Tips to reduce loss of nutrients while cooking

Here are 10 tips to reduce nutrient loss while cooking:

1. Use as little water as possible for poaching or boiling.
2. Consume the liquid left in the pan after cooking vegetables.
3. Add back juices from meat that drip into the pan.
4. Don’t peel vegetables until after cooking them. Better yet, don’t peel at all to maximize fiber and nutrient density.
5. Cook vegetables in smaller amounts of water to reduce loss of vitamin C and B vitamins.
6. Try to finish cooked vegetables within a day or two, as vitamin C content may continue to decline when the cooked food is exposed to air.
7. Cut food after rather than before cooking, if possible. When food is cooked whole, less of it is exposed to heat and water.
8. Cook vegetables for only a few minutes whenever possible.
9. When cooking meat, poultry and fish, use the shortest cooking time needed for safe consumption.
10. Don’t use baking soda when cooking vegetables. Although it helps maintain color, vitamin C will be lost in the alkaline environment produced by baking soda.