Vitamins from fresh vegetables and fruits are most easily absorbed by the body. However, remember to prepare them properly. So that they do not lose valuable ingredients. We advise what vegetables and fruits to buy and how to prepare them to reduce vitamin loss.
Doctors and nutritionists keep reminding us that the he althiestvitaminsare those contained in food, not in preparations.
Source of vitamins - fresh or frozen vegetables
Vegetablesandfruitare the best source of vitamins, provided they are organically grown. It is best to buy them from a proven manufacturer or in a he alth food store. Choose not necessarily beautiful (such are the most suspicious), but fresh, with a distinct color. They cannot be damaged, withered or soft, because they have already lost many vitamins. Light and heat mainly destroy vitamin C, B and beta-carotene, and accelerate wilting. Young cabbage, which has been deep-removed and stored at room temperature, loses approx. 50 percent during the day. Vitamin C, in spinach after two days it is only 20 percent. So it is best to buy vegetables and fruit on a regular basis or store in a refrigerator in a designated container (drawer). Nutritionists argue that the nutritional value of fresh products is retained by frozen foods. It is worth freezing your favorite fruit and vegetables from your own garden for the winter in the season.
How to prepare vegetables to keep most of their vitamins
You can eat vegetables as much as you want (at least 80 grams a day), less fruit, because they have a lot of sugar and are high in calories. At least half of the daily portion is worth eating raw. Remember not to throw away anything edible. For example, young cauliflower and kohlrabi leaves contain a lot of beta-carotene. Also in the dark green outer leaves of lettuce there is more provitamin A than in the pale leaves in the center of the head. Radish leaves contain a lot of vitamins.
Organic fruits and vegetables with edible peel should not be peeled. The skin and directly below it contain the most vitamins. Just wash it under running water before eating (cooking). By soaking, they are deprived of most of the vitamins. For cutting vegetables, use stainless or plastic knives, slicer and graters (vitamin C dies in contact with rust). Season with herbs, lemon juice and oil (increasesabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins). Mayonnaise and cream can be used occasionally - they have a lot of fat and, worse, of cream, saturated fatty acids.
How to cook vegetables to reduce vitamin loss
Any type of heat treatment will inevitably destroy the vitamins. During cooking, some of the ingredients get into the water. To reduce waste, it is best to cook vegetables without peeling, in a little water or by steaming, covered, and for as little time as possible. When cooking under pressure at temperatures above 100 ° C, most of the B vitamins are destroyed, but the loss of fat-soluble vitamins is small. The finer you cut, the more vitamins will penetrate the water.
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