Losing weight is often a real headache! You have to count calories, limit sugar, fat, salt… But did you know that cooking also plays a role in all this? We invite you to discover its effects on our diet.
The effects of cooking
Cooking, in itself, has no influence on the calorie count of food. Thus, 100 g of raw eggs provide 140 kcal and 100 g of hard-boiled eggs provide 134. This difference of 6 kcal is negligible and will have no impact if you wish to lose weight. On the other hand, cooking methods can modify the content of vitamins and minerals and transform carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. The vitamins water soluble will be dissolved in boiling water. Vitamin C is completely destroyed by heat. The mineral salts will be too, unless the water is sweet or salty. It is for this reason that it is very interesting to keep the broth of vegetables cooked in water. You will be able to reap all the benefits of water-soluble vitamins. Foods can also change in appearance. Spinach and lettuce lose volume while cooking and many foods change color, taste, smell or even texture. The carbohydrates make it possible to make caramel for sweet desserts or a binder for sauces. However, they should not be cooked too long to retain their nutritional and taste value. Cooked in water, pasta, rice and potatoes become more digestible because the starch (a complex sugar) is transformed. The lipids solids at room temperature melt when cooked. Be careful, they can become toxic and carcinogenic because they release acrolein. Suitable cooking temperatures and methods depend on the oils and fats used. For example, linseed oil can only be heated on very low heat (no more than 50-60°C) while refined sunflower oil will withstand 230°C without being altered. The protein coagulate at 60°C. As a result, grilled meats and fish will retain their juices in the center, protected by the coagulated proteins that form a crust. Boiled meats and fish lose a large part of their proteins and mineral salts which go into the water. Finally, for fruits and vegetables, it is the texture that changes during cooking, which makes them more assimilable.
To understand everything regarding calories, find our article: The calories, stop the confusion.
Cooking and Calories
When you use a calorie counter, it is essential to know whether you are talking regarding raw or cooked foods. Indeed, it is the weight which varies during certain cooking and which changes the situation. We explain to you! Foods that absorb water during cooking, such as pasta and rice, gain weight. Thus, if you prepare 100 g of raw rice, you will not obtain 100 g of cooked rice, but 300 g. It will have puffed up during cooking. The calorie content of 100 g of raw rice is 350 kcal so, at the end of your preparation, you will obtain 350 kcal for 300 g of food. For 100 g of cooked rice, the caloric intake will be 117 kcal. It will be the same for pasta. Conversely, fish, meat or vegetables lose water during dry cooking (grilled or roasted). For 100 g of raw carrots, we will then obtain 87 g of cooked carrots and a chicken leg or sole of 100 g will only weigh 80 g when cooked. Thus, at equal weight, a food that will have swelled thanks to the water will be less caloric than if it is raw and a food that has lost water during cooking will be more so. It is therefore essential to know if your calorie chart is for a raw or cooked food, but it is not cooking that decreases or increases calories.
The importance of the glycemic index
The glycemic index (or glycemic index, also called GI) is often as important, or even more important, than calorie intake when you want to lose weight. The higher the glycemic index, the more fat will be stored. The cooking time generally makes the food more digestible. Thus the GI increases. The form of the food plays a role. If the food is whole or in large pieces, the GI will be low. Conversely, if the food is chopped, grated or mashed, the GI increases.
When blood sugar rises, it causes a blood sugar spike. The body then secretes insulin, a hormone which must lower the level of sugar in the blood. The problem is that insulin also promotes fat storage. Foods with a high glycemic index therefore promote weight gain.
The glycemic index is considered high when it is equal to or greater than 60. It is “medium” if it is between 40 and 60. It is low below 40. Raw carrots have a GI of 30 while cooked carrots have a GI of 85. Basmati rice has a GI of 50, wild rice 35 and rice flour has a GI of 95. Finally, boiled potato has a GI of 65 while the mash 90. A drizzle of olive oil lowers the GI even further, amazing as that sounds. Quick-cooking pasta and rice have a higher GI than others. Well-cooked pasta has a GI of 55. It goes down to 50 if it’s whole and 40 if it’s al dente.
Puffed, grilled, dried, freeze-dried, dehydrated foods… have a high GI.
Fruits that are still green have a lower GI.
Whole grains have a lower GI than refined ones.
When a food is eaten alone
