Читать книгу Safe Food: What to eat and drink in pregnancy - Rosie Dodds - Страница 49

Cook vegetables whole or cut into large pieces – this reduces the loss of vitamins during cooking. Try not to leave peeled vegetables soaking in water for a long time before cooking.

When cooking vegetables on the hob, use only enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring the water to the boil, add the vegetables, cover the pan and boil briskly for a few minutes. Test the vegetables with a fork or knifepoint and stop cooking while the vegetables are still crisp. Leafy vegetables such as cabbage or spinach may only take 2–3 minutes to soften.

Use the cooking water to make gravy or stock – to save some of the vitamins that have seeped out into the water during cooking.

Try steaming vegetables – it takes longer but is an excellent way of preserving both vitamins and taste (as is cooking in a microwave oven).

Eat some vegetables raw: grated carrot and finely chopped white cabbage in coleslaw, chunks of sweet pepper, crispy stalks of celery – maximum vitamins and maximum taste!

Eat most fruit raw – but do wash first in plenty of cold running water.

If you wish to cook fruit on the hob, use only a small amount of water and cook gently, for as little time as possible. Redcurrants or ripe plums need only a moment’s cooking – delicious on breakfast cereals or mixed into plain yoghurt.

Try baking large apples or bananas in the oven, wrapped in foil with a sprinkling of dried fruit and served with a dollop of low-fat fromage frais.

Vitamin C is easily destroyed by cooking. If you need to cook vitamin C foods, use only a small amount of water and cook for as little time as possible.