Is Your Food Brain-Healthy?

Proper storage of food and cooking helps preserve brain-healthy antioxidants.

Nutrients called antioxidants, that are found in fruits, vegetables and other foods, play a major role in eliminating free radicals – unstable molecules that can damage brain cells. To help maintain a healthy brain, consume a diet with plenty of antioxidant-rich foods, and ensure that these foods are fresh, lightly cooked and stored for the shortest time possible.

A number of studies have found that the way food is procured, prepared and stored can have a significant effect on the antioxidant levels in the foods we eat.

A recent investigation, published in the issue of the ‘Journal of Food Science’, assessed the effects of six cooking methods – boiling, pressure-cooking, griddling, frying, baking and microwaving – on the antioxidant levels in vegetables. Researchers found that a brief session in the microwave involved minimal antioxidant loss in all vegetables except cauliflower, which lost more than 50% of its antioxidants. Griddling – cooking vegetables briefly on a flat metal surface without fat or oil – also helped maintain the highest levels of antioxidants. Frying and baking were less satisfactory and boiling and pressure-cooking produced the greatest antioxidant losses. “Water is not the cook’s best friend when it comes to preparing vegetables,” the researchers concluded.