Generally, processing food causes a reduction in the nutritional value. Heating or cooking any food is a form of processing, as it can cause changes in the chemistry and structure of the food. Raw vegetables are often thought of as possessing better nutritional density compared with cooked vegetables. However, while the nutritional density may fall during cooking, the bioavailability of the nutrients present can increase, thus improving the nutritional profile of the food as a whole. This is true for vegetables because the nutrients are contained within cells that possess cellulose cell walls. Humans cannot digest cellulose and so mechanical breaking of the cells via chewing, or chemical damage via cooking, are required to make the nutrients available for digestion. Therefore heating of vegetables, although a form if processing, can actually improve the nutritional values as long as bioavailability is considered. The lycopene in tomatoes is more bioavailable following cooking for example.
Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself
RdB
