Don't Nuke Those Veggies!

Diet and nutrition image.

What’s the best way to prepare vegetables? Steam them? Microwave them? Boil them?

Vegetables are a key source of antioxidants ~ cancer-fighting compounds that also help prevent heart disease. The disease-fighting benefits of vegetables can be affected by the way in which they are prepared.

The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture reported the results of a study that involved several ways of preparing broccoli. Broccoli that was microwaved lost 97 percent of flavonoids, 74 percent of sinapics and 87 percent of caffeoyl-quinic derivatives (three different types of antioxidants). When boiled, the broccoli lost 66 percent of its flavonoids and when tossed in a pressure cooker, it lost 47 percent of its caffeoyl-quinic derivatives.

However, steamed broccoli lost only 11 percent of flavonoids, 0 percent of sinapics and 8 percent of caffeoyl-quinic derivatives. Steamed vegetables do not come in direct contact with the boiling water so their nutritional elements are not lost or boiled away. Microwave ovens heat vegetables from the inside and also use water, a combination that virtually destroys valuable antioxidants.

Still…if it comes down to eating microwaved vegetables or no vegetables at all…microwaved wins!

Dr. Jerry Asks some important questions of interest to Port Ludlow residents - Chiropractor Port Ludlow Dr. Jerry Asks...

Can someone who has had back surgery receive chiropractic care?
Yes. Rest assured that we will avoid the surgically modified areas of your spine. However, what we find is that surgical interventions will often produce spinal instability above or below the involved level. This is will be the focus of your chiropractic care.
How do you know when you're healthy?
Ask most Port Ludlow residents this simple question and you're likely to hear, "When you feel good" or "When you're at your proper weight for your height" or "When you have lots of energy and vitality." Great answers. But our chiropractic patients know that true health is when your body is working as it was designed. True health is how you function, not how you feel.