Prepping your own produce at home can be intimidating. Many of the nutrients found in fresh produce are water-soluble and can be lost in the cooking process. Here are a few points to follow to ensure your fruits and veggies keep as many nutrients as possible.
1. Store produce in the fridge (except tomatoes and bananas). The enzymes that breakdown produce are most active at room temperatures. Chilling produce will help to slow down spoiling. Cooked veggies can last about one week in the fridge.
2. If you cut, puree, or cook a piece of fresh produce, store in an airtight container to prevent nutrient breakdown from air.
3. Some fresh vegetables can loose up to half of their nutrient content during washing, boiling or canning. This is because produce contains many water-soluble nutrients (B vitamins, vitamin C, anti-oxidants, minerals). Wash produce quickly and vigorously, but do not soak it. Serving vegetables in their cooking liquid helps to keep some of those nutrients. If you are pureeing the cooked vegetable, use some of the cooking liquid to moisten the puree.
Steaming is one of the best ways to prepare cooked veggies to retain the most nutrients. Stir-frying veggies in a small amount of oil also increases nutrient preservation. The microwave is a quick, healthy way to cook veggies. Simply put prepped veggies in a microwave safe bowl, drizzle with water, and cover with plastic wrap. Heat at 30 second intervals till you reached your desired tenderness.
Don’t forget that frozen produce can be just as good as fresh fruit. Frozen produce is picked at their peak of ripeness and flash frozen immediately. This helps preserve its nutrient profile. Buying frozen produce is also a great way to enjoy items that are out of season.
