Healthy eating is beyond just selecting the right thing to eat. Other things also matter like how we store, prepare and cook the food. These factors play a very important role. If we think that we have incorporated a healthy diet into our daily routine and it is sufficient then we are mistaken. Just starting the day with a vegetable smoothie or having fruits and vegetables the whole day is not enough. This definitely does not mean that we have been getting the best nutrition from the food we eat.
It is essential to understand that every food is a unique combination of different nutrients which reach out to the body under different circumstances. For instance, some things are healthiest when cooked while others are beneficial when eaten raw. The same goes for vegetables. We might have a pretty good intake of vegetables but it is a possibility that we have not been getting the proper amount of nutrients that we should get. So, let us know some hacks to get the most nutrition from the vegetables.
Cut your veggies freshly just before you use them
As soon as a vegetable is cut, it gets exposed to air. This leads to oxidation which reduces the vitamins present in the vegetables. People also prefer to have cut and packaged vegetables as they feel it is more convenient. But what they don’t know is that they are playing with their lives. It is advisable to cut the vegetables and use them fresh. This retains the nutrients and gives more benefits.
Wash them before cutting or peeling, never after
Most of us do this. We wash the vegetables after cutting them and this is a blunder. We should always wash the vegetables before cutting and never after. When we wash the vegetables after cutting, the nutrients get washed off. Instead, wash them before cutting or peeling and have good nutrients inside your body.
Cooking vegetables on low to medium flame
Cooking veggies on high flame kills most of the nutrients and makes them useless for our bodies. Thus, one should always cook vegetables on low to medium flame. We also tend to cook the veggies for too long. Instead, we should only cook vegetables for as much time as necessary. Eating raw, steamed, and lightly cooked vegetables is always advisable.
Eat locally grown produce
The longer a vegetable is separated from its roots, the more it loses its nutrients. When we import vegetables from other countries, these vegetables sit in transportation vehicles for days, and till the time it reaches us, it has very less nutrients left. So, we should always prefer eating seasonal vegetables as when nature grows something at a particular time, it means our body needs that produce at that time. We should avoid packed and frozen vegetables.
Store vegetables the right way
Another way to ensure proper intake of nutrients from the vegetables is to shield vegetables from excess heat, light, and oxygen. One should always keep all vegetables except the root veggies in the fridge. The right way of storing vegetables helps in preserving nutrients.
Start following these hacks to get the most nutrients from the vegetables and let us know what worked for you!