Cooking food can affect nutrient content and absorption. While cooking can help the body better absorb certain nutrients, it is also true that those that are sensitive to heat and most of the antioxidants can be lost.
The cooking method that best retains nutrients is one that cooks quickly, heat food for the shortest possible time and use the least amount of liquid possible according to an article in Harvard Health Publishing.
Reheating food further weakens the presence of nutrients. Although it would be ideal to eat freshly cooked food, it is not always possible. Heating leftovers is convenient to save time and avoid food waste. But you may want to take into account which are some of the foods that will no longer be as nutritious as the first time.
Broccoli is one of the vegetables with the highest vitamin C content. A cup of cooked broccoli has 102 mg of vitamin C, the 801% of the recommended daily intake. Vitamin C is sensitive to heat. Reheating broccoli can not only decrease the amount of vitamin C, but also folate, an important nutrient for the body and whose deficiency can cause anemia.
Heat also affects the amount of sulforaphane in broccoli, a suspected anticancer.
Eggs are one of the foods that cooking is good for not only to avoid infections by harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, but because a greater amount of proteins can be absorbed by the body.
According to Healthline there is no evidence to suggest that reheating cooked egg dishes affects their nutritional content. Although its activity of antioxidants such as lutein and zeaxanthin may be reduced. Also, reheating the eggs a second time may dry them out or leave them rubbery.
3. Fish
Tuna and salmon are the best fish options to eat, they are highly nutritious and safe. They provide marine omega-3s, high-quality proteins, as well as vitamins and minerals.
One of the vitamins that tuna and salmon provide is vitamin B6, whose deficiency it can lead to anemia and even depression. In three ounces of cooked yellowfin tuna and in three ounces of salmon there is the 53% and the 35% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin B6. This vitamin is also very sensitive to heat, so reheating fish reduces its content.
Vegetable oil such as olive oil can be reused. However, an oil that has been repeatedly raised to high temperatures can release harmful toxins, become rancid and unhealthy, and promote inflammation.
Medical News Today publishes that “Repeated reheating of cooking oil changes its composition and releases acrolein, which is a toxic and potentially carcinogenic chemical.”
Reheating potatoes can not only decrease some of their nutrients such as vitamin C. Practice could be dangerous increasing the risk of food poisoning if after cooking the first time they were allowed to cool to room temperature for a long time or were saved from improper way wrapped in foil; You could get botulism.