Vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that the body greatly needs. However, if cooked or eaten improperly, these nutrients can be easily lost. Generally speaking, the following points must be noted when cooking:
The Right Way to Cook Vegetables
Try to use fresh vegetables. Fresh vegetables contain more nutrients than dried or pickled vegetables, especially vitamin C. Vegetables that cannot be eaten at once should be stored properly. Do not soak them in water, expose them to the sun, or place them in a drafty place. Fresh vegetables left at home will gradually lose some vitamins. For example, when spinach is stored at 20°C for 24 hours, up to 84% of its vitamin C can be lost.
Wash gourds and vegetables before cutting them. Because many vitamins they contain are water-soluble, if you cut them first and then wash, these vitamins will be washed away with the water and discarded.
Cut and immediately cook. The vitamins in gourds and vegetables are often unstable. If they are cut and not cooked for a while, the vitamins will be exposed to the air through the cut surfaces and be oxidized, resulting in loss.
Cooking and stir-frying times should not be too long. Various vitamins in vegetables are easily destroyed by heat. Therefore, cooking time should be as short as possible, use as little water as needed, and control the heat properly. Generally, it's best to stir-fry over high heat quickly. According to measurements, vegetables stir-fried over high heat lose only 17% of their vitamin C. If stir-fried and then simmered, the loss of vitamin C in the vegetables can be as high as 59%. Stir-frying with high heat not only makes the food look and taste better but also results in less nutrient loss. Adding a little vinegar during stir-frying also helps preserve vitamins.
Cover the pot when cooking. Because B vitamins, vitamin C, and other nutrients can dissolve in the water, not covering the pot will allow them to escape with the steam, and it may also reduce the aroma of the vegetables. Therefore, you should cover the pot when cooking, and the tighter the lid, the better.
The Right Way to Eat Vegetables
Using vegetables to cook with meat absorbs more oil: Some people, in order to lose weight, avoid fat and prefer vegetables cooked with meat. Researchers have found that vegetables rich in moisture have air-filled cells between them, while meat cells are filled with water. Therefore, vegetables absorb oil more easily, which is actually not conducive to weight loss after consumption.
Eat stir-fried vegetables while they are hot: Some people, to save time, like to stir-fry vegetables in advance and then keep them warm in the pot until everyone is ready to eat or reheat them for the next meal. In fact, vitamin B1 in vegetables can be lost by 25% during the process of keeping them warm after stir-frying. If stir-fried cabbage is kept warm for 30 minutes, it will lose 10% of its vitamin C. If for up to an hour, the loss will be 20%.
Do not peel fruits, gourds, and vegetables that can be eaten with their skins. The skin contains the most vitamin C, such as in pumpkins, potatoes, radishes, tomatoes, apples, and cucumbers.
Eat your vegetables and drink the soup: Many people like to eat green vegetables but not the soup. In fact, most of the vitamins from stir-fried vegetables are dissolved in the soup. For example, after cooking bok choy, 70% of its vitamin C is dissolved in the cooking water. When fresh peas are boiled in water for 3 minutes, 50% of their vitamin C is dissolved in the soup.
Do not discard the nutritious parts: Some people only eat the sprouts of bean sprouts and throw away the beans. In fact, the beans contain 2-3 times more vitamin C than the sprouts. Others squeeze out the juice when making dumplings, which can cause a loss of over 70% of the vitamins. The correct way is to mix the cut vegetables with oil first, then add salt and seasonings. This way, the vegetables will not release their juice.
What Vegetables to Eat in Autumn
Eat less pungent food to avoid dryness harming the lungs: In autumn, the weather is high and clear, the air is dry, and the humidity is low. People are prone to symptoms like a dry throat and a dry cough, which are caused by the pathogenic dryness harming the lungs. At this time, you should eat less pungent and spicy foods, such as onions, ginger, chili peppers, and pepper, to prevent the pungent and warm nature from exacerbating lung dryness.
Eat sour food to nourish the liver when lungs are dry: According to the Five Elements theory in traditional Chinese medicine, the lungs belong to Metal and the liver belongs to Wood. Metal overacts on Wood, which can damage the liver. Therefore, you should eat some sour foods because "sour enters the liver," which can strengthen the liver and prevent excessive lung energy from damaging it. Sour foods can help astringe the liver qi and have a protective effect on the liver, but they should not be consumed excessively. Because many sour foods, such as vinegar and dark plum, can irritate the stomach and easily lead to conditions like gastric ulcers and gastritis, which are not good for your health.
Eat less cold food to avoid "autumn gourds harming the stomach": Many people have this experience: eating fruit in autumn can easily lead to an upset stomach, which is related to the autumn climate. In autumn, the weather gets cooler and the temperature drops. The spleen and stomach's yang energy is insufficient. Eating too many yin-cold fruits and vegetables is like adding frost to snow, leading to a lack of yang energy and causing diarrhea and abdominal pain. Therefore, in autumn, you should not eat too many cold foods to protect your gastrointestinal tract and lungs.
Drinking water in moderation is most important: In summer, a season with heavy sweating, you need to drink more water. In autumn, a dry season, you need to drink even more water. Drinking water in moderation is an essential measure to moisten and prevent dryness in autumn. It is best to drink small amounts frequently. Drinking a large amount of water at once will burden your stomach and intestines and cause discomfort. Only by drinking small amounts slowly can you achieve a greater moisturizing effect on the mouth, nose, throat, esophagus, and even the trachea.
Nourishing yin and replenishing qi is key: For middle-aged and elderly people, the most important thing in autumn is to nourish yin and replenish qi. Nourishing yin can prevent lung dryness, and replenishing qi can warm the lung qi and encourage yang energy. Therefore, in autumn, you should eat more foods like Chinese yam, lily, tremella, pork trotter, lotus seed, lotus root, pear, and goji berry to get through autumn peacefully.