To preserve nutrition when cooking vegetables, you should ...

• A. Retain color, texture, and nutritional value
• B. Boil until mushy
• C. Add sugar
• D. Remove skins

Answer: (A)

Preserving nutrition in vegetables comes from cooking them in ways that keep nutrients from being destroyed or leached away. The best approach is to cook just until the vegetables stay colorful and tender-crisp, since color and texture reflect that vitamins, minerals, and pigments are still present. Nutrients—especially water-soluble vitamins—break down with excessive heat or long cooking times or when they wash away into cooking water, so quick methods with little water help preserve them. That’s why keeping the vegetable’s color, texture, and overall nutritional value is the most reliable goal. Boiling until mushy leads to major nutrient loss, adding sugar doesn’t protect nutrients, and removing skins isn’t a universal preservation approach and can reduce some nutrients and fiber.