The ‘best’ cooking method may be surprising to some
We all know that a diet rich in vegetables is crucial for our health, but how you cook them can make all the difference. One method may trump others for retaining vegetables’ nutritional content—and it’ll probably surprise you.
In 2023, research led by Shahjalal University of Science and Technology of Bangladesh delved into the impacts of boiling, steaming, and microwaving on six popular foods. These included pumpkin, green peas, pepper, spinach, carrot, and citrus fruit sathkora, with the team keen to know how their mineral might change.
Contrary to what you might expect, boiling had the ‘most detrimental impact’ on biochemical compounds. This was particularly true for antioxidant polyphenols, which declined among most vegetables. Spinach also saw the most substantial reduction in ascorbic acid, being vitamin C.
Microwaving, however, was crowned the ‘most effective method’ for preserving vegetables’ nutritional value, with scientists noting that 90% of vitamin C was held across cases. Steaming had a ‘moderate impact’, too and was especially good for retaining anti-inflammatory-linked flavonoids.
“In general, boiling had the most detrimental impact on biochemical compounds, mineral and heavy metal contents,” scientists wrote at the time. “On the other hand, microwave cooking retained most of the AA [vitamin C], TPC [total polyphenol content], as well as steaming preserved most of the β-carotene [pro-vitamin A].
“…After all, this investigation revealed that microwave cooking best preserved the nutritious value of vegetables, whereas steaming had a moderate effect.”
These scientists certainly aren’t alone in their perspective either. Another study from 2019 also found that microwaving trumped other cooking methods for retaining phenolics in four different mushroom types.
Phenolic compounds generally boast anti-inflammatory properties and other health benefits that may help the body fight against oxidative stress-related issues, such as heart disease. In this study, experts compared the microwave against boiling, steaming, pressure-cooking, and frying.
“The results showed that microwaving was better in retention of total phenolics than other cooking methods while boiling significantly decreased the contents of total phenolics in samples under study,” scientists wrote previously. “This study could provide some information to encourage food industry to recommend particular cooking methods.”
Despite this, it’s crucial to note that research in this field is still ongoing and what might apply to one mineral doesn’t necessarily apply to all. For instance, some evidence suggests that calcium and iron might actually increase across some vegetables when boiling.
If you incorporate the water used for boiling into soups and stews, you may be able to retain any ‘lost’ nutrients as well. Dr Keith Warriner, a professor at the University of Guelph, previously told Global News: “Eating raw cauliflower isn’t the best experience so we have to cook it and the mode of cooking dictates how many vitamins you lose.
“You’re going to lose a lot of the nutrients in the water unless you use it for soup.”
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