There’s no point spending all that time and effort to grow your own vegies, only to take them into the kitchen and murder them through the cooking process.
Here are some tips on how to retain the optimal amount of nutrients in your freshest organic produce while cooking.
Food that is near as possible to its original plant form possesses the maximum amount of food value, i.e. universal energy.
An example is the potato. When we cook a potato whole with its skin intact it retains the most food value. If we alter it by peeling, we lose the skin’s food value. If we cut it into cubes or strips we lose more vitamins and minerals. If we take a potato and peel it, slice it thin, fry it to a crisp, package it, transport it hundreds of miles from where it was grown, we have made it worthless in terms of its universal energy.
The link between food and the energy of the universe was always recognised by traditional peasant societies, where female fertility symbols representing the life force as universal energy were worshipped to ensure a good harvest.
People understood the connection between healthy soil, healthy crops and healthy bodies. They nurtured and cared for the soil. They maintained a balance of nutrients by giving back to the earth.
And they realised that the soil was depleted, by giving birth to a new crop, so they gave back to the soil what they withdrew. They knew that careful natural re-fertilisation of the soil was necessary for a balance of life energy.
They did not have to spend years studying at agricultural colleges and universities to learn this. They simply lived close to Nature, observed her, respected her, and always gave back and never endeavoured to manipulate her.
In our concrete, tireless, soulless cities and small towns we are not in contact with the cycles of growth. Food comes from a shop. We have taken ourselves away from the chance to see and help create the growth process of other forms of life, which we need so that we ourselves can live and grow.
Past societies worshipped plants and animals. Our society teaches the various ways of a microwave. Past entire populations engaged in agriculture and knew that survival revolved around food. They were all aware of their crops, the weather and the state of the soil. They knew where their food came from, how it was grown, harvested, stored and cooked.
These days we have lots of tools in the kitchen to choose from.
I recommend that 50 per cent of our food intake be raw fruit and vegetables. This can be in the form of salads, juices or just munching on a fruit in its natural form. Our cooked food should be made in a way where the nutrients are trapped in the food.
The longer the cooking time and the higher the temperature, the more nutrients are destroyed. It is best to choose the cooking method that most optimises and preserves the nutrients in food.
In a study published by the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture, researchers investigated effects of various means of cooking broccoli. Up to 97 per cent of certain antioxidant compounds were destroyed by microwaving, however steaming the broccoli caused only 11 per cent loss.
Therefore, any cooking that minimises the time, temperature, and water will help to preserve nutrients. Pressure cooking under steam is one of the methods best because it minimizes time and requires little water.
As a rule, rapid cooking techniques are better for retaining nutrients than slower methods.
Any type of cooking changes food in some way, and more nutrients are lost when food is exposed to heat, light, moisture and air over longer periods of time.
When foods are cut, the area scored is similar to a wound. This is where the most nutrients leach out or bleed from! That’s why it is advisable to leave foods whole or in the largest pieces possible. Whenever possible, cook fruits and vegetables with their skins intact; these skins act as a protective coating, which helps retain nutrients.
Time is also a nutrient killer. The longer foods are stored, the more the nutrients break down. Cook foods as soon after purchase or picking as possible, and eat any leftovers within a few days. Safety is also an issue here. To prevent bacterial growth, food should always be kept at below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (?F) and cooked at above 140?F. | 
