Experts caution on using baking powder to prepare vegetables
What you need to know:
Baking soda, which chemically contains sodium and bi-carbonate substances, damages the vegetables by removing important nutrients, such as vitamins B and C, they said.
Dodoma. Nutritionists in Dodoma Region have cautioned against the use of baking soda in cooking or preparing green vegetables.
Baking soda, which chemically contains sodium and bi-carbonate substances, damages the vegetables by removing important nutrients, such as vitamins B and C, they said.
Speaking at a seminar aimed at improving the nutritional status of Dodoma residents, the region’s Nutrition Officer, Ms Stella Kimambo, said that the vegetables prepared by the farmers were not up to standards because they were not adequately prepared.
The seminar, organised by the agricultural NGO, Inades Formation Tanzania (IFTz), also aimed at dealing with stunting, which is known to affect about 65 per cent of the people in Dodoma.
She noted that most vegetable growers were using baking soda to keep their vegetables dry while at marketplaces but they were not aware of the effect it has on the nutrients on their greens.
One of the trainees, a resident of Dodoma, Ms Vaileth Seganji, said that she was totally unaware of the negative effects of adding baking soda in vegetables.
“I have now learnt the best way to preserve my vegetables,’’ she said, soon as the seminar came to an end.
“When I arrive home, I will apply these skills,’’ she added.
