Eating veggies properly: 9 habits to avoid

(Ecns.cn)—Vegetables are essential to our health and well-being, but if not prepared properly they can lose their nutritional power. Below is a list of bad habits to avoid when preparing your veggies.

1) Storing vegetables in the refrigerator

This is not the best way to store vegetables, since it can deplete certain vitamins. Spinach loses up to 84% of its vitamin C when stored in the fridge for one day, for example. Better to keep them in a dark, dry and airy place.

2) Trimming off nutritious parts of vegetables

Many people are accustomed to trimming off parts of vegetables rather than washing them. However, this practice wastes valuable nutrients, since many vitamins are contained in the discarded trimmings.

3) Cooking vegetables with low heat

As much as 59% of vitamin C leaves vegetables cooked over low heat, but when cooked over high heat, the number drops to 17%. In addition, stewing vegetables is not a good idea. Put a little vinegar in the pot when cooking vegetables to help prevent the loss of nutrients.

4) Letting cooked vegetables get cold

Sometimes people prefer cooking dinner in advance and waiting until the whole family gets home. Bad call, since 20% of the nutrients contained in vegetables can vanish during the waiting process. It gets worse when veggies are reheated, since as much as 20% of vitamin B and 25% of vitamin C are lost during the process.

5) Leaving behind the soup

Chinese are fond of fried vegetables with the juice stewed out. Meanwhile, many people tend to leave behind the soup and only eat the vegetables, which is really a waste because most of the vitamins wind up in the broth. Take vitamin C for example: 70% of the nutrient is dissolved in cabbage soup, and 50% in bean soup.

6) Frying vegetables with meat

Though common, this not a good way to cook vegetables, because they absorb the grease from the meat. For this reason, it is especially bad for people on diets.

7) Eating vegetables only

Vegetarians might need to pay extra attention to this particular tip, as the human body needs help absorbing the nutrients found in vegetables. Such help comes from proteins and riboflavin, both found in meat. This doesn't mean cooking vegetables together with meat, however. Instead, serve them separately.

8) Washing vegetables after slicing them

This habit washes away most of whatever nutrients are contained in the vegetable.

9) Eating raw vegetables

Raw vegetables can bring potential health problems if they are not washed well. Be sure to soak them in salty clean water for a while before making salads.