Introduction to Food Preparation

You probably know that what you eat is important for your health. And you might have given some thought to how you cook it, too. But even before cooking, your approach to preparing food — such as by chopping, blending or grinding — “impacts the nutrition value,” said Dr. Luis Rustveld, a registered dietitian and an associate professor of family and community medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

The Impact of Preparation on Nutrition

That prep work can affect how the body digests food and what nutrients it absorbs, he said. Here are some examples.

Juicing and Blending

Blending fruits and vegetables releases more nutrients than juicing. Juicing and blending may seem similar, but they aren’t the same. Juicing extracts liquid from a food; blending takes the entire fruit or vegetable and cuts it into tiny bits. Your body reacts to each method differently. Juice can be digested quickly, Rustveld said, and that’s not always good. Take the example of an orange. One whole orange has about 16 grams of carbohydrates, with about 3 of those grams coming from fiber, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The fiber from oranges slows how quickly carbs hit the bloodstream. Juicing strains out fiber, Rustveld said, so that glass of OJ could cause unhealthy spikes in blood glucose.

Chopping

Chopping carrots can break down cell walls, releasing those antioxidants. Cutting fruits and vegetables into small pieces can make it easier for your body to access some nutrients, Rustveld said. There are certain foods that actually can benefit from cutting it up or blending it. Bright orange foods, such as carrots and mangoes, are loaded with antioxidants, he said, which can help fight inflammation and aging. Chopping peppers, spinach, potatoes or apple skins also helps release antioxidants, Rustveld said.

Grinding

Be sure to grind chia seeds before using them in your recipes to reap the most benefits from the tiny, hard-to-chew bits. Flax and chia seeds have become popular additions to many diets. Flaxseeds are loaded with plant-based omega-3, Rustveld said. Those fatty acids have been linked to reduced risk for heart disease and cognitive decline. Unfortunately, our teeth are not designed to grind flaxseeds, he said. So unless you grind the seeds before eating them, you’re not going to