National Nutrition Week

: 7 Ways To Unlock Fruits And Vegetables' Full Value

Nature has given an abundance of vegetables and fruits that have been part of a balanced diet for centuries. Packed with vitamins and minerals, they support overall health, but only if prepared and used properly to preserve their nutritional value. From buying and cooking to storing fruits and vegetables, National Nutrition Week is the perfect time to review your everyday habits and bring food and nutrition into alignment.

Due to exposure to air, temperature, and light, fruits and vegetables lose their optimal nutritional value as soon as they are picked. This is why you should consider seasonal and fresh produce in your daily diet. Additionally, ensure that vegetables and fruits are locally grown, if possible, to get the most nutrition out of your fresh produce. In India, when a person visits their hometown, he/she brings an abundance of vegetables and fruits. Why? Because that food is locally grown in nutrient-rich soils that have not been contaminated with artificial fertilisers and pesticides.

Several vital nutrients that support our overall health are concentrated in the skins of some fruits and vegetables. For example, carrot peel is high in fibre content, and cucumber skin is rich in vitamin K and potassium. So instead of peeling and throwing them in the trash, simply wash the produce properly and enjoy the extra nutrients, better texture, and extra flavours. It is a sustainable food habit that reduces food waste.

Raw smoothies and salads might seem like the best way to load up on vitamins and antioxidants. But it is important to note that the nutritional value of many foods is enhanced by cooking. This is because heat breaks down a vegetable's cell walls, releasing the nutrients bound within them. However, eating raw foods has its own advantages, such as providing a better supply of water-soluble vitamins B and C and helping with weight loss, but at the same time, they also have some drawbacks, such as being hard to digest and containing bacteria that are harmful to the body. So the safe option is to go for cooking.

Different fruits and vegetables require different cuts, such as grating, chopping, and slicing, depending on what your recipes call for. But the essential thing to remember is that they must be consumed as soon as they are cut. The longer chopped vegetables and fruits are left uneaten, the less nutritious they become. For example, apples, potatoes, and avocados, when chopped, turn brown when exposed to oxygen, a process called enzymatic browning that reduces their vitamin C content.

The way a vegetable is cooked greatly affects its nutritional value. Oiling reduces the nutritional value of vegetables, causing nutrients to leach into the water. The best practices are stir-frying and steaming, which help preserve nutrients, especially antioxidants and water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and the B-complex group. However, in both methods, the cooking duration determines nutritional quality, and steaming or stir-frying for too long can cause nutrient loss.

Smart food synergy doesn't just provide awesome taste, but it also helps you absorb all nutrients in the foods you do eat. Always combine foods rich in fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K with fatty foods, which help dissolve the vitamins and make them ready for absorption. For example, leafy green vegetables, mushrooms, and carrots are most nutritious when cooked or dressed with healthy fats such as mustard oil, coconut oil, or ghee. Additionally, iron-rich foods should always be paired with foods rich in vitamin C, which can increase the absorption of iron from plant sources.

Proper storage is essential to shield your fruits and vegetables from excess heat, light, and oxygen, which can cause them to decay and lose nutrients. So always keep all the vegetables, except root veggies, in the fridge, and store whole fruit at room temperature. For cut fruits and veggies, add a squeeze of lemon juice, transfer them into an airtight container, and store them in the fridge to preserve their nutrients.