Which Vegetables Are Healthier Cooked?

[Julieanne]

• Dr. Michael Greger
• February 1, 2012

In response to my Care2 post #1 Anticancer Vegetable, there was a great question about whether it’s better to eat garlic raw or cooked. It appears the secret to maintaining the anti-cancer effects of garlic is either to eat it raw (think salsa, homemade dressings, pesto, etc), or to crush the garlic first, wait ten minutes, and then cook it.

Let me explain: you know those chemical flares? You bend them, two chemicals mix, and a light-emitting reaction takes place? The same kind of thing happens in garlic. Floating around in the cytoplasm of garlic cells is a compound called alliin, and packed away in tiny intracellular storage compartments (called vacuoles) is an enzyme called alliinase. When the garlic tissues are crushed, the two mix and the alliinase enzyme turns alliin into allicin, the phytonutrient thought to be responsible for many of garlic’s health benefits

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/whi...#ixzz1lJDgIrtj

[Julieanne]

I once posted on Mercola that garlic has more allicin when allowed to sit for 10-20 minutes before eating. Lots of neg points, because 'Dr M says to eat straight away', and the guru must be right! I found the info in a Rodale book.

[Islander]

Guess what? The guru was wrong. You are absolutely right, 10 minutes is the recommendation I usually see. Mr. Guru does not do his own cooking, AFAIK, at least nothing beyond making a breakfast smoothie.

[Aaltrude]

Ok, can someone list the veges for me. This link took me to a video about cooking methods and the NutritionFacts.org link took me to a page with multiple topics which did not include the list of veges.
Two veges I am picking are on the list beside garlic, are asparagus and carrots.

[Islander]

Agreer, I don't watch videos on principle if I can help it, no offense, I just have a better memory for what I read than what I see/hear. Thanks!

[Reesacat]

From the video this is what I learned:

Boiling and pressure cooking are the worst way to cook vegetables; microwave the best according to the study (I disagree. I will not use the microwave to cook food.)

Bell Peppers eat raw — any type of cooking just wipes out the nutrition
3 vegetables not affected by any type of cooking method:
Artichokes, beets and onions
Asparagus cook any way but frying to preserve nutrition.
Green beans increase in nutrition except when boiled or pressure cooked.
Carrots and celery become more nutritious cooked, even boiled.

[mellowsong]

I have no idea where I read/heard this but I thought onions were better cooked (but only for 5 minutes) as the cooking released the flavonoids they contain.

[Islander]

Wow. Boiled celery.

Um...not sure I put a lot of faith in this list. Do they mention stir-fry? I would think that brief, modest heat in a medium that doesn't wash away nutrients (i.e. not boiled or steamed) would preserve most of the goodness. Maybe simmering in soup is another good option?

Thank you for posting the list and saving me the viewing time, Reesacat!

[Reesacat]

The author did say using carrots and celery in soup also increased their available nutrition.

[Julieanne]

I'm surprised tomatoes weren't mentioned, as there seems to be lots of info saying they are more nutritious cooked. I'm never sure, but I eat them both ways.

I rarely watch videos either, Islander - I would far rather read the information.

[Islander]

Tomatoes: Love em, eat 'em mostly raw & warm from the garden. I have read from various sources they they are better cooked in terms of the lycopene that is known for its role in prostate cancer prevention. In other words, I don't know whether the tomato's overall nutrition is improved with cooking, or just the availability of lycopene.

[Aaltrude]

I rarely watch videos either, Islander - I would far rather read the information.

Mostly, I agree however I don't mind short videos that are only a few minutes long. Anything over five minutes has to be potentially really worthwhile (e.g. Minding Your Mitchondria).