What's in the soup? Raisingkids.co.uk's paediatric dietitian, David
Swain, advises.
Raisingkids member's problem People say ‘the longer you cook,
the less nutrition the food has left’ - but we, Chinese, usually
boil soups for two or three hours. Will this destroy the nutritional value?
David's advice The effect of cooking on nutrients is
fascinating. Generally, it's true prolonged heat and cooking reduces the
nutrients in food. This is because firstly prolonged heat can convert
certain molecules into less nutritious molecules and secondly, nutrients
can dissolve into the cooking water (this wouldn't matter however if you
were drinking the cooking liquid as a soup).
In particular, water soluble vitamins can be affected. These include the
B vitamins and vitamin C. Approximately 50% of the vitamin C found in
vegetables can be lost when they are boiled. Likewise boiling is known
to destroy dietary folates. Therefore - although there is nothing wrong
with boiled soups - it would be advisable to have a varied diet. Also,
utilize foods when they are fresh, and try steaming in preference to boiling
and avoid overly long cooking times.
