A review of the impact of preparation and cooking on the nutritional quality of vegetables and legumes

Vegetables and legumes represent one of the most important components of the human diet. Being informed about their characteristics can improve the health benefits, helping to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and some cancers. Recent studies have demonstrated that the method of preparation and cooking can improve the nutrition quality of food. These two steps induce several changes and interactions among its constituents, in some cases positive, in others negative. Therefore, knowing the changes occurring in food from preparation to table is essential not only for scientific research, but also for the consumer, who can make decisions about how to prepare and cook a selected number of healthy legumes and vegetables. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the most recent studies and draw conclusions that will enable the consumer to make decisions about how to maximize nutrient content of plant foods and identify the critical phases during preparation and cooking, when the nutrients might be lost. For such, some nutrients of specific legumes (peas and beans) and vegetables (broccoli, potatoes and onions) were selected.