5 Foods You’re Eating Wrong

How to cut, cook, and sip for the most health benefits

 Vegetables

Your mistake: Boiling or microwaving them

The solution: Steaming

Why it works:
Steaming helps retain cancer-fighting nutrients in broccoli better than other cooking methods, reports a new study. Sulforaphane—a plant compound with strong anti-cancer properties—is abundant in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and arugula. The enzyme myrosinase is essential to release the compound, but most cooking methods destroy it. Steaming is a slower, gentler heat, and isn’t intense enough to kill myrosinase. Cook broccoli in a steaming basket for 3 to 4 minutes for the biggest cancer-fighting boost.

Strawberries

Your mistake: Slicing them before eating

The solution: Eating them in one piece

Why it works: Whole strawberries contain 8 to 12 percent more vitamin C than the cut fruits, according to a 2011 Brazilian study. That’s because vitamin C begins to break down when it’s exposed to light and oxygen. For the biggest C boost, store whole strawberries in the fridge—cool temperature help retain vitamin C too.

Wine

Your mistake: Letting a bottle “breathe"

The solution: Drinking a freshly opened bottle

Why it works: When red wine is decanted for long periods of time—up to 12 hours—the organic acids and polyphenols begin to break down, according to a 2012 Chinese study. Leaving the bottle open overnight nixes the usual benefits of a glass of red, including decreased depression, increased testosterone, and a healthier heart.

 Tomatoes

Your mistake: Eating them raw

The solution: Heating them up

Why it works: Tomatoes have been linked to lowering men’s risk of stroke, helping fight prostate cancer, and preserving brain power with age. Heating tomatoes significantly increases their levels of lycopene, the chemical that can up antioxidant levels. In fact, a recent study found that people who eat mostly uncooked tomatoes were deficient in lycopene. Cook tomatoes in olive oil for the biggest nutritional boost: Lycopene is fat-soluble, meaning you need fat in your diet for your body to absorb it properly.

Frozen Produce

Your mistake: You skip right over frozen foods at the grocery

 

The solution: Hitting the freezers

Why it works: Most people think only fresh is healthy, but this is a huge mistaken belief. In fact, U.K. scientists found that in two out of three cases, frozen fruits and vegetables packed higher levels of antioxidants—including polyphenols, vitamin C, and beta-carotene—than the fresh kind. As produce ages, nutrients begin to change and break down. It's therefore better to eat food that was frozen at prime ripeness with its nutrients intact than week-old produce that no longer has the same beneficial chemical makeup.



Other articles you may like:

DIY Detox Drink 
Cancer Causing vs. Anti-cancer Causing 
5 Tips to Keep Good Oral Hygiene 
Natural Remedies: Soursop vs. Cancer 
How to Enhance Your Cholesterol