We know that we need to be careful about what we eat for our health. Whether it is diabetes, overweight, blood pressure or high cholesterol, it is an inevitable fact that what we eat affects our health in the short or long term. However, we must not forget that the cooking and cooking methods of food are as important as what we eat. The most obvious advantage of cooking food is that germs are killed. On the other hand, exposing our food to high temperatures while cooking causes some changes. For example, at high temperatures, deterioration in the structure of proteins may occur, making digestion difficult and perceived as a foreign substance by our body, which may activate our immune system. In addition to these effects on proteins, cooking also has other undesirable and potentially harmful consequences. Cholesterol and some unsaturated fats react with oxygen and oxidize at high temperatures while cooking. Rather than cholesterol and fats themselves, their oxidized states cause cardiovascular diseases.
Similarly, cooking foods accelerates the reaction of sugars in foods with proteins, and a phenomenon called "glycation" occurs. The glycation products formed as a result of this can cause inflammation and cardiovascular diseases in our body and accelerate aging. When meat is cooked at high temperatures, carcinogenic molecules are formed. Observational studies have shown that overcooked meat consumption increases the risk of colon and breast cancer. Cooking food neutralizes the enzymes found in foods. It is desirable for some enzymes to be inactivated. For example, since an enzyme found in soybeans (trypsin inhibitor) is inactivated as a result of cooking, the protein found in soybeans becomes easier to digest. On the other hand, some enzymes facilitate the absorption of beneficial nutrients found in our meals by releasing them. For example, folate found in vegetables is hydrolyzed by an enzyme and converted into folic acid, which is easily absorbed. However, if vegetables are heated, this enzyme will be inactivated and the absorption of folic acid will decrease. Myrosinase enzyme found in broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage i-Provides the release of isothiocyanate compounds that have cancer effects. The longer you heat these foods, the more inactive this enzyme becomes and the less you benefit from the isothiocyanates. On the other hand, since it is undesirable for isothiocyanates to cause goiter, cooking these foods will be advantageous for your thyroid.
As a result, how long should you keep broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts? If you boil or steam them, you reduce the risk of goiter formation, but at the same time, you reduce your ability to benefit from the anti-cancer effects of these foods. Cooking foods causes heat-sensitive vitamins to deteriorate.
Especially C >vitamin, folic acid, B1 and B12 lose their effectiveness during cooking. Apart from vitamin losses, cooking at high temperatures can also cause loss of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins (especially tryptophan, lysine and methionine)
Possible You can minimize and prevent these negative effects by using the right cooking methods and using the right type of oils while cooking. First of all, prefer olive oil to sunflower and corn oil when cooking your meals. This is because sunflower and corn oils contain more unsaturated fat, so they are more prone to oxidation. Keep the following in mind regarding cooking methods: fried foods should not be remembered just because they are high in calories; Harmful substances produced by frying also affect your health.
As cholesterol and unsaturated fats are oxidized during frying, they cause arteriosclerosis (atherosclerosis). So, whatever the type of food, avoid frying. While cooking meat on the grill, carcinogenic substances are formed in case of contact with fire. The formation of such carcinogenic substances in meat cooked on the grill is at least 10 times higher than when meat is boiled or baked in the oven. Therefore, if you are going to cook meat and meat products, prefer to bake and boil rather than grill. If you cook with a grill, you will reduce the consumption of carcinogenic substances by cutting off the burnt parts of your food. .
Steaming and boiling are the healthiest cooking methods. The advantage of steaming over boiling is that it causes less vitamin and mineral loss. If you cook your food by steaming or boiling, carcinogenic substances will not be formed. In a similar situation, if you heat your food with a microwave, the formation of carcinogenic substances is very low. Additionally, heat-sensitive vitamins are lost less in microwave-heated meals. (Except for vitamin B12 and folic acid: these two vitamins are significantly degraded during microwave cooking).
It is healthier to boil or boil eggs than to fry them or make an omelet. This is because when the egg is cracked, the cholesterol in the yolk oxidizes as a result of contact with air while cooking. Oxidized cholesterol causes cardiovascular diseases. This reveals how important the method of cooking the egg is, as well as the amount of cholesterol and fat in the egg.
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