrients and it's going to prevent some of the loss. It's usually a high heat, so again, short cooking time," Duby said. Vitamin loss is minimal with roasting and baking, but because of long cooking times and high temps B vitamins in meat can decline by as much as 40 percent. Duby touched on the cooking method of frying.
"Because it kind of sears it, and water and oil don't mix, so those water soluble vitamins don't come out. The fat helps you absorb some of the vitamins. That being said, remember that you're adding fat and especially if you're adding breading or something it doesn't necessarily make it the healthiest way to enjoy our food," Duby said. While there is no perfect method of cooking that retains all nutrients, Duby said cooking for shorter periods at lower temperatures with minimal water will produce the best results.
