The Raw and The Cooked: Veggie Edition

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The Raw and The Cooked: Veggie Edition

July 31, 2007

To me, summertime means fresh veggies. They are in season, abundant and since they are so abundant, tasty and cheap. However, I do prefer some of my veggies cooked, but are they just as nutritious? Let's find out.

19 Comments

4 years

the only reason everything increases is because vegetables decrease in volume when cooked. One cup raw zucchini is less than one cup cooked, so one cup cooked is more than one cup raw - and subsequently has more nutrients. It would've been useful to get it in terms of one zucchini cooked/raw to account for water loss. The only good comparison is regarding the carrots - same carrot, more beta-carotene in the cooked one.

Marlovestar 4 years

I feel like I was tricked with this quiz. But I still love me some veggies raw, cooked, steamed, or frozen. Yum!

rbex 5 years

I thought raw veggies had more nutrients!

GrapeBubbleGum 5 years

Why the difference? does something about the nutrients themselves change when they are cooked? or is it because cooked veggies often lose a lot of the water, so you're actually getting more veggie mass per unit of volume?

forkyfork 5 years

I agree with tralala. Shouldn't all of the answers say that raw has more nutrients? I don't understand how a carrot gets more vitamin A when cooked. I've always been told that vegetables are better to eat raw... and since I like things crunchy it is perfect for me. Of course, you could use a slow cooker and keep the nutrients in too, that way.

CamillaCat 5 years

I always heard that overcooked veggies kills a lot of the nutrients, so just slightly cook them. Even so, I still didn't know have those questions ;)

tralala 5 years

You can steam or blanch vegetables in low heat for very small amounts of time and still get the same nutrition. More importantly is making sure vegetables are chewed properly or chopped up. Looking deeper into the matter: http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21 You can cook carrots and it will break down the fiber and retain the same amount of nutrients, but do not overcook, or it will lose nutrients. http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=9 Broccoli should be eaten raw or lightly steamed. http://whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=43#howtouse "Spinach is one of the few vegetables we suggest quick boiling (for one minute). That's because boiling will help to reduce the amount of oxalic acids found in spinach, resulting in a sweeter taste." Zucchini should be steamed or sauteed very quickly or just chewed/chopped properly. "The World's Healthiest Foods has long recommended quickly steaming or healthy sautéing as the best ways to cook vegetables to retain their nutrients. Several recent studies have confirmed this advice. The way you cook can dramatically impact the amount of nutrients your vegetables deliver." Heat is what helps break down foods properly in the body, but too much heat you will lose all source of nutrients. Heat can be caused by friction, your mouth, etc. Be careful not to overcook your veggies (1-3 min max).

tralala 5 years

Uhm.... what is your source for this?Your body can intake more of the nutrients from raw vegetables, not cooked, because your body properly breaks down the nutrients . It cannot properly break down the nutrients in cooked vegetables, and your body cannot absorb properly. You just end up passing it as waste. There are lots of resources that all would agree.Check http://whfoods.com/ for starts....

tralala 5 years

Uhm.... what is your source for this? Your body can intake more of the nutrients from raw vegetables, not cooked, because your body properly breaks down the nutrients . It cannot properly break down the nutrients in cooked vegetables, and your body cannot absorb properly. You just end up passing it as waste. There are lots of resources that all would agree. Check http://whfoods.com/ for starts....

clarient 5 years

Wow, color me completely surprised! I figured cooking depletes them of nutrients!

madison63 5 years

all these years my mom made us eat raw vegetables because she said they had more fiber that way... but I also learned that the phytonutrients get lost when they are cooked because of the heat and so when you steam broccoli the green tinged water one usually pours down the drain is actually where a lot of the nutrients are. (and I'm also wondering if what "cooked" means - if it means blanched, steamed and for how many minutes, etc.)

madison63 5 years

all these years my mom made us eat raw vegetables because she said they had more fiber that way...but I also learned that the phytonutrients get lost when they are cooked because of the heat and so when you steam broccoli the green tinged water one usually pours down the drain is actually where a lot of the nutrients are.(and I'm also wondering if what "cooked" means - if it means blanched, steamed and for how many minutes, etc.)