Does chopping vegetables remove vitamins?
I hear some chefs saying on TV: "Don't cut your vegetables in the salad too small, because the smaller you cut them the more vitamins are lost."
Is that true? and if it was really true, what is a way to make vegetables keep their vitamins while being cut into small pieces, becasue I like salads to be eaten when each vegetable slice is around a bite in size.
Best Answer
This phenomenon affects fruits much worse than vegetables actually. The FDA published a report that cut or peeled fruits will lose half their vitamin C content in 1-2 weeks. Over 10-25% of this loss will occur in fruits in only 5 days.
For vegetables there exists a similar, albeit less pronounced effect. When cut the flesh inside of the vegetable is exposed to oxygen and the protection provided by the peel or covering is lost.
That being said, the process of these vegetables losing nutrients is not an immediate one. Realistically the loss that occurs between you cutting the vegetables and placing them in a salad is probably distinctly minimal. I wouldn't worry too much about the nutrient loss as long as you aren't cutting the vegetables and then storing them for a long period of time.
See: http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/cutveg.htm
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Quick Answer about "Does chopping vegetables remove vitamins?"
Chopping slices straight through cells, allowing their contents to spill out. This means nutrients, especially minerals such as potassium, can leak away. But it's not all bad news for chopping.Do vegetables lose vitamins when cut?
As for the loss of nutrients, certain vitamins do dissipate after a vegetable is cut -- those that are carried by water, like vitamin C, rather than fat, like vitamin D. But the amount of loss is determined by the storage temperature and the length of time the food remains exposed to the air. Dr.Do vegetables lose nutrients when cut and stored in fridge?
Lower temperatures help slow respiration, so pre-cut produce should be kept refrigerated. Most other nutrients, including minerals, B-complex vitamins, and fiber, aren't lost after cutting or peeling the inedible rind from fruits and vegetables.What can destroy vitamins in vegetables?
Boiling results in the greatest loss of nutrients, while other cooking methods more effectively preserve the nutrient content of food. Steaming, roasting and stir-frying are some of the best methods of cooking vegetables when it comes to retaining nutrients ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ).How should cut vegetables be stored to prevent nutrient loss?
Once you get those fresh vegetables home, minimize additional nutrient loss by eating them right away or storing in the refrigerator or freezer. Cold temperatures will limit the degradation of vitamins so use the vegetable drawer in your fridge (where humidity is higher) and store in an air-tight bag or container.Does Cooking Vegetables Destroy Nutrients? How to Cook Veggies Properly
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Answer 2
Fresh cut vegetables lose none of their nutritional content. If you are cutting a salad before dinner you have nothing to be concerned about. The only time cutting matters is when produce is prepared many days in advance. If that is the case, vitamins are not the only thing lost, so are flavor and texture.
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