Are cooked vegetables empty sources of nutrients?

They are not empty if you drink the water (soup) they were cooked in.

No, though they can lose and gain nutrients when cooked. It really depends on the vegetable, and on the nutrient. Read more (it says it better than I can).

Cooking most vegetables cause the proteins and vitamins to mutate and undergo biotransformation, but they don’t lose all of their nutrients. I think you’re better off consuming the vegetables raw if you want the “best” of the pick.

Actually for people with sensitive digestion, veggies in soup/broth are highly recommended for ease of digestion. (Sensitive digestion: Autism, Chrohn’s, IBS-etc)

My own doctor recommends broths for better absorption of vitamins and minerals.

Some vegetables need to be cooked (using a proper cooking method) to increase the availability of the nutrients. Others are best eaten raw. Here’s a bit of info on this subject that shows which veggies are best to eat cooked.

Here are some examples of Proper Cooking Methods for veggies so as to retain their nutrient availability.

Not at all, but overcooking veggies can make them horrible. Vitamin A isn’t water soluble so you don’t lose that when you boil them. Personally, I like my veggies steamed. If you are cutting a bunch of veg and putting them into a soup and eating the water they are cooked in, you’ll be getting, perhaps some vitamin C that was lost in the water. I don’t know how long the soup you are talking about gets cooked, but fork-tender veggies are nom-nom and good for you.

(I just steamed me a big bowl of Broccoli and cauliflower for lunch, nom nom!)

They do not lose al of their nutrients. If you cook them in the soup broth, you will have captured any that are lost.

Is anyone feeling like we should have a Fluther Nom-Nom Veggie Fest???

I just happened to stumble on these facts today. Steamed mustard greens are superior to raw mustard greens as a source of bile acid binding nutrients that are cholesterol-lowering. All the cruciferous vegetables, when steamed, are excellent sources fo bile-acid binders and of glucosinolates. If you do boil leafy veggies, it’s a good idea to consume the water they cooked in along with the vegetable itslef.,