The Nutrient-Dense Leftover You’re Probably Tossing & How This RD Uses It

You may have heard that certain vegetables lose nutrients when you cook them, and research backs this up. According to one study back in 2009, researchers found broccoli had significantly depleted levels of chlorophyll and vitamin C after cooking.

While you can avoid this by eating vegetables raw, some folks find raw veggies hard to digest, or just not as satisfying. But as Cannon notes, “Some nutrients, including water-soluble vitamins and some antioxidants, will enter the water,” when you steam them. And you don’t have to let that water—or those nutrients—go to waste!