Health Library

Are you overcooking your vegetables?

You can't go wrong when you plate up plenty of vegetables. But you can get more nutrients from them when you cook them right.

Don't overboil. Boiling veggies too long cooks the nutrients right out. Instead, reduce the heat and let them simmer. Better yet, try steaming.
Enjoy veggies steamed, sautéed, grilled or roasted. These cooking methods can better preserve nutrients, as well as flavors and textures.
Choose cooked veggies over raw—sometimes. Raw veggies are sometimes at their most nutritious. But not always. Cooking can unlock more nutrients in certain veggies, including beets, mushrooms, spinach and cruciferous veggies.
Try tomatoes both ways. The tomato, technically a fruit, is nutrient-rich, raw or cooked. Heating tomatoes reduces their vitamin C but releases lycopene, a nutrient that may offer prostate cancer protection.

Reviewed 9/25/2025