Slow Aging | Healthy living, healthy aging

How to Cook To Retain Nutrition

Cooking to Preserve Nutrients

Cooking to Preserve Nutrients

Cooking to Preserve Nutrients

Some foods need to be cooked, such as meat, potatoes and red beans. Depending on the way that food is cooked, there may be considerable loss of nutrients. The longer and the hotter we cook food, by any method, the greater the nutrient loss. Overcooking also swells starches and softens food, which speeds up digestion and absorption, increasing its glycemic index (GI).

Simple tips to reduce nutrient loss include:

Cooking to Avoid Toxic By-Products

The cooking process generates new chemicals that we perceive as flavor, aroma and texture. These add to the experience of eating, but may also generate a range of toxic compounds.

The most well-known of these include the cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons generated in cooked meat, acrylamide in baked products and AGEs, which form when sugars and fats in food chemically react with protein to result in browning.

How to Avoid Trans Fat Generation

Another important group of toxins generated in cooking are the trans fats. For example, prolonged deep frying can transform oils into trans fats, which are then transferred to the food. Examples include snack foods (e.g. rice cakes, chips, biscuits), fried foods and baked goods.

The best way to avoid trans fats is to read the label and avoid foods containing them, or choose foods in which the processing has specifically prevented their formation. For example, all margarine in Australia is now free of trans fats, as are most global fast foods (mostly because of the threat of litigation). It is best to avoid deep frying at home, even if we use oil free of trans fats and change it regularly.

Use Herbs and Spices for Flavor

Natural sources of flavor add their own unique benefits. For example, spices have a range of healthy influences. Rosemary, oregano, turmeric and curcumin have strong antioxidant contents. Chili and black pepper boost circulation. Fennel is a digestive aid, while cinnamon improves sugar metabolism. So why not put some spice back into your life and cook your meal a little less tonight?

Last Reviewed 11/Mar/2014

The following two tabs change content below.
Whilst wielding a couple of dumbbells in a gym class in 2003, Kate experienced an epiphany around the lack of accepted best practice guidelines when it came to staying well and avoiding disease. Kate realized that she had no chance of slowing her own aging process unless she became better educated about her options.
Exit mobile version