Dietitian: How to cook vegetables at their best…

Reader question: I eat mostly vegetarian, which makes me feel good. But what is the best cooking method if you want to keep as much vitamins as possible in vegetables? Should you boil it slowly, steam it or fry it quickly. Or is it better to eat everything raw? Even if it was a little boring.

The nutritionist answers:

If you are going to reheat vegetables, a good rule of thumb is that they should retain their pulse and color. You can do this by giving them a quick boil and not overcooking them. On the other hand, if you are going to use cooking water and make soup or stew, it is perfectly fine to cook a little longer. A very gentle method is steam cooking where most of the nutrients are preserved. The fiber in vegetables and legumes is also affected by cooking, so if you have a sensitive stomach, it may be best to heat it up to facilitate digestion. Not all vegetables are better when they’re raw, either. Tomatoes, for example, are more useful when heated. Then lycopene, which is an antioxidant, becomes more easily absorbed by the body. So my advice is to vary between cooked and raw foods so you get a good mix of nutrients while making cooking and eating more enjoyable.