Cooked Carrots More Nutritious/Nutrition News Focus

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March 21, 2002

NUTRITION NEWS FOCUS

" Nutrition news is important. We help you understand it! "

 

Today's Topic: Cooked Carrots More Nutritious

 

Most of us know that fresh fruits and vegetables are better for us

than cooked. Well, that is not exactly correct. It has been known

for some time that cooking, especially in the presence of a small

amount of fat, actually makes some antioxidants more available for

absorption.

 

A study in the August, 2000 edition of the Journal of Agricultural and

Food Chemistry reports that cooked, pureed carrots have higher levels

of two antioxidants: beta-carotene and phenolic acids. The

antioxidants increase with heating by a third, with inclusion of the

peel and increased during storage at high temperature for up to a

week. After that they declined, but never to the levels for raw

carrots.

 

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Much general wisdom about

nutrition is not only not supported by facts, it is sometimes opposite

of what is generally accepted. Cooking probably breaks the plant

cells open so antioxidants and other plant chemicals can be better

absorbed. Adding fat allows carotenoids to be absorbed much better.

Cooking and fat also increase absorption of lycopene from tomatoes.

 

 

(This story originally appeared in Nutrition News Focus on

September 20, 2000.)

 

 

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