Which is more nutritious – A raw carrot or a cooked one? What about tomatoes? Mushrooms? Cabbage?

If you answered raw to all of the above, you may be in for a surprise. According to the Scientific American, the answer is not so simple. It turns out that some nutrients are actually more available to the body when the veggie is heated.

The most popular example is lycopene, an antioxidant found in the red pigments of tomatoes. Lycopene levels in tomatoes rose 35% after being cooked for 30 minutes at 190 degrees farenheit. Why? Probably because the heat breaks down the thick cell walls of the vegetable, releasing the nutrient that was bound to the wall.

Other nutrients, of course, suffer from heat. The best example is vitamin C, which seems to evaporate from just about anything from the moment its harvested. Luckily, vitamin C is so abundant in fruits, vegetables, and in fortified foods and drinks, that people rarely form a deficiency.

Frying is another story. The high temperature of the oil creates oxidized oil molecules – free radicals – which can then damage cells in our body by intermingling with tem. That’s why everyone is talking day and night about anti-oxidants that recapture the rebelling radicals and prevent them from messing with our cells.

Bottom Line: there’s no clear cut winner. Almost all forms of vegetables are good for you.

What to do at the supermarket:

This is one part of your grocery shopping where you can have your cake and eat it too. There are an infinite number of ways to prepare vegetables and fruits for consumption. Raw, cooked, chopped, diced, juiced, baked, mixed, frozen. Just get more into your diet.

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flickr photo: Lisa Brewster

Those who remember Popeye, one of the childhood heroes of the middle of the last century, must certainly remember his source of superpowers. Not a radioactive spider, nor birth on planet Krypton. Spinach leaves, the canned greens that the sailor chugged down in moments of distress, are the superfood that made Popeye super strong.

What you need to know:

Spinach is a nutrition empire in every leaf. Spinach is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, manganese, folate, magnesium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B2, calcium, potassium, and vitamin B6. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, protein, phosphorous, zinc and vitamin E.

Although the iron and calcium in spinach are not fully absorbed in the body due to binding with oxalate that is also found in the elaves, all the other goodies should be enough to convince you to add it to your diet. Spinach is most nutritious when eaten raw, for instance in a salad. However, spinach will not lose too much of its nutrition in a brief dip in boiling water, or a short steam bath. Cooking spinach reduces the amount of oxalate and thus increase the availability of iron and calcium to the body. Spinach’s dark green leaves contain antioxidants that help ward off cancer.

What to do at the supermarket:

Most supermarkets carry fresh spinach year round, packed and pre-washed. Examine the leaves and make sure they are glossy green, and not limp.There should be no black  leaves in the bunch.

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