The following article is a contribution from a member of Rodale Institute’s volunteer network.
Growing or buying organic vegetables, fruits, and grains is only the first step in a healthy diet. How long ago was the produce harvested or purchased and the methods used to prepare your meals, greatly impacts the nutritional value of the resulting fare. Being aware of a few basic facts can go a long way toward assuring that you fully benefit from the nutrients in those foods.
Vitamins are particularly fragile, therefore diced vegetables and fruit should be consumed as soon as possible. Precut and/or unrefrigerated produce left too long in open air (as in salad bars) quickly lose a great deal of their nutritional value. The solution: Immediately before a meal, wash, dry, and chop only the amount needed. Do not buy precut vegetables, including yellow onions, grated potatoes, salad veggies, and fruit.
Avoid using canned and other precooked vegetables, fruit, and grains. They are dead on arrival. Frozen, uncooked vegetables and fruit contain some of the original nutrients; however, they should be considered your second choice after fresh ones.
When making a vegetable or fruit salad, first place (or make) the dressing in a large bowl. While dicing and adding the produce to the bowl, mix frequently. The oil in the dressing coats and seals them, thus limiting vitamin loss.
Cooking vegetables is best done by steaming. When they are cooked immersed in water, nutrients leach into the fluid and are lost when drained. Soups or stews are the exception, since the liquid in which the veggies are cooked is consumed as well.
Prolonged, intense heat destroys a great deal of the food’s healthful vitamins and minerals. This is one of the reasons why frying, baking and grilling should be limited or avoided, including – sorry friends – casseroles and grilled veggies. Steamed vegetables (and fruit) can be eaten plain, or transformed into numerous mouth-watering culinary experiences. Other preferable cooking methods are briefly stir-frying and sautéing. Whenever possible, do not peel. In most produce the skin, and the area immediately beneath the skin, is where a large concentration of protective and health-enhancing compounds is located.
When selecting groceries, read labels. The ingredients appear in the order of their amount present in the product. For example, in quality bread, cereal, or pasta, the list should begin with the words “whole wheat”, “whole grains”, or “durum flour” and/or “semolina”. Other beneficial ingredients can be barley, spelt, or oats. Any grain product using the words “enriched” or “unbleached” should be left on the store shelf; no amount of CPR can restore its wholesomeness.
Whole grains are, by far, a healthier choice than processed ones: brown rice or wild rice are superior to their white counterpart. Old Fashioned rolled oats (oatmeal) are better than “instant” ones or sugar-bomb-breakfast-flakes of all kinds.
When possible, use fresh herbs, whether in raw vegetable salads or cooked dishes. Fresh herbs are loaded with nutrients and taste infinitely better than dried ones. If you are so inclined, grow some organic herbs of your own. They are easy and fun to grow, and provide you with a constant fresh supply of these flavor celebrities. Please note: When using fresh herbs in cooking, they must be added in the final 5 – 10 minutes of cooking. Dried herbs, on the other hand, are added early during the process.
If you cook a double batch of a dish for consumption at a later date, eat the second half no later than 2 – 3 days after it was cooked. The same applies to leftovers. Waiting longer diminishes nutrition and flavor: don’t wait until the food begins to grow penicillin…
“Smashing” food in a blender, food processor, or juicer also reduces its nutritional value. Eat whole fruit, rather than juice, consuming the skin and pulp when appropriate. Soups do not need to be homogenously smooth, unless someone is on a liquid diet for medical reasons. Soups can be partially and gently mashed with – horrors: a HAND masher! and some lumpiness allowed to remain for a more robust culinary experience.
Using whole foods and fresh, unprocessed ingredients offers an additional bonus: better taste, texture, and natural color. To your health!
Judy E. Buss is an Eating-for-Health columnist and a nutritional cooking instructor.
