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Q: Are vegies more nutritious eaten raw? A: Not necessarily. For good health we should eat a variety of cooked and raw vegetables. Our expert: Sonya Stanley Published 19/05/2011
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It's hard enough for many of us just to get enough veg into our diets, let alone spend time w orrying w hether w e should be eating our cauliflow er uncooked. But the debate about the nutritional value of raw compared w ith cooked vegetables has been hard to ignore of late, and understandably it's left many of us confused as to w hat to do for the best. Luckily there's some good new s. Accredited practicing dietitian Sonya Stanley, of the Dietitian's Association of Australia, says although some vegies may lose a little of their nutritional content w hen cooked, it's not enough to w orry about. In fact, it doesn't really matter how w e consume our veg, just as long as w e get enough in our diets. "We should be eating raw or cooked vegetables every day. The latest recommendation says adults should have up to five servings a day. There's no need to stick strictly to the raw vegies, you just need to get a combination," she says.
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A serving equals half a cup of cooked veg or one cup of salad veg
Elsewhere on ABC What about the nutrients? W hen w e cook vegetables, w e change their structure and composition – w hich can have both positive and negative effects w hen it comes to their health benefits.
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Some vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach, contain vitamin C w hich can be lost during the cooking process, Stanley says. The same is true if w e cook fruits that contain vitamin C, such as red berries.
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On the other hand, there are some compounds w hich w e can absorb much more easily from cooked vegies, compared w ith their raw counterparts.
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A great example of this is lycopene – a type of carotenoid – found in tomatoes. Carotenoids, an important form of phytonutrient found in most vegetables, have been associated w ith a decreased risk of lifestyle diseases such as heart disease and certain types of cancer.
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In addition, cooking your favourite veg w ill not diminish its fibre content, Stanley says. And in many cases cooking makes the vegetables much tastier – meaning w e are that much more likely to eat them.
Steamed or grilled, madam? So you have decided that the kids are unlikely to eat raw carrots w ith the w eekend roast – does it matter if you boil, steam, or roast them? Stanley says lightly steaming vegies tends to keep more of the flavour, texture and nutrients, than other cooking methods. "Steaming is good because it does retain a bit more nutrient value than [boiling] them in w ater. The w ater w ill leach out a bit more of the goodness if you really boil something heavily," she says. So, to ensure you're eating the recommended five servings a day, and getting the most nutritional value, include a w ide variety of cooked and raw veg in your meals. "If you're having salad vegies on a nice w holegrain roll for lunch and a stir-fry w ith lots of different vegies lightly cooked as an evening meal, that'll give you a nice balance," Stanley says. And for those of us w ho are still keen to eat plenty of raw veg, try it as snack. It's a much healthier choice than nutritionally-empty foods like cakes and biscuits.
Sonya Stanley is the South Australian spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia. She spoke to Cassie W hite.
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