Filed under: Food and Nutrition Steamed broccoli and roasted cauliflower are two of my favorite vegetable dishes; I could eat them every night of the week. But serve them up raw, and I won’t touch them. So goes the veggie lover’s dilemma: It’s a common belief that heat destroys powerful nutrients in vegetables, but cooking makes them tastier. First, let’s clear up that myth. According to Scientific American, cooking actually enhances the nutritional value of several different kinds of vegetables . Powerhouse antioxidants like lycopene and cartenoids increase when veggies like tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, spinach and peppers are boiled or steamed. On the other hand, my beloved broccoli might actually be healthier raw, since cooking destroys an important enzyme. And while

cooking boosts the beta carotene in carrots, it lowers the overall level of polyphenols. Confused yet? Me too. Scientific American cuts to the chase for us: Cooked and raw veggies both offer a boost in certain nutrients and antioxidants. If you’re unlikely to eat vegetables at all unless they’re cooked, then by all means, toss some extra broccoli into your stir fry. But if your idea of a great snack is a bowl of chopped, raw veggies, then go ahead and eat up. The more you enjoy your veggies — cooked or raw — the more that you’ll eat. Continue reading Are Raw Veggies Healthier Than Cooked? Health | Health | Health | Health

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Are Raw Veggies Healthier Than Cooked?