You might have ordered a salad instead of something that would make your tastebuds dance, because salad is more nutritious. While that is true compared to fried food or sweets, vegetables might not be as nutrient-packed as you think. From the field to your table, vegetables undergo food processes that affect the nutrients in them, making the taste not the only obstacle in the path of health. 

Sophia Valdivieso, a junior at the University of Miami, believes that fresh vegetables have more nutrients than those in a can or frozen.  

“Fresh vegetables should be healthier since they come straight from the ground,” Valdivieso said. 

The correct answer to the question: “which is healthier?” is a little more complicated.

Better Health Channel, a medical information database supported by Australia’s city-state, Victoria, said “Before a food is canned or frozen, it is usually heated very quickly with steam or water. The water-soluble vitamins, including vitamin C and B-complex, are sensitive and easily destroyed.” 

While this seems like a solid argument as to why fresh foods are more nutritious than canned, fresh food deteriorates significantly faster than canned foods.  

Before making it to the grocery store, the vitamins in vegetables are already impacted, and in the cooking process, they continue to deplete.  

Leslie Klein, a manager of nutrition services at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center explains what causes nutrition to decrease.   

“Cooking in water, like poaching, steaming or boiling, causes the nutrients to leech out of the vegetables,” Klein said. 

Even though cooking removes vitamins from food, Klein mentioned that there are ways to cook and still preserve the nutrients. 

“If you’re going to cook in water, think about how you can include that water when serving it because the vitamins are in it. Roasting and baking are some of the best ways because the food is sitting in the pan so anything you might be losing is sitting in those juices,” said Klein. “But the longer the food is cooked at high temperatures, the longer it breaks down nutrients. Microwaving is another way—it’s quick cooking, so you don’t spend much time cooking and the nutrients are still preserved.” 

Though it may seem impossible to eat vegetables and receive the vitamins they are known for having, if you reincorporate the juices or water, it can still provide a positive effect on your health. All things considered, eating vegetables with lower amounts of nutrients is still healthier than a lack thereof. 

words&photo_tracy ramos.

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