Are minerals heat sensitive and lost in cooking?

Minerals can be lost during cooking, although they are not as heat-sensitive as phytonutrients and many vitamins. As discussed throughout my book and the WHF website (), research studies have found a reduction of many minerals—including magnesium, manganese, calcium, copper, and others—from cooking. While these losses can be relatively small for brief cooking of some green leafy vegetables like spinach, they can become much larger if cooking times are extended. This is yet another reason that we suggest short cooking times, notably when cooking vegetables, in order to retain as many minerals (as well as other nutrients) as possible.