What affects the amount of vitamins in food?

Fresh, canned or frozen? Frozen or canned within a few hours of harvesting Freezing – stops any further loss of vitamins Canning – overall cooking time is less (salt may be added)

Cooking vegetables: boiling vs. steaming

Fresh fruit  Flesh exposed to the air over a period of time  Browning of flesh due to oxidation  More vitamin loss  Flesh received minimal exposure to air  Flesh is not brown  More vitamins retained Prepared prior to eating Preparation of fruit Cut just before eating

Milk

Cooking methods

Simple ways to reduce vitamin loss

Scrubbing vegetables or peeling them? Boiling vegetables or steaming them? Cutting vegetables into smaller pieces or larger pieces to cook? Cutting fruit as needed or preparing in advance? Cooking vegetables for a long time or a short time? Storing ripe fruit in the fridge crisper or storing ripe fruit in a bowl? Circle the best choices to save vitamins

Scrubbing vegetables or peeling them? Boiling vegetables or steaming them? Cutting vegetables into smaller pieces or larger pieces to cook? Cutting fruit as needed or preparing in advance? Cooking vegetables for a long time or a short time? Storing ripe fruit in the fridge crisper or storing ripe fruit in a bowl? Circle the best choices to save vitamins

What did you think of today’s session? What do you remember most from today? Do you think you know more about preventing vitamin loss when cooking and preparing food? What are you going to do differently?

Developed by HELPP, Funded by SA Health, and managed by Nutrition & Dietetics, Flinders University Contact: Food Safety and Nutrition Branch, SA Health Tel: or Nutrition & Dietetics, Flinders University Tel