Dr. Michael Roizen, right, and Dr. Mehmet Oz.
: I know that boiling vegetables makes them lose some of their nutritional value. But what if you cook them in a slow cooker and eat the liquid the vegetables stewed in?
Answer: Done right, veggies prepared in slow cookers can deliver disease-fighting nutrients and a delectable meal all in one bowl. The key is to feature the right vegetables and to shut down all nutrient escape routes. Here's how to make your crockpot cooking healthier:
Trap steam. Nutrients such as vitamin C and certain cancer-fighting compounds leach from vegetables into cooking water, but if the lid's tight and you eat the broth, you'll consume many of the healthy compounds that otherwise would have gone up in steam.
Feature heat-friendly foods. When cooked, some vegetables -- including carrots, celery, broccoli, tomatoes and zucchini -- release more of some healthful polyphenols than their raw counterparts. Another disease-fighting powerhouse, garlic, doesn't seem to be harmed by cooking, so load it into the crockpot, too.
Add fat. Stir in a bit of olive oil; it will help your body absorb the veggies' vitamins and minerals. Plus, a little fat adds a rich, satisfying taste to your greens (and yellows, reds and all the rest).
Don't peel. Give your broth an extra health punch by leaving the skins on your veggies. Many nutrients live in or just under the skin.
Don't hold back. Eat a wide variety of vegetables of many colors, and plenty of raw veggies, too. That way, you'll get the broadest vitamin, mineral and polyphenol coverage.
Health tip of the week
Could you have an ulcer? You might, even if you're not the stereotypical overachieving Type A.
What most people don't know is that ulcers are usually caused by an infectious agent, not by reading or worrying about financial reports. There are plenty of other misconceptions about ulcers, too. Let this true-or-false quiz help you separate myth from fact, and tame that ulcer, if you have one:
1. You can get an ulcer by kissing.
True! The most common cause of ulcers is a bacterium called H. pylori (Helicobacter pylori, if you want to get formal). When you kiss, you can pingpong the bacteria back and forth between you and your partner until you both get treated for -- and rid of -- it, at the same time.
2. If you have an ulcer, you'll feel worse after eating.
False. One of the ways to know whether it's an ulcer or the recurring heartburn problem known as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) is that eating often makes ulcers feel better because food neutralizes some of the stomach acid that's irritating the ulcer.
3. If you can stand the pain, you don't have to get it treated.
False. You shouldn't be living with any kind of pain, and sometimes the ulcer erodes multiple layers of your stomach and causes bleeding within your digestive tract. Not pretty.
In some studies, olive oil has looked promising as a way to kill off H. pylori -- but that's only in a test tube so far. The best treatment for it today is to see your doctor for a course of antibiotics tailored to that bad bug.
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