Chicago, Illinois – Environmental nutritionists said, preparing fruits and vegetables wisely can help in preserving nutrients.
Environmental nutritionists implied that food preparation techniques make an impact on preserving nutrients, maximizing the nutritional value of both fruits and vegetables. Preparation techniques include chopping, peeling, and cooking. Experts also said fresh products are always the best, followed by frozen goods.
Individuals can get the highest nutritional values through fresh fruits and vegetables, including those seasonal and ripe produce. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) data also indicated that freezing such products right after the harvest can likewise in retaining 95% to 100% of their vitamin and mineral contents, except of their vitamin C content that tends to diminish by 30% in frozen produce.
As a sort of an urgent care near me relief, considering the amount of water while cooking could also affect the nutrients in fresh produce. The USDA data also indicated that up to 50% of essential minerals such as thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and folate content could be lost to the water. Thus, cooking methods like steaming and stir-frying, which use less amount of water, can help in capturing escaped nutrients.
Reducing cooking times can also aid in preserving nutrients. Food that is exposed to too much heat has the tendency to lose more nutrients. As an urgent care and treatment of this issue, covering the pot to avoid evaporation, while retaining the heat could cut cooking time.
As a sort of an urgent care clinic at home, using the microwave oven in cooking can likewise preserve nutrients since this nutrient-friendly appliance cuts cooking time and reduce water use. A study published in Journal of Food Science showed that microwaving food tends to retain higher antioxidant levels in most vegetables than other cooking methods.
Preserving the peel can also help in keeping away a visit to urgent care clinics? Individuals can absorb and maximize the nutrients of every food intake, while preserving the peel. Environmental nutritionists stated that keeping the peel on produce like carrots, yams, and potatoes preserve more nutrients, and a good alternative to peeling brushing or scrubbing the surface of fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
Experts also said using all parts of fruits and vegetables, from the root to the stem could add to the amount of nutrient intake. The majority of fruits and vegetables are entirely edible, and rich in various minerals and nutrients.
Moreover, nutritionists emphasized keeping fruits and vegetables cool helps in retaining their nutritional values. Many produce tend to lose their nutritional content with high humidity and cooler temperatures. Thus, experts highly recommend the use of airtight containers in storing food in the fridge. Preserving nutrients can be done with different methods, and following these tips from experts can help in increasing the daily intake of nutrients from fruits and vegetables.