What’s the Most Nutritious Way to Eat Vegetables?

Nutrition Diva listener Jen writes,

“I have spent many hours researching how to get the most nutrition from the fruits and vegetables I eat. I understand that vitamins can be destroyed by cooking, but I have also heard that cooking can increase some nutrients. I’ve also read that eating vegetables with certain foods can enhance the absorption of various nutrients. Can you give me a list of the best cooking methods and food pairings for all the various vegetables? I want to get the most bang for my buck.”

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Jen is absolutely right on all counts:

• Cooking can decrease certain nutrients, especially water soluble vitamins like vitamin C.   
• Some nutrients, such as the lycopene in tomatoes, are made more bioavailable by cooking.
• You can increase your absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, such as beta-carotene, by eating them with avocados, olive oil, or other healthy fats.
• Fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin C can increase your absorption of iron from foods they’re eaten with.

And so on.

Over the years, I’ve discussed all of these topics in various podcasts. (Click on the blue words above to see more on each topic.) I could have simply referred Jen to the show archives to dig up the details. Or, I could have spent the week compiling a database of fruits and vegetables, which nutrients they contain, the best ways to cook each one, and the best foods to eat them with.  I know lots of you would have raced to your computers to print that list out and stick it to your refrigerator door.

It’s not necessary to wring every last microgram of nutrition out of every vegetable we eat in order to enjoy the health benefits and disease protection that a vegetable-rich diet has to offer.

I did not compile such a list. For one thing, it sounded like a pretty tedious project. More importantly, getting nutrition from vegetables doesn’t need to be that complicated.  It’s simply not necessary to wring every last microgram of nutrition out of every vegetable we eat in order to enjoy the health benefits and disease protection that a vegetable-rich diet has to offer.

Although it’s fun and interesting to learn how nutrients and foods work, you don’t need a spreadsheet to ensure good nutrition.  The following tips will help you maximize your vegetable nutrition without micromanaging each individual nutrient:

Tip #1: Eat at least 5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit each day.  This alone would put you ahead of 95% of your fellow Americans. You can eat more than that if you want. But as I said in my recent episode on juicing, “While there is a lot of evidence to support the idea that 5 servings of vegetables a day keeps you healthy, there’s little evidence to suggest that 50 servings a day keeps you any healthier.” 

Tip #2: Go for variety. Resist the temptation to eat the same “superfoods” day after day. You get a lot more benefit from eating a wide variety of vegetables. (See my episode on the Importance of a varied diet.)  Be sure your repertoire includes some dark leafy greens, orange/red veggies, and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts). And while brightly colored vegetables often signal potent nutrition, there’s great nutrition to be had from garlic, onions, and mushrooms as well! It’s not important to hit every category every day; just try to work them all in over the course of a week.

(See this short video for more produce shopping tips.)

Tip #3: Buy the freshest produce you can and eat it promptly.  People worry a lot about the nutrients that get lost when they cook their vegetables. But a vegetable can lose just as much nutrition in storage as it does on the stovetop. To maximize the nutritional value of your veggies, buy produce that’s local and in season whenever you can. Try not to let vegetables languish in the crisper for weeks on end. And don’t discount frozen vegetables. Because they’re usually processed within hours of harvest, they can be even more nutritious than unprocessed vegetables that have been around for a while.  

Finally: relax. Even when nutrients are lost through processing or storage, there are still plenty left!

Tip #4: Eat some of your vegetables raw and try not to overcook the rest.  Heat degrades some nutrients while others are prone to leech into cooking water. On the other hand, cooking can make certain nutrients more bioavailable.  Cooking can also reduce oxalates and phytates–compounds found in greens, grains, and beans that can interfere with absorption of certain minerals.  My advice is to hedge your bets.  Enjoy a variety of both raw and cooked vegetables. I have some advice on cooking methods that minimize nutrient losses in my episode How Cooking Affects Nutrition. In my opinion, however, the best way to cook vegetables is the way you like them the best–because those are the ones you’ll eat. 

Have you subscribed to my free, weekly newsletter? If not, you recently missed two great ideas for preparing vegetables: One involves cooking a vegetable that’s almost always served raw. The other is a raw salad using a vegetable that’s almost always cooked! Click here to see those recipes and here to subscribe, so you don’t miss another issue!

Tip #5: Enjoy vegetables as part of healthy, balanced meals.  Vegetables are essential to a healthy diet but a plate full of steamed veggies doesn’t constitute a complete or balanced meal!  Accompany those veggies with foods that provide healthy fats and protein: nuts, olive oil, avocados, whole grains, legumes,  eggs, dairy, fish, and or meat.  You’ll get a more complete range of nutrients and you’ll also benefit from the natural synergies between various nutrients. No spreadsheet required!

If you have a topic you’d like me to address in a future podcast or newsletter, send an email to nutrition@quickanddirtytips.com or post it on the Nutrition Diva Facebook page. I always love to hear from you!  

Vegetables image courtesy of Shutterstock.