Vegetables are an important source of vitamins, minerals and other useful nutrients for the body. To stop losing most of their nutrients during cooking, it’s important to know the best way of preparing them. Here are 4 practical tips to preserve these properties.

Peel the vegetables, but not too much. Over-peeling can cause the loss of certain nutrients generally found close to the peel. In potatoes, for example, peeling can reduce the amount of vitamin C by 30-40%.
Boil the vegetables in a little boiling water. To reduce the loss of nutrients caused by boiling, it’s best to use a little water and don’t submerge the vegetables when it’s still warm. Wait until it’s boiling. In fact, the high temperature of the water creates a barrier that prevents liquids escaping from the vegetables.
Make herbal teas with the cooking water. Keep the cooking water to make healthy, thirst-quenching herbal teas. For example, the substances released by Swiss chard are useful for helping your intestines to work properly; while those found in artichokes are a cure-all for the liver and kidneys.
Steam them instead. This leaves the organoleptic properties of vegetables relatively untouched and minimises the loss of nutrients. Furthermore, it lets you use just one burner to make two dishes at the same time (click here to find out this way and many others of protecting the environment while cooking).