Do you loose the beneficial nutrients of food by cooking it?

Question

The benefits of certain foods (oatmeal, vegetables, etc) are well documented. But I always wondered if the scientific research was done by testing it raw or actually preparing the food the way most people consume it and then performing tests.

Answer 1

That's a complex question. When you boil vegetables, you discard some of the vitamin content with the cooking water (this is why soups are so good for you). The same is true of people who cook rice this way. Rice should be cooked in double the amount of water so that all water is absorbed and nothing is discarded. Nutrients are best retained by steaming or by stir-frying.

So are raw vegetables better for you? By and large, yes. On the other hand, some nutrients are not accessible to us until they are broken down by heat (i.e. cooking). Dry beans actually contain a toxin that is rendered harmless by cooking. And the value of tomatoes in preventing prostate cancer applies only to cooked tomatoes. As I said...good question but a complex one!

Answer 2

Yes you do with an open flame. The more you cook it the more it looses. You can actually burn all the nutrients off by incinerating the food.
If you boil the food in water you can transfer the nutrients to the water now called broth. That is why chicken soup its so good for you when you are sick.

Answer 3

yes, but if you want the benifits of things like garlic you can add them at the end to lessen the nutrients lost.
think the more you kill is and take it from what it started out as the less nourishing it is for you.

Answer 4

nutrients can be lost through cooking certain foods.

Answer 5

yes that is why it is better to steam foods like vegetable and fish coz their vitamins are easily lost and by steaming you are more likely to retain them

Answer 6

yes
steaming retains most nutrients though

Answer 7

yes you do lose it