Make the MOST of your Veggies!

An article I recently read in the Washington Post talked about how to prepare certain foods to really get the most out of their nutritional value.  Unfortunately, I don't have the article with me, but here is what I had jotted down for myself:

1. Heart Protection: Heating tomatoes makes it easier for your body to absorb the heart-healthy nutrient, lycopene.

2. Cancer Prevention: Garlic contains allinase, an important cancer-fighting enzyme, and heating can destroy it.  If you let garlic stand for about 10-15 minutes before cooking, the garlic will make compounds that block the heat effects.

3. Iron: Heating acidic foods can help your body absorb more iron.

4. Eyes and Bones: Adding avocado, olive oil, nuts, and/or olives to red, green, orange and yellow fruits/veggies increases the amount of Vit. A, E, and K.

5. Colds and Flu: Cut fresh produce into larger pieces, rather than smaller ones.  Small pieces means there is more exposure to oxygen and light, which remove nutrients from the vegetable/fruit. 

6. Retaining Nutrients: By not peeling eggplant, apples, potatoes, yams, zucchini, you can save key nutrients.  Yam's skin has fiber, Zucchini skin has lutein.