VOA健康报道2025--What Is the healthiest way to prepare vegetables?

Carlene Thomas is a dietitian¹, a person who gives advice about healthy foods to eat.

When it comes to eating healthy vegetables, Thomas says there are two kinds of people who ask her for advice.

The first kind wants to know how different cooking methods affect the nutrition in vegetables. The other kind of person wants to know how to eat more vegetables. Thomas' simple answer to both groups is this: The best vegetables are the ones you actually want to eat.

Thomas told the Associated Press that many people buy vegetables that they think they will eat. Maybe the produce is popular or someone is bringing attention to it on social media. But then they end up not using it. That means the vegetable gets thrown away after it goes bad.

In that case, Thomas said, "It doesn't matter how you cook them, because if they're going in the trash, they're not in your body."

However, Thomas said research shows cooking methods do affect nutrition. But it is not as simple as comparing raw, or uncooked, vegetables to cooked ones. Cooking methods can include steaming, roasting, boiling, or sauteing.

So, are raw vegetables healthier than cooked? Not always.

When vegetables are cooked with high heat for a long period of time many nutrients² break down. However, cooking softens³ the cell walls in vegetables, making them easier for the body to digest.

Cooking changes the structure of vegetables which increases what dietitians call bioavailability. This is the body's ability to use the nutrients in vegetables, Thomas said.

Cooked food is often more nutritious⁴ than raw food. For example, cooked tomatoes release more of the antioxidant lycopene than raw tomatoes, she said. Lycopene is believed to have qualities that prevent cancer.

Also, cooked carrots have more beta-carotene that can be absorbed by the body. Roasting pumpkins⁵, carrots and sweet potatoes increases available carotenoids. These antioxidants are thought to prevent inflammation in the body.

Which cooking methods are the healthiest?

However, the shorter the cooking time, the more nutrients are kept in the food. That advice comes from Amber⁶ Pankonin, a dietitian in the U.S. state of Nebraska.

Cooking over boiling water, or steaming, and in a microwave are considered the most nutritious methods. These two methods use little time and require no fat.

Another healthy method is blanching⁸. This is when you boil vegetables in water for a minute or two. But not too long. Boiling vegetables runs the risk of losing water-soluble nutrients including vitamin C, B1 and folate.

Thomas explained the reason boiling is not good for vegetables: The nutrients are "... leaching¹⁰ into the water, and you're tossing out the water."

However, you could save the water from boiled vegetables and use it for other purposes, such as soups, or just drink it.

What about taste?

Dietitians say there is no problem using a small amount of fat. Besides making vegetables taste better, a little cooking oil helps the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, said Pankonin.

That means more vitamin A from squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes; more vitamin D from mushrooms; more vitamin E from bell peppers, leafy greens and asparagus; and more vitamin K from greens, broccoli¹¹ and onions.

For pan frying or sauteing, Pankonin suggests cooking with enough oil so the vegetables do not stick to the pan. The amount of oil will depend on the quantity of vegetables and the size of the pan.

For roasting, you will likely need more oil. Despite the longer cooking time, roasting will still keep some nutrients and will increase the flavor with the heating of natural sugars.

"Flavor is king," Pankonin said. "I would much rather see people roasting their vegetables and enjoying them."

I'm Anna Matteo.

Albert Stumm reported this story for The Associated Press from New York City. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

produce -n. fresh fruits and vegetables

roast -v. to cook with dry heat in an oven

sauté -v. to cook using fat in a flat pan on a stovetop

digest -v. to biologically change food in the digestive system to forms that can be directly used by organs and tissue in the body

antioxidant -n. a substance that prevents oxygen from chemically changing food

absorb -v. to take into and biologically use in the body

inflammation -n. swelling¹² and reddening of tissue in the body

blanch⁷ -v. to cook something in hot water for a brief time

water-soluble -adj. able to dissolve in water

leach⁹ -v. to remove a substance from a material by having it dissolve in water

toss out -v. (phrasal) to throw away

pan -n. a relatively¹³ flat metal cooking tool usually used for frying

flavor -n. the taste of something

1 dietitian   

n.营养学家

参考例句：

• You can seek the advice of a nutritionist or dietitian.你可以征求营养师或饮食专家的意见。
• I have no doubt she would make a good dietitian.毫无疑问她会成为优秀的营养学家。

2 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 softens   

（使）变软( soften的第三人称单数 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• Iron softens with heat. 铁受热就软化。
• Moonlight softens our faults; all shabbiness dissolves into shadow. 月光淡化了我们的各种缺点，所有的卑微都化解为依稀朦胧的阴影。 来自名作英译部分

4 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

5 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

6 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

7 blanch   

v.漂白；使变白；使(植物)不见日光而变白

参考例句：

• We blanch almonds by soaking off their skins in boiling water.我们把杏仁泡在沸水中去皮弄成白色。
• To blanch involves plunging food into boiling water,usually very quickly.漂白是将食物放进开水里，通常非常快。

8 blanching   

adj.漂白的n.热烫v.使变白( blanch的现在分词 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮

参考例句：

• Finally, blanching enhances the color of most vegetables and fruits. 最后热烫增强了大部分水果和蔬菜的颜色。 来自互联网
• Presently, Peroxidase is employed as indicator for blanching treatments of vegetables. 目前蔬菜的热烫终点以过氧化物酶作为指示剂来确定。 来自互联网

9 leach   

v.分离，过滤掉；n.过滤；过滤器

参考例句：

• Liquid water can leach soluble materials from the interface.液态水能够从界面溶解出可溶性物质。
• They believe that the humic materials are leached from decaying plant materials.他们认为腐植物料是从腐烂的植物体浸沥而来。

10 leaching   

n.滤取，滤去v.（将化学品、矿物质等）过滤( leach的现在分词 )；（液体）过滤，滤去

参考例句：

• The lack of humus and the excessive leaching make this soil almost useless for agricultural purpose. 缺少腐殖质和过度淋滤使这种土壤对农业几乎无用。 来自辞典例句
• The deep oxidation and groundwater leaching solubilizes much of the loosely bound uranium. 深部氧化和地下水淋蚀使大部分固定得比较松散的铀溶解。 来自辞典例句

11 broccoli   

n.绿菜花，花椰菜

参考例句：

• She grew all the broccoli plants from seed.这些花椰菜都是她用种子培育出来的。
• They think broccoli is only green and cauliflower is only white.他们认为西兰花只有绿色的，而菜花都是白色的。

12 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

13 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。