1. When chopping fruit or vegetables avoid using a knife where possible to prevent the loss of Vitamin C which is a water soluble vitamin and is easily lost on exposure to air.
2. Where possible eg with lettuce, tear the leaves with your hands rather than a knife
3. Avoid soaking fruit and vegetables in cold water so as to reduce the loss of Vitamin C, although it is important to wash fruit and vegetables BEFORE USE.
4. Use minimum amounts of water when cooking vegetables
5. Never add bicarbonate of soda and water - this would increase the loss of thiamin and Vitamin C
6. Serve at once
7. If boiling vegetables do not throw away the liquid, use it to provide the stock for soups as this is full of the water soluble vitamins
8. Avoid mashing or pureeing fruit and vegetables to prevent Vitamin C loss
9. Use as many fruit and vegetables as possible in your diet.  Every day try to vary the colours so that you will be getting the mixture of the natural vitamins and minerals from the different coloured vegetables.
10. Do not overcook vegetables, where possible serve raw or partially cooked.  Stir frying is a quick method of cooking vegetables, leaving them firm and colourful and retaining a lot of their vitamin content.

Karen Mugliett

28/03/10