Vegetables are an important part of everyone’s diet, but they can be even more important as we get older. Malnutrition is a major concern for seniors, and part of the problem is that poorly fitting dentures may not allow a person to eat fresh fruits and veggies. It’s important to your health that your dentures allow you the freedom to eat veggies as they are best.
Nutrients Destroyed by Cooking
The problem with cooking all your vegetables before you eat them is that many nutrients are destroyed by cooking. For example, glucosinate, a cancer-fighting nutrient in broccoli, is lost when you cook it. As is the enzyme myrosinase, also found in broccoli.
Cucumber has not one but three vital nutrients that are lost in cooking. These nutrients help protect against cancer and arthritis, among other conditions. Nutrients in lettuce and garlic are also lost in cooking. But perhaps the most well-known nutrient that’s destroyed in cooking is vitamin C. Red peppers and other vegetables with vitamin C in them should be eaten raw.
Nutrients Liberated in Cooking
But not all nutrients are destroyed in cooking. Some of them are actually released more strongly and are easier to absorb when the vegetable is cooked. Lycopene, for example, the primary nutrient of value in tomatoes, is liberated when they’re cooked. And vitamin A, found in tomatoes but even more abundant in winter squash, is more easily absorbed when food is cooked.
Flexibility to Enjoy Foods However You Want
The point here is that when you have diet restrictions, you’re going to miss out on some of the most important nutrients in your food. To get the best nutrition from your food you need to have the freedom to enjoy it in the way that’s most nutritious, whether it’s cooked or raw.
Properly fitting dentures will help you get more nutrition from your foods. If your dentures are restricting your diet, let us help you. Please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment with a Columbia, SC denture dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
