Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an important vitamin that your body needs for many things.
It helps keep your immune system strong, helps your body make collagen (which is good for your skin and joints), and helps you absorb iron from plant foods.
But here’s the thing: cooking fruits can reduce the amount of vitamin C they have. To keep as much vitamin C as possible when cooking, try these methods:
Steaming: This is one of the best ways to keep vitamin C. It cooks the food quickly at lower temperatures. Studies show you can keep about 70-90% of the vitamin C in steamed fruits.
Microwaving: Using a microwave is also great for keeping vitamin C. It cooks food faster and uses less water. Research shows you can keep up to 80% of vitamin C by microwaving fruits.
Blanching: This method involves briefly putting fruits in boiling water and then putting them in ice water right away. This can keep around 60-80% of vitamin C because the cooking time is so short.
Fruit Juicing: Fresh juice can have a lot of vitamin C. But be careful! If you leave the juice out in the air or light for too long, it can lose some of its vitamin C.
Avoid Boiling: Boiling fruits can wash away a lot of vitamin C into the water. You can lose about 50-80% of the vitamin just by boiling.
In short, when you want to cook fruits and keep their vitamin C, go for steaming, microwaving, or blanching. These methods help you enjoy the health benefits of this important vitamin!
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an important vitamin that your body needs for many things.
It helps keep your immune system strong, helps your body make collagen (which is good for your skin and joints), and helps you absorb iron from plant foods.
But here’s the thing: cooking fruits can reduce the amount of vitamin C they have. To keep as much vitamin C as possible when cooking, try these methods:
Steaming: This is one of the best ways to keep vitamin C. It cooks the food quickly at lower temperatures. Studies show you can keep about 70-90% of the vitamin C in steamed fruits.
Microwaving: Using a microwave is also great for keeping vitamin C. It cooks food faster and uses less water. Research shows you can keep up to 80% of vitamin C by microwaving fruits.
Blanching: This method involves briefly putting fruits in boiling water and then putting them in ice water right away. This can keep around 60-80% of vitamin C because the cooking time is so short.
Fruit Juicing: Fresh juice can have a lot of vitamin C. But be careful! If you leave the juice out in the air or light for too long, it can lose some of its vitamin C.
Avoid Boiling: Boiling fruits can wash away a lot of vitamin C into the water. You can lose about 50-80% of the vitamin just by boiling.
In short, when you want to cook fruits and keep their vitamin C, go for steaming, microwaving, or blanching. These methods help you enjoy the health benefits of this important vitamin!