Pressure Cooker Passion

Did you know that there are major health benefits to pressure cooking?  According to studies, pressure cooking increases digestibility, allows food to maintain a higher retention of vitamins and minerals, and contributes to a reduction of unhealthy compounds, such as lectins, acrylamide, unsaturated fats, or aflatoxins found in food.

Here are 7 healthy facts about pressure cooking!

1. Reduces Lectins 

   
   Pressure cooking has been found to reduce the lectin content of peas, beans and other legumes. Lectins are anti-nutrients that can reduce the nutritional value of food by hindering the absorption of certain minerals (15 Ways to Reduce Lectins in Your Diet).

2. Increases Antioxidant Capacity

   
   Pressure cooking can increase the antioxidant capacity of some legumes including green peas, yellow peas, chickpeas and lentils (Effects of Pressure Cooking on Food: Nutrient Loss or Retention?).

3. Retains More Vitamin C & Minerals in Broccoli & Spinach

   
   

   Broccoli prepared in a pressure cooker retains more of its Vitamin C and Sulforphane, than when it was steamed or boiled.  We also discovered pressure cooking is the best method for retaining both vitamin C and beta-carotene in spinach (Effects of Pressure Cooking on Food: Nutrient Loss or Retention?).
4. Reduces Harmful Chemicals

   
   Pressure cooking starchy foods, such as potatoes, reduces unhealthy chemicals associated with baking, roasting and grilling methods, such as acrylamide, which are believed to cause cancer, neurological disorders, and infertility (Do Pressure Cookers Really Make Healthy Foods?).

5. Reduces Saturated Fat in Meat

   
   Meat-based dishes show a significant reduction in unsaturated fat contents without any loss of Iron (What is the Effect of Pressure Cooking on Nutrition?).

6. Eases Digestion

   
   Grains and legumes cooked in a pressure cooker offer increased digestibility of macronutrients (protein, fiber and starch) and increased bioavailability of essential minerals (What is the Effect of Pressure Cooking on Nutrition?).

7. Reduces Toxins

   
   A Korean study of aflatoxinsin rice (associated with Aspergillus fungus) showed that pressure cooking was capable of reducing aflatoxin concentrations down to 12–22% of the amount in the uncooked rice (Putting the Pressure on Poisons).

Check out these articles for more information on the health benefits of pressure cooking:

What is the Effect of Pressure Cooking on Nutrition?

Effects of Pressure Cooking on Food: Nutrient Loss or Retention?

IS PRESSURE COOKING HEALTHY?

Do Pressure Cookers Really Make Healthy Foods?

Putting the Pressure on Poisons

15 Ways to Reduce Lectins in Your Diet