Without a doubt, cooking is a necessary life skill that everyone should at least know the basics of. But there are a few things that the experts keep on suggesting to maximise the benefits of the food you eat. For instance, knowing the right time to drink water, picking the best fruits to eat before bed, and so on.
Just recently, ICMR posted a guideline about healthier ways of cooking. If you have spotted your mother placing a lid on the cooking vessel while the contents are simmering, doing that can enhance the nutritional benefits of your food. As per the experts, the benefits of closing the lid are not just limited to reducing the cooking time. The practice also helps the ingredients to retain their nutrients better.
Healthy Cooking Methods
As per the report by ICMR, “In open-lid cooking, food takes a longer time to get cooked, and exposure to air accelerates nutrient loss. In closed-lid cooking, food gets cooked quickly, and nutrients are better retained because of the shorter cooking time. Green vegetables and green leafy vegetables change colour during closed lid cooking but minimise nutrient loss.”
Other than ensuring that the lid is closed, ICMR also suggests that using a pressure cooker or steaming the food instead of roasting or deep frying can help lower the loss of nutrients in the food. ICMR further states, "Boiling or pressure cooking is the best way to improve the nutritional quality of pulses since anti-nutritional factors are destroyed during boiling and pressure cooking.”
When it comes to reheating food in a microwave, the experts state that due to faster cooking, there is little time for the nutrients to break down, and this is thus considered to be a healthy approach. All in all, microwaving helps to preserve the vitamin and mineral content in the food when heated.