Forget grandma's tips; cooked vegies more nutritious

London, Dec 31 (UNI) Granmothers' tips on nutritious cooking are remembered by almost all of us.

A new finding, however, defies conventional culinary wisdom that says eating raw vegetables is more nutritious than cooked ones, while stating that cooking vegetables preserved or boosted their nutritional value in comparison to their raw counterparts, depending on the cooking method used.

In the new study, the researchers evaluated the effects of three commonly-used Italian cooking practices-- boiling, steaming, and frying-- on the nutritional content of carrots, zucchini and broccoli.

Boiling and steaming maintained the antioxidant compounds of the vegetables, whereas frying caused a significantly higher loss of antioxidants in comparison to the water-based cooking methods, they said.

Scientists, however, are seeking more information on the nutritional properties of cooked vegetables.

The findings suggest that it may be possible to select a cooking method for each vegetable that can best preserve or improve its nutritional quality.

UNI