How to choose and prepare food helps ensure nutrients

22-9-2023 4:57PM | Nutrition

For all ingredients, if we know how to choose and process them properly, we will definitely minimize the loss of nutrients and limit substances harmful to health...

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As for food options

Choosing foods according to food groups is an important way to ensure a balanced diet and protect our health. By dividing foods into groups based on nutritional value and key ingredients, we can optimize nutrition and maintain ideal health.

One of the basic food groups is the protein group. Protein is the basic building block of muscles, cells, and tissues in the body. Main sources of protein may include meat, fish, eggs, beans, and nuts. For those who prefer plant-based foods, you can choose protein-rich foods such as soybeans, chia seeds, and quinoa seeds.

The starch and grain group: Starches and grains are a source of immediate energy for the body. They provide complex, low-glycemic carbohydrates that help maintain stable blood sugar levels. Some food sources in this group include rice, wheat, oats, and potatoes.

When choosing food, attention must be paid to freshness and deliciousness.

The vegetable and fruit food groups: provide many vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These are foods that are low in fat and calories, but rich in antioxidants and anti-bacterial agents. In this group, fresh green vegetables such as mustard greens, lettuce, and cilantro, and fruits such as oranges, apples, pineapples, and grapes are good choices.

The animal products food group helps provide calcium, iron, and B vitamins. Foods in this group include milk, cheese, red meat, poultry, and fish. Depending on each person's needs and priorities, you can choose foods rich in unsaturated fats and high protein such as salmon or poultry.

Finally, fats and oils provide essential fats for the body. However, choosing fats is important to be careful to avoid consuming too much unhealthy fats. You can choose fats from sources such as olive oil, coconut oil, chia seeds, and flaxseeds.

Choosing foods according to groups allows us to provide adequate nutrition for the body. However, it is important to maintain variety and balance between food groups. Com

bining a balanced diet with regular physical activity will help maintain good health and a healthy lifestyle.

For food processing

Cooking methods that use different temperatures affect the loss of nutrients in foods. Below are some methods and notes when using them to retain the best nutritional value.

1. Grill:

Grilling is a way of processing food at high temperatures from a specialized oven. This method helps keep the nutrients in food intact. To get the best out of it, make sure the oven is at the correct temperature and baking time. This helps food cook evenly without losing nutrients.

2. Frying/frying:

Frying or frying foods at high temperatures has been known to destroy nutrients and create toxins. To minimize this impact, use healthy, non-reusable cooking oils. Add enough cooking oil to cook the food, but not too much. Pay attention to rotating the food evenly throughout the frying process so that it cooks evenly without burning.

3. Eat raw, mixed with salad:

Eating raw or mixed with salad is a way to preserve the nutritional value of food. However, it should only be applied to safe and fresh foods. To ensure nutrients are preserved, prepare food immediately before eating and avoid leaving it for too long.

4. Steaming:

Steaming is a way to preserve many of the nutrients of food. Make sure food is cooked evenly and not left out for too long. Eat as soon as the food has finished steaming to preserve the nutrients.

Steaming is one of the ways to preserve many nutrients in food

5. Boiling and stewing:

This cooking method often causes food to lose many nutrients. Water will dissolve vitamins and minerals. To reduce loss, limit the amount of water, time spent boiling (stewing), and cooking temperature. You can use the boiled/stewed water to use or prepare for other dishes. Using a pressure cooker is also a good choice to stew food with little water and retain the best nutrients.

In short, food preparation and cooking temperature can affect nutrients. To retain the best nutritional value, choose the appropriate method and pay attention to temperature, time, and food preparation process.

Notes when processing

When cooking and frying protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs, and milk at high temperatures for too long, the nutritional value of the protein will decrease. The reason is that the heat cooking process creates indigestible bonds. To ensure that the nutritional value of proteins, such as meat, fish, and eggs, is retained, we should use temperatures above 70 degrees Celsius, preferably 100 degrees Celsius, to cook and kill bacteria.

Similarly, when we boil for a long time at high temperatures, the unsaturated fatty acids in fat will be oxidized, losing their nutritional effect. In addition, the double bonds in the structure of fatty acids are also broken to form intermediate products such as aldehyde peroxides, which are very harmful to the body. Therefore, avoid reusing oil and fat that has been fried at high temperatures to protect your health.

Vitamins are also affected by heat cooking, while minerals are not affected by heat. Between raw food and processed food, vitamin content is often not the same because vitamin groups are often lost by heat, air, water, and fat. There are some studies showing that the cooking process can cause a large portion of vitamins to be lost, for example, vitamin C is lost by 50%, vitamin B1 is lost by 30%, and carotene is lost by 20%.

Regarding the mineral group, minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium may change in quantity during the cooking process because they dissolve in water. Therefore, when eating, you should eat both food and water to best utilize their nutritional value and protect your health.

It is necessary to follow the correct principles

To ensure the processing process follows the principle of clean ingredients, not mixing dirty ingredients, and not mixing them with each other, we need to comply with some of the following regulations and methods:

1. Arrange and classify ingredients: It must be ensured that ingredients such as meat, fish, vegetables, and other ingredients are stored and preserved in separate areas. Space compartments and refrigerators should also be arranged appropriately and not mixed with each other.

2. Personal hygiene: Processing staff must comply with personal hygiene regulations such as wearing masks, cleaning clothes, ensuring neat hair, and protecting the cleanliness of hands. Additionally, they need to be trained to understand hygiene and remain vigilant.

3. Clean tools: Tools such as knives, cooking pots, toys, and other equipment need to be kept clean. It is necessary to base on each type of tool and have corresponding cleaning and maintenance methods.

4. Wash ingredients: Vegetables and fruits that do not need to be cooked must be washed under running water. Water suitable for washing is standard water for drinking. It is necessary to wash thoroughly, especially the root and leaf areas, to completely remove dirt that can be harmful to health.

5. Use cleaning solution: If necessary, after washing with water, vegetables, and fruits can be soaked in a solution containing potassium permanganate or another equally effective cleaning solution. Then, rinse again under running water to completely remove detergents and microorganisms that may be in the solution.

By complying with the above principles, we can ensure the food processing process follows the principles of clean ingredients and ensures food hygiene and safety. This not only helps ensure the health of consumers but also contributes to maintaining and developing the reputable image of food processing units.

The article was compiled by @baoyen