Weight-Loss steaming vs boiling vegetables

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hi everyone, I appologize if this was already asked or answered but I have not been able to find my answer yet.

I do not have a way to steam vegetables yet. I tend to eat quite a lot of the frozen bagged veggies like brocolli and cauliflower. I always just boil them for a couple of minutes. Am I loosing any nutritional value by not steaming them? Or is it ok to boil them? I like the way they taste boiled but just don't want to be loosing out on nutrients.

thanks in advance.
 
Do you have a microwave? Just pop your frozen veggies into a covered dish and nuke them for anywhere from 30 secs to 2 mins, depending on the veggie. Sometimes you have to stop in the middle and stir them. Voila! Perfect steamed veggies.

The problem with boiling is that nutrients leech out into the water and get thrown away when you pour the water out.

Honestly, it's not *that* much (as long as you're not boiling them to mush), but I just prefer the full flavor of the veggies when they're steamed and not waterlogged from boiling.
 
i dont think it really matters that much unless you're a pureist of some sort. I like them either way and they are just as good for you boiled as steamed in my eyes. vegs are good for you no matter how you eat them compared to say junk food.
If you like them boiled them have them boiled :)
 
thanks for the comments!

I was worried i was loosing a lot of nutrients because the water is green when im done boiling brocolli. I will try them in the microwave and see how they taste too.

thanks again!
 
If the water changes color, then yeah, you're losing some nutrients. You're still better off eating boiled veggies than none at all, but if you have other options, almost anything else is better than boiling.
 
If the water changes color, then yeah, you're losing some nutrients. You're still better off eating boiled veggies than none at all, but if you have other options, almost anything else is better than boiling.
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Ok, thats good to know. I will try them microwaved until I buy the pan that has the steamer part to it.

you can boil them and eat the veg and water, as a soup
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Ok, thats good to know. I will try them microwaved until I buy the pan that has the steamer part to it. HAHA, there's just something about slurping down warm green water that doesn't sound very appetizing :p

Thanks for the info karacooks and wishes! I really appreciate your help.
 
You really don't need to buy a steamer pan. Microwave steaming is fine. You can also roast veggies in the oven (I often use my toaster oven), or saute them in a little olive oil. There are a ton of other ways to prepare veggies. :)
 
I started to prepare mine in a frying pan. Add a little sauce for flavor and you have an awesome meal. Steamed and boiled get boring for me since I like a lot of flavor and most vege's are bland. Not bad, but not flavorful either.
 
You can also roast veggies in the oven (I often use my toaster oven)
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Ive never roasted veggies. I may have to give that a try to change things up.

I started to prepare mine in a frying pan. Add a little sauce for flavor and you have an awesome meal.
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What kind of sauce do you make/use angelicrock? Every once in a while I do make a stirfry using the stirfry sauce you can get at the grocery. It's a bit high in sodium, but other than that it doesn't seem to be too unhealthy. I love how it tastes though, and when I make that I use a huge veriety of veggies. I always eat that with the whole grain brown rice and it's fantastic.
 
I'm against microwaving vegi's because I read that they destroy the food and kill all the nutrients.
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This is one of my pet peeves. :)

You "read" it. Where? Somewhere on the internet? In a reliable and known source? On a random diet blog?

Microwaving food destroys fewer nutrients in food than boiling it and leaching out all the vitamins does. Microwaving food CAN actually preserve nutrients because the faster you cook something, the less you break down the structure of the food. You're FAR better off nuking some broccoli for 30 seconds until it's crisp-tender and brilliantly green than you are boiling it and pouring off half the vitamins in the water you discard.

Please don't believe everything you read unless you can verify it from a RELIABLE and REPUTABLE source. I don't even encourage people to believe what I say (even though I know I'm right ;) ). I encourage people to take what I say and RESEARCH it themselves before believing it as gospel. Any fool can publish something on the internet at no cost - even me! ;)
 
i try to steam my veges for really few mins since i want them as closest to their raw form as possible. if there's any left i store them in the fridge and add them to my meals cold, i never microwave my veges (not that i have anything against anyone who does, that's just me :)), i still microwave my protein and carbs though just to clarify that i'm not part of the anti-microwave movement...lol!

with that said i think so long as veges get into the body, no matter how they're made doesn't really matter much because you still benefit from their goodness, whether steamed, boiled, or microwaved.
 
KaraCooks said:
This is one of my pet peeves. :)

You "read" it. Where? Somewhere on the internet? In a reliable and known source? On a random diet blog?

Microwaving food destroys fewer nutrients in food than boiling it and leaching out all the vitamins does. Microwaving food CAN actually preserve nutrients because the faster you cook something, the less you break down the structure of the food. You're FAR better off nuking some broccoli for 30 seconds until it's crisp-tender and brilliantly green than you are boiling it and pouring off half the vitamins in the water you discard.

Please don't believe everything you read unless you can verify it from a RELIABLE and REPUTABLE source. I don't even encourage people to believe what I say (even though I know I'm right ;) ). I encourage people to take what I say and RESEARCH it themselves before believing it as gospel. Any fool can publish something on the internet at no cost - even me! ;)
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To be honest, I can't remember where i read it. :blush5: However it was in relation to protein being destroyed in the microwave rather than vitamins and minerals.
 
I just wanted to say thanks again. I just had my first microwaved (steamed) brocolli and cauliflower and it was great. I'll have to get some other veggies to try that way too.

on a side note. I checked on the steamer insert basket for my Calphalon cookware and it's 80 bucks. I think I am fine with microwaving for the time being but I will be getting that steamer basket at some point. I love cooking so another cooking utensil is always welcome in my kitchen :)

Thanks again
 
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