Three Fruits That Withstand High Processing…
It’s no secret that our society is addicted to a fast-paced
lifestyle. Most of us have multiple demands on our time.
Work, family and social activities all contribute to an often
over-loaded schedule. It’s no wonder then that many people
turn to restaurants when it’s time for dinner. A restaurant
meal means no food preparation or cooking done at home
and no dishes to wash or mess to clean up. This is a great
solution on days when you simply don’t have the time or
energy to deal with making dinner. But what about the
nutritional value of restaurant meals? Are they on par with
home-cooked meals?
Everyone knows that healing foods such as healthy fruits
and vegetables are key ingredients in a disease-prevention
diet. But when a meal is prepared at a restaurant, fruits and
vegetables may not have much nutritional value by the
time
they reach their plate. Boiling, overcooking, added salt,
and
even the length of time a vegetable or fruit is left on the
counter can affect its nutritional value. Is it even possible
to
get high-nutrient content in your restaurant meals?
First of all, it depends very much on which restaurant you
go to. Paying a little more for an establishment that uses
fresh, local produce is probably worth the extra money.
The
second thing to consider is the ingredients themselves.
Does your meal actually come with vegetables? Can you
find a way to have dessert but include a fresh fruit as well?
Next, you might want to give some thought about the way
the kitchen is run. How is the food prepared? How long
does it sit around before it gets to your table?
In one interesting study, researchers took a look at the
stability of vitamin C and carotenoids in papaya, mango,
and guava after cleaning, peeling, and slicing in a
commercial restaurant. The researchers noted that, before
preparation, these three fruits are considered excellent
sources of vitamin C.
(For more info on papaya and its ability to boost brain
function, read the article, This Tropical Fruit Could Protect
Your Brain.)
The researchers found that there were no significant
differences in the vitamin C and carotenoid content during
the different fruit handling stages at the restaurant. This is
something to consider the next time you head to your
favorite restaurant and scan the menu: how many fruits and
vegetables are there are on the menu that are good at
retaining their vitamin, mineral and nutrient content while
being processed? You now know that selecting a mango,
chicken salad should at least give you a healthy dose of
vitamin C.
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