It may seem logical that vegetables are more nutritious when raw, but that isn’t always the case. Yes, some naturally-occurring vitamins and phytonutrients are destroyed during the cooking process, but there are actually a bunch of veggies that become even healthier when cooked.
Spinach
Raw baby spinach is delicious in salads, but cooked spinach is just as yummy. Steaming the leaves can reduce the vegetable’s oxalic acid, which interferes with your body’s absorption of iron and calcium, by up to 53%! Not only that—cooked spinach packs more calcium, magnesium, and iron.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are one of the most versatile veggies around (even though it’s actually a fruit!) They can be eaten raw, cooked, as a sauce, or as juice. Cooked tomatoes have significantly higher levels of lycopene than raw ones, thanks to the heat helping to break down the thick cell walls.
Green Beans
Green beans possess a fantastic crunch when raw, but they actually include more health benefits when fried! Believe it or not, green beans have higher levels of antioxidants when they are baked, microwaved, griddled, or even fried—but not when they are boiled or pressure cooked.
