DAILY NEEDS

RETAIN, SAVE AND INCREASE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF FOODS YOU EAT

Hey!! Say no to ready to eat or quick cooking processed foods and GO back to older practices….ask your grand mom, how close they were to nature and how simple their cooking techniques were, which not only helped retain nutrients present in the food but also aided in increasing their nutritive value.

Unlearn a few things and learn from your roots... from traditional practices. Given below are few tips to start with:

VEGETABLES

Put vegetables into boiling water (instead of boiling water and veggies together).

Use just sufficient water for cooking (so that you do not have to drain that immune-booster fluid!).

Use any excess water, vegetable stock for cooking some other food.

Avoid cooking in open vessels because oxidation destroys vitamins.

Peel vegetables thinly. Peel potatoes and beetroot after boiling (and if you can eat that peel, you will never be constipated ever).

Cut vegetables into large piece so that fewer vitamins are destroyed because less of the vegetable’s surface area is exposed to air.

Use the leaves of vegetables like radish, knolkhol and onions, as they are rich in Vitamin A, Calcium and Iron.

Avoid use of baking soda – it may help vegetables to look green, but destroys vitamins. Adding tamarind in dishes helps to retain vitamins.

For peak nutritional value, try not to overcook the vegetables. Stems needs extra cooking time, so put them in the pan let them cook for sometime before the florets or leaves are added. That way, they’ll all be done at the same time and you’ll keep more of the vitamins in your veggies.

Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, fenu greek leaves etc contains oxalic acid which are the inhibits absorption of iron, it is important to cook these vegetables in an open pan for a few minutes initially without a lid for oxalic acids to evaporate, which otherwise binds iron to form iron oxalate which is not absorbed by our body.

Put a lid on the pot to retain the steam.

FRUITS

Eat seasonal and fresh fruits avoid preserved, canned fruits.

Wash and clean the fruits with water and soak them for about 2 minutes in one part vinegar and four parts water solution. Rinse again with water in for about 30 seconds. If you can rub the fruits like apple, it would be even better.

Eat fruits with skin not only that, the outer skin of some fruits such as the apple & orange are rich in cancer fighting phytochemicals, and antioxidants, they are a very good source of fibre.

Say NO to bottled/ canned/ preserved fruit juices, have freshly squeezed juice.

CEREALS AND PULSES

Wash rice and pulses only a few times or nutrients will be washed away.

Soak pulses and rice in water for some time so that less time is required for cooking and in turn less exposure to heat. Remember not to throw soaked water use it for cooking.

Use unsifted wheat-flour — the bran contains minerals, vitamin B and iron.

Watch the clock! Avoid overcooking of food. Serve hot food, as far as possible, immediately after cooking eliminates reheating.

The use of a pressure cooker saves nutrients, time, fuel and money.

Consider the time and temperature. Put simply, the longer the cooking time and the higher the temperature, the more nutrients are lost because of the fact that many vitamins are sensitive to heat and air exposure (specifically vitamin C, the B vitamins and folate).

Eating vitamin C and protein rich diet results in better absorption of iron. For example in dal palak, dal will provide protein. Combine it with raw salad of tomatoes, cucumber with lemon juice for vitamin C.