Common Kitchen Mistakes

There’s something empowering about going to the supermarket to shop for your weeks meals. Rather than putting yourself at the mercy of your favorite delivery or take out restaurants or succumbing to the lure of drive-through, you’re taking dinner- and your waistline- into your own hands. But while you may be tossing the freshest , most wholesome foods into your carts , many of you are storing and preparing them in ways that rob them (and your bodies) of the very nutrients were seeking. Nutritionists and food-safety experts point to 4 typical kitchen mistakes that negatively impact the quality of your diets. Fortunately, you can sidestep all of them easily. Follow this advice to make your next meal healthier.


Mistake # 1

You’re overloading on produce

Sure, making one big supermarket trip at the start of the week seems like a no-fail way to eat vegetables and fruits all week. After all, if those greens, apples, and berries are around, you’ll eat more of them and therefore get more nutrients, right? Wrong. The vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables begin to diminish the moment they’ve harvested, that means the longer you store produce, the fewer nutrients it will contain. After about a week in the fridge, foe example, spinach retains just half of its folate and around 60 percent of its lutein (an antioxidant associated with healthy eyes), concludes a study in the journal of food science. Broccoli loses about 62 percent of its falconoid (antioxidant compounds that help ward off cancer and heart disease) within 10 days, according to a study in the journal of Agricultural and food chemistry. You’re better off buying smaller batches at least twice a week, if you can’t shop every few days, picking up frozen produce. These fruits and veggies are harvested at their peak and are flash-frozen immediately. Because the produce isn’t exposing to oxygen, the nutrients stay stable for a year, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis. Just be sure to avoid frozen products packed in sauces or syrups. These additions can mean extra fat or sugar, and sometimes they’re high in sodium as well


Mistake # 2

You’re too quick to cook your garlic

Legend has it that these pungent little bulbs can ward off vampires and witches, but science shows that if you cook them correctly, they may have the power to fight off an even more frightening villain: cancer. Chop, slice or crush your cloves, then set them aside foe at least 10 minutes before sautéing. Breaking up garlic triggers an enzymatic reaction that releases a healthy compound called allyl sulfur; waiting to cook garlic allows enough time for the full amount of compound to form.


Mistake # 3

You’re an over-peeler

Most of the antioxidants and polyphenols in produce are located very close to the surface of the skin or in the skin itself. A study published in the journal nutrition Research found that most fruits peel exhibited two to 27 times more antioxidant activity than the pulp of the fruit. Many of us remove the skins from eggplant, bell peppers, peaches, apples and nectarines while preparing recipes, bur we are really just tossing away nutrients to fiber. We recommend gently scrubbing potatoes and carrots rather than removing their skin, and using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to pare away as thin a layer as possible from fruits and veggies that must be peeled.


Mistake # 4

You’re simmering away vitamins and minerals

Boiling may seem like a simple, no-fuss way to prepare vegetables without adding oil, but this cooking method can cause up to 90percent of a foods nutrients to leech out according to the American institute for Cancer Research in Washington D.C.

Minerals like potassium and water-soluble vitamins like B and C end up getting tossed out with the water .To keep these essentials from draining away during the cooking process, try steaming (use a minimal amount of water with a steamer basket), microwaving, or stir –frying.A study from the University of Essex in England showed that when certain vegetables were prepared using these techniques, most of the nutrients they contained were spared and stir- frying scores even more points when you’re cooking vegetables the oil you use in stir-frying them can increase the amount of the antioxidant you absorb by up to 63 percent, according to a study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. You don’t need to use a lot of oil; even just a tablespoon will do.