Bring Out the Frying Pan??

[Guest guest]

Put Down the Crudites!

Thursday, December 20, 2007 12:20 PM

By Sharon Begley

.. . . if you want to get the most cancer-fighting nutrition out of

your carrots, zucchini and broccoli. Despite the conventional

culinary wisdom that raw is best in terms of preserving veggies'

nutritional value, scientists in Italy—where they know a little

about food—find that the right kind of cooking actually preserves or

even boosts their nutritional value, the researchers will report

December 26 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

In the new study, the researchers at the University of Parma

measured how boiling, steaming, and frying affected the nutritional

contents of carrots, zucchini and broccoli, especially such anti-

cancer compounds as antioxidants and polyphenols. For those of you

planning to serve any or all of these three during the holiday

season, here's the bottom line:

For carrots, boiling increased the total concentration of

carotenoids 14 percent; frying reduced their concentration 13

percent and steaming reduced it just a little less. Levels of beta-

carotene were not affected by boiling, though steaming caused levels

to fall 10 percent and frying reduced them 24 percent. (Fried

carrots? Oh, those Italians.) All three cooking methods

significantly increased carrots' total antioxidant concentration,

good news for those eating these roots for their anti-cancer

properties. Frying actually increased total antioxidant levels the

most, followed by boiling and steaming. And the winner is: boiling,

by a nose, since with carrots you can't go wrong with any cooking

method.

For zucchini, boiling did not affect the total concentration of

carotenoids, though steaming and frying reduced it 22 percent and 35

percent, respectively. For the carotenoid beta-carotene, boiling and

steaming actually increased it. Fried zucchini lovers, rejoice:

frying raised the total concentration of antioxidants the most, as

it did for carrots, though boiling and steaming also increased them.

Frying wins out here because it induces the so-called Maillard

reaction, whose products having antioxidant activities. The winner:

frying, though it got a boost from the fact that it makes zucchini

taste so much better than boiling and steaming do that you'll eat

more of the stuff. Just pick a heart-healthy oil, such as olive.

For broccoli, cooking also helps release carotenoids from the

plant's cells by breaking their bonds to proteins, leading to higher

concentrations. As a result, boiled and steamed broccoli had higher

levels of carotenoids (32 percent more and 19 percent more,

respectively) than raw broccoli. Steaming increased broccoli's

content of glucosinolates, plant compounds touted for their cancer-

fighting abilities. And the winner is: steaming.

I don't know about you, but I've eaten my last raw zucchini hunk, my

last uncooked broccoli floret and my final boring old carrot stick.

End of quote.

Regards

Ken.

[Guest guest]

I always thought steaming was the best myself. Hugs, Deborah

On Dec 24, 2007 8:52 AM, Ken <maputo95@...> wrote:

Put Down the Crudites!Thursday, December 20, 2007 12:20 PMBy Sharon Begley. . . if you want to get the most cancer-fighting nutrition out ofyour carrots, zucchini and broccoli. Despite the conventional

culinary wisdom that raw is best in terms of preserving veggies'nutritional value, scientists in Italy—where they know a littleabout food—find that the right kind of cooking actually preserves oreven boosts their nutritional value, the researchers will report

December 26 in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.In the new study, the researchers at the University of Parmameasured how boiling, steaming, and frying affected the nutritionalcontents of carrots, zucchini and broccoli, especially such anti-

cancer compounds as antioxidants and polyphenols. For those of youplanning to serve any or all of these three during the holidayseason, here's the bottom line:For carrots, boiling increased the total concentration of

carotenoids 14 percent; frying reduced their concentration 13percent and steaming reduced it just a little less. Levels of beta-carotene were not affected by boiling, though steaming caused levelsto fall 10 percent and frying reduced them 24 percent. (Fried

carrots? Oh, those Italians.) All three cooking methodssignificantly increased carrots' total antioxidant concentration,good news for those eating these roots for their anti-cancerproperties. Frying actually increased total antioxidant levels the

most, followed by boiling and steaming. And the winner is: boiling,by a nose, since with carrots you can't go wrong with any cookingmethod.For zucchini, boiling did not affect the total concentration of

carotenoids, though steaming and frying reduced it 22 percent and 35percent, respectively. For the carotenoid beta-carotene, boiling andsteaming actually increased it. Fried zucchini lovers, rejoice:frying raised the total concentration of antioxidants the most, as

it did for carrots, though boiling and steaming also increased them.Frying wins out here because it induces the so-called Maillardreaction, whose products having antioxidant activities. The winner:frying, though it got a boost from the fact that it makes zucchini

taste so much better than boiling and steaming do that you'll eatmore of the stuff. Just pick a heart-healthy oil, such as olive.For broccoli, cooking also helps release carotenoids from theplant's cells by breaking their bonds to proteins, leading to higher

concentrations. As a result, boiled and steamed broccoli had higherlevels of carotenoids (32 percent more and 19 percent more,respectively) than raw broccoli. Steaming increased broccoli'scontent of glucosinolates, plant compounds touted for their cancer-

fighting abilities. And the winner is: steaming.I don't know about you, but I've eaten my last raw zucchini hunk, mylast uncooked broccoli floret and my final boring old carrot stick.End of quote.

RegardsKen.