get more FROM YOUR food

How you prepare and cook your food can make all the difference. This is how to get the most from your ingredients …

Eat raw

Some vegetables are more beneficial eaten raw, including broccoli and watercress, as heat reduces the potency of helpful natural compounds.

To peel or not to peel?

Don’t automatically reach for the peeler. Eggplant skin is rich in protective anthocyanins – the same beneficial compounds found in blueberries – while cucumber skin is packed with silica, essential for healthy hair and nails. Similarly, the skins of zucchinis are a useful source of lutein and zeaxanthin, which promote healthy eyes. If you plan to eat unpeeled veg, always wash them well beforehand.

Choose frozen

At certain times of the year, frozen fruit and veg – which are frozen as soon as they are picked – will contain more beneficial nutrients than fresh produce, which has been transported and stored, causing it to lose valuable nutrients.

Don’t be afraid of fat

Fat can help us absorb certain nutrients. For example, by adding oil to vegetables you’ll increase your absorption of betacarotene, which is converted into vitamin A – good for healthy skin. Enjoy a spinach salad with vinaigrette dressing, and vine tomatoes drizzled with olive oil.

Get more from garlic

To get the most from the healthy compound allicin, chop or slice garlic 10 minutes before you need it, and add to the dish shortly before the end of cooking. If heated for too long, the health benefits are reduced.