Studies Regarding Food Preparation Methods


  1. Vegetables, in particular the Brassica genus, such as Brussels sprouts and possibly broccoli, cauliflower and kale have significant cancer preventive effects –“ Effect of chemopreventive compounds from Brassica vegetables on NAD(P)H:quinone reductase and induction of DNA strand breaks in murine hepa1c1c7 cells,” in Food and Chemical Toxicology v.41 2003
  2. The bioactivities of the glucosinolates in Brassicas are increased with disruption of the plant tissue which chewing would likely aid with – “Protective Effects of Fruits and Vegetables in the Diet,” in Nutrition and Food Science v.96 1996
  3. Cooking carrots yields more carotene and the addition of oil is also beneficial “Bioaccessibility of carotenes from carrots: Effect of cooking and addition of oil” in the Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies v.8 2007
  4. Cooked tomatoes release more than fresh - “Effect of domestic cooking on human bioavailability of naringenin, chlorogenic acid, lycopene and β-carotene in cherry tomatoes” in the European Journal of Nutrition v.4
  5. Let chopped garlic sit then cook briefly, if at all, to maximize thiosulfinates; steaming fruits and vegetables is superior to boiling because steaming retains more vitamins than boiling; microwaving cooks in less time and therefore fewer nutrient s are lost; melons stored at room temperature produce more lycopene than melons stored at cooler temperatures; heat alters lycopenes’ molecular structure making it easier for our body to absorb it than raw – “Get More Flavor, nutrition from produce with the right prep,” on CNN.com/health from July 2, 2008
  6. Nutrients, such as calcium, that are less mobile in the plant ten to have lower concentrations in the fruit than in the leaves. Typically, higher concentrations are found in the skin and seeds, and the lowest in the flesh – Fruit Quality and Its Biological Basis by Michael Knee.
  7. The concentration of phenolic compounds in the seed kernels and peels were 4.6 and 7.3 times higher, respectively, than those in the pulp – “Phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity of Brazilian mango varieties,” in Food Chemistry v.110 2008 p.620-626 
  8. Apple peel had more ascorbate peroxidase and catalase activity than the flesh and seeds – “Antioxidant content in the fruit peel, flesh and seeds of selected apple cultivars during cold storage,” in Folia Horticulture 2005 p.47-60
  9. Research conducted by the University of Toronto compared the Vitamix, a standard household blender and chewing to study the influence on particle size, plant cell wall structure and nutrient bioaccessibility – “Effect of Vitamix blender vs. a control blender and chewing on the particle size of different fruits and vegetables.”
  10. The micrography samples that accompany the University of Toronto study cited in 5.9
  11. ** Because disruption of the plant tissue increases the bioactivities of the glucosinolates from vegetables in the Brassicas genus (5.2) the Vitamix 5200 would even better increase the bioavailability than chewing. As a result, it is likely that using the Vitamix 5200 with vegetables from the Brassicas genus could help to reduce the risk of cancer (5.1).