Eating vegetables can be a lot of fun. You can enjoy them raw in a smoothie or salad. Or you can bake them in the oven or toss them on the grill. They can also be sautéed, boiled, or steamed. But what’s the healthiest option? It actually depends on the vegetable. Cooking can either improve or destroy the nutrients. To get the most out of these seven vegetables, learn about the best ways to eat them.
Best Ways To Have These 7 Veggies
1. Carrots: Cooked
When cooked whole, carrots retain more natural sugars than when they are chopped. So they will probably taste better this way! Cooked whole carrots also have 25% more falcarinol, a compound that is thought to fight cancer.1 Your best bet is to slice carrots after cooking or eat them whole like a hot dog.
2. Broccoli: Raw
Broccoli is a source of sulforaphane, an anti-cancer chemical that is destroyed by heat. Even a healthy cooking method like boiling can inactivate the sulforaphane..2 To eat raw broccoli, toss them in your salad or dip into some hummus.
3. Tomatoes: Cooked
Heat increases the bioavailability of carotenoids, the antioxidants found in tomatoes. This means that your body will be able to absorb them better! Adding olive oil can also increase the stability of those carotenoids.3 It’s the perfect excuse to make a fresh pasta sauce.
4. Garlic: Raw
As a popular anti-cancer food, garlic is best when eaten raw. Heat actually destroys the allyl sulfur compounds that give garlic its cancer-fighting properties.4 Crushed garlic tastes great in hummus, dressing, and dips.
5. Kale: Cooked
When steamed, the bile acid binding capacity of kale increases. This process lowers cholesterol levels because it actually uses cholesterol to make bile acid. This could play a part in reducing the risk of conditions like heart disease and cancer.5Try mixing cooked kale into rice or pasta. Or why not make kale chips?
6. Peppers: Raw
Raw peppers have are high in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant. However, you can cook them for less than five minutes without any water and still get the same amount. Heating them for any longer will make most of the vitamin C leach out.6
This is another veggie that works well in salads or with a tasty dip.
7. Spinach: Raw
Spinach is rich in the antioxidant lutein, a type of carotenoid. And compared to cooked spinach, it’s easier for your cells to absorb the lutein in the raw form.7 To raw spinach, add it to green smoothies, sandwiches, or salads.
Eating vegetables in any form is a good start. But if you want to get the most out of them, follow these tips. Don’t be afraid to experiment with recipes and different dishes. You never know what you’ll end up liking!
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