When cooking food at home, you want to ensure that you preserve as many nutrients as possible.
To put it simply, our bodies need nutrients to function. Maintaining a proper intake of nutrients will allow the body to remain healthy and even repair damage or illness. There are several types of nutrients that the human body needs to function:
Vitamins are organic nutrients made by plants or animals. There are several different types of vitamins, each having a different purpose to help us function. Vitamin A helps prevent eye problems and promotes a healthy immune system. Vitamin C is essential in maintaining healthy bones, teeth and gums.
Minerals are inorganic nutrients that come from the ground and water. Your body needs large amounts of minerals to grow and stay healthy. Calcium and magnesium are crucial minerals for the brain.
Carbohydrates come in two forms, sugars and starches, which quickly turns into energy. Carbohydrates are found in starchy vegetables, grains, rice, breads and cereals.
Amino Acids helps the body build up its protein levels. There are 20 different types of Amino Acids, three being essential for our bodies. Amino Acids can be found in high protein foods such as meat and low fat dairy products.
Basically we need nutrients to ensure that our body functions run smoothly.
Ensuring that your meals contain as many nutrients as possible is not only done at the cooking stage, but is also done at the buying stage, the storing stage and the preparation stage.
Buying the best foods: Starting off by choosing the freshest ingredients. This is key in ensuring your foods are rich in nutrients.
Buying skinless meat will provide less fat. Consider paying a bit extra for the fresher meat cuts with minimal fat.
Storing your foods: If purchasing your weekly vegetables, do not do it all at once. Vegetables are highest in nutrients when they are 1-2 days old, so try doing your vegetable shop twice a week.
If buying fresh fish and meat, cook within 1-2 days, if not, freeze immediately to lock in the nutrients.
Preparing your foods: Ensuring your vegetables are in their original form is essential in retaining as much nutrients as possible. For instance keep peas in their original protective pod until it is time to cook.
Cutting off the fatty bits on your meat will ensure you are not consuming high fat, but more nutrients.
Cooking your foods: When cooking vegetables, the most effective method to preserve and lock in nutrients is through steaming or microwaving vegetables. Steaming and microwaving vegetables will keep the colour, texture and flavor retained closely to its original nutritional content.
Unless breaded or fried, fish and meat is very high in nutrients. Baking fish and meat in a seal bag will help lock in much of the nutrients.