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By Elena Voropay Should you cook your vegetables and fruits or eat them raw? Interestingly, some produce is better cooked because the nutrients in these become more readily available when exposed to heat, others are more prevalent when foods are eaten raw. For example, lycopene, an antioxidant, which may help prevent against prostate cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses, is more prevalent in cooked forms of tomatoes -- even ketchup.
On the other hand, many of the nutrients from vegetables can get leached during cooking. If you use plenty of water and boil your food, chances are that you will lose all the water-soluble vitamins. Steaming and blanching your veggies will not only help preserve the colour and nutrients, but keep their crispy texture and break down some of the fibers which may assist the digestion process. Another suggestion may be making soup where you consume the water as a broth. Here you will get the nutrients that leached from veggies, but, again, try not to overcook as some vitamins are very unstable and can easily be lost after exposure to heat.
Buy fresh ripe produce. The longer the vegetables and fruit stay on the plant, the more nutrients are made. Keep your cool. Don't keep vegetables in very hot environments for a long time. Remember that certain vegetables should get stored on your counter, while others should get refrigerated. Onions, potatoes, and other root vegetables do better in cool, dry places, and the refrigerator is too wet for them. Most fruits -- including tomatoes -- are best kept on the counter and consumed once ripe. Most greens, mushrooms, and almost all other produce should get refrigerated. Some other foods, such as mushrooms, are best stored in paper bag as humidity causes them to deteriorate faster. Go for frozen. Frozen vegetables can even be more nutritions than fresh veggies, especially if the fresh ones have been collecting dust for a few days in the store. Frozen vegetables are still nutritious, because they often come right out of the field, and are blanched and frozen immediately. Slow down. Take more time to chew and enjoy your vegetables. Chewing is the first step in breaking down your food, and this is the only one you can control. Proper chewing will ease the work of all the other organs and result in better absorption of nutrients from the gut. Slowing down and savouring the taste of foods has also shown to decrease appetite so you are likely to eat less. Spice things up. "People tend to eat the same fruits and vegetables over and over again. Every fruit and vegetable has a unique footprint -- a unique assortment of nutrients and phytochemicals," says Filardo. Variety will increase your enjoyment of fruits and vegetables, while also giving you more nutrients. She suggests that you use color as a guide when planning your meals. Instead of worrying about getting specific vitamins, for example, worry about getting your oranges, greens, and reds. It will also make for a more appetizing plate.
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Nutrition 
