By now, most people know they should eat more vegetables. But are there ways to get more from the vegetables you already eat? Research shows that when it comes to vegetables, it’s nọt only how much we eat, but also how we prepare them, which decides how many vitamins (维他命) and other nutrients (营养) enter our body.
Many studies show that people who eat lots of vegetables have fewer illnesses and eye problems. But raw (生的) vegetables are not always the best. The researchers found that 198 Germans who ate raw food were short of lycopene (番茄红素), which is found in tomatoes and other red vegetables. “There is an idea that raw foods are always going to be better,” says Steven K. Clinton, a professor at Ohio State University.
“For fruits and vegetables, sometimes a little bit of cooking can be helpful.” A number of factors decide how the vegetables do good to people’s health before they reach the table, including where and how they were grown and stored before being bought. No single cooking way is the best.
Some nutrients are easily lost in cooking if they are cooked in different ways. Vitamins C and B are often lost. In January, another report said that boiling was better for carrots than frying or serving them raw. Frying (炒) was the worst way to cook.
What cooked with the vegetables can also be important. When the vegetables were cooked with fat, the diners can get more nutrients. Fat can also make the taste of vegetables better, meaning that people will eat more of them. Putting on some other things can also make them taste better. For example, a little salt can make the food taste better.
【小题1】What do we know about vegetables from the first paragraph?| A．The more vegetables we have, the healthier we will be. |
| B．The way people eat vegetables is of great importance. |
| C．People can’t get more from the vegetables they already eat. |
| A．have more eye problems | B．have more illnesses | C．be in need of lycopene |
| A．the place where they are grown |
| B．the price of the vegetables |
| C．the way of preparing vegetables |
| A．The way how vegetables are stored influences how much good vegetables do to people. |
| B．The best way to keep vitamins C and B in vegetables is to fry them. |
| C．People will get fewer nutrients from vegetables when cooked with fat. |
