Should i steam my vegetables

Of course, eating them steamed is better than not eating your vegetables at all, but for those worries about heat killing nutrients, avoid steaming these veggies. Kale has been hailed as a superfood for its amazing, low calorie doses of iron, fiber, Vitamins A, B and K, antioxidants, and calcium. It has quickly become a vegan, nutrient-rich favorite and a staple for green juicers. However, did you know kale is one of the vegetables that loses much of its benefits when steamed?

You see, the isohiocyanates, or the cancer-fighting chemicals in kale, are destroyed when cooked, and this includes steaming. To maximize your benefits from kale, eat or drink it raw in smoothies, juice, or salads. Another green, nutrient-rich food has been found to lose its nutritional benefits when exposed to the heat produced from steaming.

Broccoli also does not retain its amazing levels of glucosinolate also cancer-fighting , folate, potassium or vitamins, making this vegetable best eaten raw. Cauliflower is a diverse, cancer-fighting, vitamin-packed vegetable that should be eaten regularly. However, it is also from the same family as broccoli: Brassica. Like broccoli, this vegetable should never be steamed because it loses its amazing nutrient potentials when heated, too.

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Veggie toast toppers to lift your breakfast game Read more. View the discussion thread. Want to stay up-to-date? Subscribe to our newsletter! Subscribe now. Why you should steam vegetables. When exposed to cooking water, the nutrients in veg like vitamin C can be lost.

Thanks to the minimal added water, and gentle, indirect heat, your veggies keep more of the good stuff as steaming preserves nutrients, texture and flavour. This is what gives steaming including steaming in the microwave the upper hand when it comes to nutrient retention.