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[00:01.22] Carlene Thomas is a dietitian, a person who gives advice about healthy foods to eat.

[00:08.39] When it comes to eating healthy vegetables, Thomas says there are two kinds of people who ask her for advice.

[00:16.89] The first kind wants to know how different cooking methods affect the nutrition in vegetables.

[00:24.60] The other kind of person wants to know how to eat more vegetables.

[00:30.44] Thomas’ simple answer to both groups is this: The best vegetables are the ones you actually want to eat.

[00:39.74] Thomas told the Associated Press that many people buy vegetables that they think they will eat.

[00:50.89] Maybe the produce is popular or someone is bringing attention to it on social media. But then they end up not using it.

[00:59.39] That means the vegetable gets thrown away after it goes bad.

[01:04.71] In that case, Thomas said, “It doesn’t matter how you cook them, because if they’re going in the trash, they’re not in your body.”

[01:15.86] However, Thomas said research shows cooking methods do affect nutrition.

[01:22.77] But it is not as simple as comparing raw, or uncooked, vegetables to cooked ones.

[01:31.00] Cooking methods can include steaming, roasting, boiling, or sauteing.

[01:39.24] So, are raw vegetables healthier than cooked? Not always.

[01:46.41] When vegetables are cooked with high heat for a long period of time many nutrients break down.

[01:54.64] However, cooking softens the cell walls in vegetables, making them easier for the body to digest.

[02:04.47] Cooking changes the structure of vegetables which increases what dietitians call bioavailability.

[02:13.50] This is the body’s ability to use the nutrients in vegetables, Thomas said.

[02:20.94] Cooked food is often more nutritious than raw food.

[02:26.25] For example, cooked tomatoes release more of the antioxidant lycopene than raw tomatoes, she said.

[02:36.88] Lycopene is believed to have qualities that prevent cancer.

[02:43.25] Also, cooked carrots have more beta-carotene that can be absorbed by the body.

[02:50.69] Roasting pumpkins, carrots and sweet potatoes increases available carotenoids.

[02:58.66] These antioxidants are thought to prevent inflammation in the body.