A few simple tweaks could make your meals much healthier.
When it comes to nutrition, many people focus only on what’s on the plate. But how you prepare your food matters just as much. Everyday cooking habits, even well-intentioned ones, can quietly chip away at your meal’s nutrition. Small adjustments in how you cook and serve your food can make a big difference.
Here are five common cooking mistakes that could be holding back your nutrition — and what to do instead.
1. Peeling All Your Produce
Peeling fruits and vegetables is common, but it can strip away valuable nutrients. The outer peel of foods like apples, cucumbers, carrots, and potatoes contains fiber that supports healthy digestion and blood sugar balance. Peels also hold antioxidants and phytochemicals that help reduce inflammation and protect against cell damage.
What to do instead: Wash your produce thoroughly and keep the skin on whenever possible. If texture is a concern, lightly cook or blend the food — methods like roasting, sautéing, or blending can soften the peel while retaining its nutrients.
2. Overboiling Vegetables
Boiling vegetables for too long can cause water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B vitamins to leach into the cooking water. Unless you’re using that water in a soup or sauce, those nutrients are lost.
What to do instead: Boil vegetables only until they’re bright in color and just fork-tender — not mushy. Use less water when cooking and repurpose it in soups or stews to retain nutrients. Alternatively, try steaming, sautéing, or roasting for better nutrient preservation.
3. Not Pairing Fat With Certain Produce
After years of “low-fat” messaging, it’s easy to overlook how essential healthy fats are. Fat is not only a key macronutrient but also necessary for absorbing vitamins A, D, E, and K. Without fat, nutrients like beta-carotene in carrots and vitamin K in leafy greens can pass through your system unused.
What to do instead: Add a source of healthy fat to your meals — drizzle olive or avocado oil on salads and vegetables, add chia or flax seeds to smoothies, or include a few slices of avocado in wraps. Even a spoonful of nut butter can help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins more effectively.
4. Charring Foods Until They’re Burnt
While charred foods can be crispy and flavorful, cooking at extremely high heat destroys heat-sensitive vitamins and can create harmful compounds. Burnt starchy foods can form acrylamide, while charred meats can develop substances linked to inflammation and other health concerns.
What to do instead: Lightly sauté or roast at lower temperatures. Aim for golden-brown rather than blackened. For smoky flavor without charring, use spices like smoked paprika or liquid smoke.
5. Cutting Produce Too Far in Advance
Pre-chopping fruits and vegetables saves time, but cutting too far ahead reduces their nutritional value. Once produce is sliced, oxygen exposure begins breaking down fragile vitamins like vitamin C and folate.
What to do instead: Cut fruits and vegetables just before using them. If you must prep ahead, store them in airtight containers, wrap fruit tightly, and add a little lemon juice to prevent oxidation. Storing carrot and celery sticks submerged in water also keeps them fresh and crisp.
Bonus Tip: Pair Plant-Based Iron With Vitamin C
Plant-based (non-heme) iron from foods like beans, nuts, and leafy greens isn’t absorbed as easily as animal-based iron. Vitamin C can dramatically boost its absorption.
What to do instead: Pair iron-rich veggies with vitamin C sources. Add bell peppers or citrus juice to salads, blend fruits like strawberries or pineapple into green smoothies, or top vitamin C–rich vegetables like broccoli with iron-rich nuts.
With just a few mindful adjustments to your cooking habits, you can enhance your meals’ nutrition and make healthy eating easier — without sacrificing taste or convenience.