Scrumptiously Steamed

Steaming is one of the healthiest ways of cooking food preserving nutrients and flavour and without the use of oil. Our contributing dietitian and chef lists the many benefits of steaming and provides a tasty recipe for you to try.

- Georgen Thye

What is the best way to cook vegetables to maximize their nutritional value? I frequently get asked this question by my clients. I am glad they ask, as this shows that they are at least thinking of including vegetables into their diet. As many as 94 percent of Malaysian adults do not consume adequate fruits and vegetables, according to findings from the Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey (MANS) 2014.

So what is the best way of cooking vegetables? First, let us look at one of today’s popular dietary trends – the raw food diet. As the name suggests, it means eating food that has not been cooked or processed. The principle behind it is that cooking will destroy the enzymes and nutrients in the food, or in this case, vegetables. It is believed that when a food’s enzymes are destroyed during the cooking process, our body will need to produce more enzymes for digestion, hence causing stress to the body. However, there are no scientific studies to support this claim. In fact, the main function of food enzymes is to nourish the growth of the plant, not to help humans digest them. Our body is actually capable of producing the enzymes necessary to digest food on our own.

COOKING CAN IMPROVE NUTRIENT UPTAKE