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Your mother may be right about always covering her pots while cooking, as the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) has lauded the practice in a recently released guideline. According to the medical research body, closed-lid cooking not only saves you time but also helps retain nutrients better. On the other hand, open-lid cooking can take longer and lead to faster nutrient loss. (Also read: ICMR says labels can be misleading: ‘Sugar-free foods may contain hidden sugar’)
The ICMR guidelines say, “In open lid cooking, food takes longer to cook and the loss of nutrients is faster due to exposure to air. Whereas in closed lid cooking, food gets cooked faster and nutrients are retained better in a shorter period of time. Green vegetables and green leafy vegetables change colour during closed lid cooking, but the loss of nutrients is less.” (Also Read | ICMR says added sugar can be completely removed from diet: ‘It does not add any nutrients other than calories’)
Why it is important to cook food properly
Cooking is important to improve the digestibility of foods and make them more palatable, improving their taste, appearance and texture. It also helps make certain nutrients more available to the body. Cooking also kills germs and reduces the risk of food contamination. (Also read: Is rock salt as harmful as table salt? ICMR urges limiting intake of all salts as they have similar sodium content)
Healthy cooking methods
According to ICMR, cooking methods such as pressure cooking or steam cooking should be preferred over deep frying or roasting as they result in less loss of nutrients. The guidelines state that steaming is the best cooking method to increase both antioxidant and polyphenol levels in vegetables and greens. (Also read: ICMR suggests giving mashed dal instead of ‘dal ka paani’ to infants; shares list of complementary foods)
ICMR says, “Boiling or pressure cooking is the best method to improve the nutritional quality of pulses, as anti-nutritional elements are destroyed during boiling and pressure cooking.” (Also read: ICMR advises people to use whole spices in new guidelines: ‘Powdered spices are more prone to adulteration’)
Is microwave cooking good for retaining nutrients?
ICMR says that microwave cooking requires very little water and cooks the food with steam from inside to outside. This method retains more vitamins and minerals than any other cooking method as there is no loss of nutrients.
“Also, since microwave cooking times are shorter, it helps preserve vitamins and other nutrients that break down when cooked through heating,” the guidelines state.
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