What Is the healthiest way to prepare vegetables?

01Carleen Thomas is a dietician, a person who gives advice about healthy foods to eat.

02When it comes to eating healthy vegetables, Thomas says there are two kinds of people who ask her for advice.

03The first kind wants to know how different cooking methods affect the nutrition in vegetables.

04The other kind of person wants to know how to eat more vegetables.

05Thomas' simple answer to both groups is this, the best vegetables are the ones you actually want to eat.

06Thomas told the Associated Press that many people buy vegetables that they think they will eat.

07Maybe the produce is popular, or someone is bringing attention to it on social media.

08But then they end up not using it.

09That means the vegetable gets thrown away after it goes bad.

10In that case, Thomas said, it doesn't matter how you cook them, because if they're going in the trash, they're not in your body.

11However, Thomas said research shows cooking methods do affect nutrition.

12But it is not as simple as comparing raw or uncooked vegetables to cooked ones.

13Cooking methods can include steaming, roasting, boiling, or sauteing.

14So, are raw vegetables healthier than cooked?

15Not always.

16When vegetables are cooked with high heat for a long period of time, many nutrients break down.

17However, cooking softens the cell walls in vegetables, making them easier for the body to digest.

18Cooking changes the structure of vegetables, which increases what dietitians call bioavailability.

19This is the body's ability to use the nutrients in vegetables, Thomas said.

20Cooked food is often more nutritious than raw food.

21For example, cooked tomatoes release more of the antioxidant, lycopene, than raw tomatoes, she said.

22Lycopene is believed to have qualities that prevent cancer.

23Also, cooked carrots have more beta-carotene that can be absorbed by the body.

24Roasting pumpkins, carrots, and sweet potatoes increases available carotenoids.

25These antioxidants are thought to prevent inflammation in the body.

26However, the shorter the cooking time, the more nutrients are kept in the food.

27That advice comes from Amber Penkonen, a dietician in the U.S.

28state of Nebraska.

29Cooking over boiling water, or steaming, and in a microwave are considered the most nutritious methods.

30These two methods use little time and require no fat.

31Another healthy method is blanching.

32This is when you boil vegetables in water for a minute or two, but not too long.

33Boiling vegetables runs the risk of losing water-soluble nutrients, including vitamin C, B1, and folate.

34Thomas explained the reason boiling is not good for vegetables.

35The nutrients are leaching into the water, and you're tossing out the water.

36However, you could save the water from boiled vegetables and use it for other purposes, such as soups, or just drink it.

37Dietitians say there is no problem using a small amount of fat.

38Besides making vegetables taste better, a little cooking oil helps the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, said Penkonen.

39That means more vitamin A from squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes, more vitamin D from mushrooms, more vitamin E from bell peppers, leafy greens, and asparagus, and more vitamin K from greens, broccoli, and onions.

40For pan frying or sautéing, Penkonen suggests cooking with enough oil so the vegetables do not stick to the pan.

41The amount of oil will depend on the quantity of vegetables and the size of the pan.

42For roasting, you will likely need more oil.

43Despite the longer cooking time, roasting will still keep some nutrients and will increase the flavor with the heating of natural sugars.

44Flavor is king, Penkonen said.

45I would much rather see people roasting their vegetables and enjoying them.

46I'm Anna Mateo.