When we talk about food and nutrition, it’s not only the food we eat but the whole process starts from procuring the raw food items and their cooking methods. Cooking methods play an important role in health & nutrition as it helps in better absorption and digestion of the food we eat. However, wrong cooking methods can also lead to destruction & denaturing of the nutrients.
PRINCIPLES OF COOKING AND COOKING METHODS IN NUTRITION
Principles of cooking and cooking methods are different from nutritional perspectives. Different food sources and their relationship with cooking methods are different. Fruits, nuts, and some
vegetables can be eaten raw while grains, hard vegetables & spices need to be cooked for better palatability, digestion & absorption.
OBJECTIVES OF COOKING
• Cooking aids in nutritive importance to food
• Cooking improves the flow of digestibility
• Cooking kills bacteria or germs and keeps our food safe.
• Cooking enhances the flavor, taste, and aroma and it also changes the appearance and makes the food more appealing.
Here are the best cooking methods for the benefits :
1. Steaming:
Steaming basically means cooking the food with steam generated by the water. This method can keep intact in food and cooks the food well. While steaming, the food gets enriched with Iron and helps in increasing the absorption of it. Apart from nutrition, the taste and color also get enhanced.
2. Sautéing:
This method can save you lots of nutrients as the vegetables are lightly cooked with low fat. Sautéing makes the food soft yet crispy and keeps the digestive issues away.
3. Blanching:
This is one of my favorites. We usually boil the vegetables & throw away the water that can drain the vegetables of their nutrition values. Blanching is an advance of putting the vegetables in boiling water for 2 minutes and soaking them in ice-cold water immediately. This retains the nutrients and the color of your vegetables.
These hacks can help you acquire the maximum nutrition food can offer. Cook the right way to avoid nutrient damage and to up your health status.