The healthiest way to cook ANY vegetables for your baby is by steaming them, right?
Well, not always!
In the case of carrots, it’s may be better to BOIL your carrots than to steam them, as boiling actually INCREASES some of their nutrients, compared to steaming or sauteing them, which can cause a DECREASE!
Research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry revealed some surprising results when it studied the ways in which certain cooking methods affect the nutritional value of certain vegetables.
Researchers discovered that more of the key nutrients in carrots were preserved by boiling than by either steaming (the next best method) or frying.
Even more interesting was the fact that the amount of one antioxidant – lutein, which plays an important part in preserving eyesight – actually INCREASES by around 11% when carrots are boiled as compared to raw. The other cooking methods caused the lutein content to DEcrease.
The total carotenoids in the carrots were increased overall by 14% of their initial concentration after boiling, whilst steaming and sauteing both caused an overall decrease.
The report’s authors concluded that the temperature – rather than the presence of water – was the key to preserving the nutrients in the carrots.
This was because the steamed carrots took longer than the boiled ones to become tender enough to eat.
Thus, it was the extended exposure to oxygen and light that depleted the nutrients in the steamed carrots.
Tips for cooking perfect carrots for your baby
- Try boiling carrots instead of sauteing or steaming when possible.
- Boil carrots whole, then slice before serving. Separate research in the UK has suggested that carrots boiled whole contain increased levels of nutrients that may help guard against cancer.
- When boiling carrots, drop them into boiling water and cook until just tender.
For lots more advice about choosing and cooking carrots – and lots of yummy recipe ideas – visit…