Don't Nuke Those Veggies!

Diet and nutrition image.

What’s the best way to prepare vegetables? Steam them? Microwave them? Boil them?

Vegetables are a key source of antioxidants ~ cancer-fighting compounds that also help prevent heart disease. The disease-fighting benefits of vegetables can be affected by the way in which they are prepared.

The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture reported the results of a study that involved several ways of preparing broccoli. Broccoli that was microwaved lost 97 percent of flavonoids, 74 percent of sinapics and 87 percent of caffeoyl-quinic derivatives (three different types of antioxidants). When boiled, the broccoli lost 66 percent of its flavonoids and when tossed in a pressure cooker, it lost 47 percent of its caffeoyl-quinic derivatives.

However, steamed broccoli lost only 11 percent of flavonoids, 0 percent of sinapics and 8 percent of caffeoyl-quinic derivatives. Steamed vegetables do not come in direct contact with the boiling water so their nutritional elements are not lost or boiled away. Microwave ovens heat vegetables from the inside and also use water, a combination that virtually destroys valuable antioxidants.

Still…if it comes down to eating microwaved vegetables or no vegetables at all…microwaved wins!

Dr. Priestley Asks some important questions of interest to Newport Beach residents - Chiropractor Newport Beach Dr. Priestley Asks...

Why are frequent visits advised when starting chiropractic care?
Consistent visits at the beginning of your chiropractic care help create the momentum necessary to correct and retrain unhealthy spinal patterns. Later, Newport Beach practice members find that continued care on a less frequent visit schedule can help preserve their progress and avoid a relapse.
Is a muscle spasm a cause or an effect?
With the knee-jerk use of muscle relaxers, you'd think it was a cause. But it's an effect. Chiropractors know that bones don't move unless muscles move them. And muscles don't contract unless commanded by the nervous system. That's why your nervous system is the focus of our Newport Beach chiropractic practice.