Is Roasting a Healthy Way to Cook Vegetables? (2024)

FAQs

Is Roasting a Healthy Way to Cook Vegetables? ›

Heat does destroy some nutrients. Some nutrients, however, are actually more available once they've been heated. Eat your vegetables prepared a variety of ways – steamed (greens), sautéed (onions and greens), roasted (tomatoes, root vegetables) and not cooked at all (avocados, carrots).

Some nutrients are sensitive to heat, but roasting typically retains a significant amount of essential compounds. For instance, antioxidants like vitamin C and beta-carotene are fairly stable during roasting, ensuring you reap the benefits of these nutrients.

Roasted or broiled — Dry heat cooking methods are a great way to enjoy vegetables without losing too many nutrients. Plus, roasting or broiling make tougher vegetables more palatable and easier to digest. Boiled — When cooking vegetables over a long period of time in water, some nutrients will be lost.

Steaming veggies can preserve nutrients, color, shape, and texture, without having to add any unnecessary fats through ingredients like oils or butter. To steam, place food into a steam basket and cover over simmering water. Since food is not directly touching the water, vegetables retain more of their nutrients.

Generally speaking, roasting and baking are healthy forms of cooking that result in minimal losses of vitamin C. However, during long cooking times at high temperatures, up to 40% of B vitamins may be lost in the juices that drip from the meat (6).

Research suggests that boiling broccoli, for example, may result in up to a 50 percent loss of vitamin C. This is because vitamin C, as well as other vitamins, like B vitamins, are water-soluble. The answer is to use less water or use a different cooking method, like roasting or steaming.

Sauté veggies over medium-high heat until tender (cooking times vary by veggie; keep an eye on them to be sure they don't burn and reduce to medium if necessary). Or roast in the oven—which may be an even better option. “With roasting you can use less oil than with sautéing, which saves you calories,” says Pine.

YES! Roasted vegetables are extremely nutritious! Vegetables contain a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber — which has so many amazing health benefits — plus phytochemicals and antioxidants that may reduce inflammation and help fight off disease.

While Rosemond says that most people struggle to eat enough vegetables, it is possible to eat too many, which can cause gas, bloating or diarrhea. “Your stomach will tell you 'OK, this is too much,'” Rosemond says.

What is the most healthiest cooking method? ›

Use low-fat cooking methods like boiling or steaming.

If you boil or steam food, you avoid the chemicals created by high temperatures and cut out extra fat, which helps you stay at a healthy weight.

Best: Steaming

A gentle steam is best; it allows vegetables to maintain their nutrients because the vitamins and minerals don't leak out into the water you end up discarding. “Steaming is one of the best ways to retain nutrients, and tends to be one of the quicker methods of cooking vegetables,” says Raimo.

Vegetables are a rich source of vitamins and minerals that support health. While vegetables can lose some of their nutrients when you cook them, other nutrients actually increase with cooking. To get the maximum health benefits, eat many different kinds of vegetables, prepared in a wide variety of ways.

And they're still veggies at heart: filling, full of fiber, low in calories and rich in minerals. “If roasting vegetables will get people to eat them, I'd encourage people to roast them,” said Alice Lichtenstein, director of the cardiovascular nutrition lab at the Jean Mayer U.S.D.A.

Roasting or baking does not have a significant effect on most vitamins and minerals, except for B vitamins.

Roasted broccoli is a healthy side dish with major crowd appeal. Broccoli contains a lot of good-for-you fiber, vitamin C, and a surprising amount of protein, too. Who knew? If you've been in a rut with side dishes lately, or you're tired of steamed broccoli, you're going to love this simple side.

The idea that raw vegetables are always more nutritious than cooked vegetables is a common misconception. The truth is that you should try to incorporate both raw and cooked veggies into your diet as much as possible. Cooking certain veggies can break down their cell walls to release more of their nutrients.

Butternut, carrots, beets, celeriac, turnips, rutabagas, kohlrabi, and potatoes are all excellent candidates for large-batch roasting. They keep well once cooled, and will stay fresh throughout the week.