Most people have a natural instinct for this foods are healthy and which aren't. For example, we all know that fresh fruit and veg are full of nutrients, and greasy burgers aren't. Although it takes willpower and determination, choosing nutritious foods is not a difficuly thing to do.
However, what is less obvious is that even if we choose nutritious foods, we may be preparing them in such a way that destroys most of those nutrients, leaving us with something that is not nearly as beneficial to our bodies as we thought.
Follow these tips to preserve the nutrients in your food, and maximise the benefits you get from them:
1. Eat It Raw
If at all possible, eating foods raw is the best way to preserve their nutrients. Obviously this isn't a good idea with meat products, but for fruit and vegetables, eating them raw is the best thing to do.
If raw food is a little too bland for you to stomach, try lightly cooking it. Steaming your food will help to make your food more edible, but without destroying too many essential nutrients.
2. Don't Burn It
If there's one thing that destroys nutrients more than anything else, it's burning your food. As soon as you do so, chemical reactions take place which irreversibly damage all the healthy parts of your food, leaving you with a blackened, nutritionally-devoid mess.
Worse than that, burnt food has actually been proven to be quite bad for you. If you eat too much of it, there's evidence that it can lead to serious long-term diseases, and may even cause cancer.
3. Avoid Adding Anything
It's best to cook your food as naturally as possible. Add a dash of oil by all means, but don't leave your food swimming in it. Not only is too much cooked oil bad for you, but it can also cause the nutrients in your food to break down, losing much of their goodness.
Other additives like salt can draw moisture from your food, taking nutrients with it. Don't think that you have to avoid them completely, but when you do use them, do so sparingly.
By following these simple rules, and by thinking twice when preparing and cooking your food, you can ensure that you don't destroy your food's essential nutrients, helping you eat healthier.
However, what is less obvious is that even if we choose nutritious foods, we may be preparing them in such a way that destroys most of those nutrients, leaving us with something that is not nearly as beneficial to our bodies as we thought.
Follow these tips to preserve the nutrients in your food, and maximise the benefits you get from them:
1. Eat It Raw
If at all possible, eating foods raw is the best way to preserve their nutrients. Obviously this isn't a good idea with meat products, but for fruit and vegetables, eating them raw is the best thing to do.
If raw food is a little too bland for you to stomach, try lightly cooking it. Steaming your food will help to make your food more edible, but without destroying too many essential nutrients.
2. Don't Burn It
If there's one thing that destroys nutrients more than anything else, it's burning your food. As soon as you do so, chemical reactions take place which irreversibly damage all the healthy parts of your food, leaving you with a blackened, nutritionally-devoid mess.
Worse than that, burnt food has actually been proven to be quite bad for you. If you eat too much of it, there's evidence that it can lead to serious long-term diseases, and may even cause cancer.
3. Avoid Adding Anything
It's best to cook your food as naturally as possible. Add a dash of oil by all means, but don't leave your food swimming in it. Not only is too much cooked oil bad for you, but it can also cause the nutrients in your food to break down, losing much of their goodness.
Other additives like salt can draw moisture from your food, taking nutrients with it. Don't think that you have to avoid them completely, but when you do use them, do so sparingly.
By following these simple rules, and by thinking twice when preparing and cooking your food, you can ensure that you don't destroy your food's essential nutrients, helping you eat healthier.