How Does Cooking Affect Nutrients in Veggies?

This week Reactions explores the chemistry and science that goes on to the nutrients when you cook vegetables. Vegetables are chock-full of essential vitamins and minerals, but how should you eat them to get the most nutritious bang for your buck? Raw? Sauteed? Frozen? You might want to eat those fresh green beans right away, for one — flash-frozen green beans kept for months have up to three times more vitamin C than week-old beans kept in the fridge. And did you know that oil-based dressing and avocados can help you absorb more nutrients from that kale salad.

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Roberto Daglio - Mr Fantastic

Producer:
Elaine Seward

Writer:
Tien Nguyen

Executive Producer:
Adam Dylewski

Scientific consultants:
Francisco Barberán, Ph.D.
Darcy Gentleman, Ph.D.
Kyle Nackers

Sources:
Vitamin C fact sheet - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/
Vitamin B fact sheet - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
Vitamin A fact sheet - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
Vitamin E fact sheet - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-HealthProfessional/
Vitamin K fact sheet - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminK-HealthProfessional/#h3
Magnesium fact sheet - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-Consumer/
Iron fact sheet - https://ods.od.nih.gov/pubs/usdandb/Iron-Food.pdf#search=%22iron%22
Calcium fact sheet - https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-Consumer/
Local produce nutrition - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09637480701453637?scroll=top&needAccess=true
Nutritional comparison of frozen vs. fresh green beans - http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/234-779.pdf
Effect of ethylene gas on vegetables - http://carrotmuseum.co.uk/EthylenePDF.pdf
Cooking helps break down cell walls and release nutrients - http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/ask-well-does-boiling-or-baking-vegetables-destroy-their-vitamins/?_r=0
Cooking method effect on nutritional value of broccoli comparison - http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf072304b
Cutting vegetables in larger chunks to reduce leaching - http://www.leeds.ac.uk/yawya/science-and-nutrition/The%20effects%20of%20cooking%20on%20nutrition.html
Trans fat impact on health - http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Nutrition/Trans-Fats_UCM_301120_Article.jsp#.WIeCorGZPBJ
Full fat dressing for better carotenoid absorption - http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/80/2/396.full
Raw diet impact on lycopene and carotenoids - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18028575
Lycopene in Tomatoes - http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/lycoproc.htm
Carotenoids - http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/carotenoids

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