The Effects of Cooking on the Nutritional Value of Food

The Effects of Cooking on the Nutritional Value of Food. Part of the series: Raw Food Diet Tips. The way we cook and prepare our food affects the nutritional value of it. Retain vital nutrients with the advice given by an accomplished dietitian in this free video on the effects of cooking on the nutritional value of food. Read more: http://www.ehow.com/video_6723484_effects-cooking-nutritional-value-food.html

Does Cooking Affect Vitamins in Food?- Thomas DeLauer

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1. Vitamins – Overview:

a. We all know that vitamins are important for us. Vitamins play a crucial role in our metabolism, aiding in the breakdown of food and release of nutrients that you consume. Vitamins play a function in growth, which includes physical gains from working out, energy levels, which are crucial to maintain in order to perform at your highest level, and even your general health, helping to fight off infections and prevent cancer. Given the importance of vitamins, it is very important that you consume food in such a way as to absorb them in the most beneficial way possible. (1)

2. Vitamin Loss?
a. Vitamin loss can be induced in a number of ways, including loss to cooking water, oxidation (exposure to air), light exposure, and most crucially, heat.
b. Heat is the enemy of many (but not all) vitamins. You don’t want to be putting in the time and effort to consume all of your fruits and veggies for the day and learn that you are cooking off the very reason they are so valuable.(1)
c. Cooking time, temperature and method can increase the degradation of vitamins, and once a vitamin is broken down it is not available for absorption in the body. (3)
3. Which vitamins are the most sensitive to heat and cooking method?

a. Water-soluble vitamins are the most unstable kind of vitamin when it comes to heat and storage. (1)
b. Vitamins B and C are both water-soluble vitamins that need to be consumed in small amounts every day. This is due to their structure – since they dissolve in water, your body does not store them in your fat stores, and you lose them daily. (1)

4. How does the body assimilate a denatured vitamin?

a. Denatured food are simply foods that have been structurally altered, which can occur from heat, change in pH or simply with time. This change in structure can result in altered cell activity and sometimes even cell death, leaving less vitamins to be available for absorption into the body. (7)

5. How to avoid denaturing a vitamin when cooking?

a. Foods with high vitamins B and C become less nutritious when cooked, handled and prepared according to Colorado State University Extension (1)
b. Research bomb: A 2013 study by the International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research measured the percentage of vitamin C lost in five different vegetable when cooked at 5, 15 and 30 minutes. At 5 minutes, the vitamin C concentration decreased between 10 and 17%. At 30 minutes it decreased from 50-65%. (2)
c. Keep cook times short, and steam rather than boil to avoid the water-soluble vitamins being surrounded by water, which will leach out the vitamins (1)
d. Use minimal heat and water to keep the vitamin content intact

6. Common Questions
a. What is the best way to keep Vitamin C intact?

i. Steaming for a short period of time is a great way, much better than boiling, where you will lose some of the Vitamin C to the water, or roasting, which is for a longer period of time and thus will lose a large quantity of the vitamin. Sauteing is also ok.

b. Will mixing or taking Vitamin C with hot water hinder bioavailability?
i. Vitamin C is not degraded immediately when exposed to heat – it is a slow process. That being said, the degeneration is hotter solutions will be faster, so be sure to consume the mixture quickly rather than leaving it out to cool to room temperature.

(4)
c. Are all healthy properties of food hindered with heating?
i. No – some health benefits of foods are increased with heating, so it is important to eat foods in a variety of ways. Eat some raw salads, blend some healthy, vegetable filled smoothies and steam some vegetables – mix it up!

1. Are Vitamins Destroyed During Cooking
http://www.livestrong.com/article/443774-are-vitamins-destroyed-during-cooking/
2. Does Cooking Food Reduce the Vitamin Content?
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/cooking-food-reduce-vitamin-content-5164.html
3. Effects of Cooking on Vitamins
http://www.beyondveg.com/tu-j-l/raw-cooked/raw-cooked-2e.shtml
4. Heat Wont’ Quickly Erase Vitamin C
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-08-11/entertainment/8801210968_1_pound-cake-vitamin-hot-water
5. Effect of Heating on Vitamin C Content of Some Selected Vegetables. International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research Volume 2, November 2013
http://www.ijstr.org/final-print/nov2013/Effect-Of-Heating-On-Vitamin-C-Content-Of-Some-Selected-Vegetables.pdf
6. Thermal Processing Enhances the Nutritional Value of Tomatoes by Increasing Total Antioxidant activity. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. April 2002
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0115589
7. Denatured Foods
http://www.vitaminstuff.com/definitions/definitions112.ht
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