Question About Cooking Veggies

[Shelbygirl]

I'm not much of a cook, so my question is probably pretty lame. I know that if you overcook vegetables, they lose their nutritional value. However, do these nutrients just - poof - disappear, or are they floating around in the bottom of the pot?. So, for example, if I were to make soup or a stir fry, would I still get all the nutrients via the broth or sauce?

Thanks in advance for your reponses.
Take Care,
Shelbygirl

 

[CathydsRNA]

Vitamins are sensitive to high temperature, oxygen and light. Overcooking will destroy vitamins and so they will not be found in the broth etc or will be found in decreased amounts. Some cooking is good however and increases the bioavailability of vitamins,just don't overdo it. Same is true for protein, overcooking can destroy amino acids through various chemical reactions including oxidation. Crosslinking on one amino acid to another can also occur at high temperatures and make these amino acids not bioavailable.