Processing food ingredients can be done by various methods or techniques, from frying to steaming. Unfortunately, some cooking techniques turn out to make a lot of the nutrients in some types of food lost.

You must have often cooked in various ways below. Now, let's find out the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Generally this technique is considered healthy because the time needed to cook is short. Sautéing can keep the antioxidants in vegetables awake and beta-carotene more easily absorbed.

However, there are studies that have found that the content of vitamin C in red cabbage and broccoli will decrease if they are stir-fried. To work around this, add water or low-salt broth to help maintain the quality of the food, both in terms of taste and vitamin content.

This method is most often used for cooking because it makes food crispy, fully cooked, and tastes great. Although fried, the content of vitamins C and B in food is usually maintained.

However, this technique has many drawbacks, such as:

Steaming is one of the best ways to cook because it keeps the vitamin content in food intact. A study found that the vitamin C content in steamed cabbage, spinach, and broccoli was only lost by 9-15%.

The downside is that steaming makes the food taste bland. However, you can work around this by adding various spices and sauces.

Boiling vegetables for too long tends to make the nutrients lost, you know. Vitamin C in vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, and lettuce can be lost as much as 50% when boiled. But boiling fish will actually retain the omega-3 fatty acids contained in it.

In addition to eliminating about 40% of the B vitamins and minerals in meat, this technique also carries the risk of causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Substances derived from fat droplets of meat that fall onto a hot surface has the potential to cause cancer.

Even so, burning food can actually lower cholesterol levels in meat.

This technique is commonly used for cooking meats, breads, and cakes. This cooking method is proven to maintain the mineral content and various vitamins in food. Unfortunately, the vitamin B content in meat can be lost about 40% due to prolonged exposure to heat.

Although microwaves are generally used to warm food, they can actually be used to cook certain types of food. Microwave cooking is considered the most appropriate and easy way to retain nutrients in food.

With a microwave, the time needed to process food tends to be short. The food is not directly exposed to the heat of the fire. Compared to other methods, the vitamin C in microwave-cooked vegetables is only 20-30% lost.

In essence, there is no one way of cooking that is sure to be the right and healthiest way to process all types of food. After reading the advantages and disadvantages of the various cooking methods above, I hope you have a better idea of ​​how to cook certain types of food more healthily. Good luck!