Which vitamins may be destroyed by heat or washed away by steam or water?

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The correct choice is made because vitamins B and C are both water-soluble vitamins, which means they can easily dissolve in water. Cooking methods that use water, such as boiling or steaming, can cause these vitamins to leach into the cooking water, leading to a reduction in their levels in the food. Heat can also degrade these vitamins to some extent, particularly vitamin C, which is sensitive to both heat and light.

Vitamin B, including various forms like B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12, can be affected during cooking as well, but more commonly, they are lost through water when foods are boiled. For example, boiling vegetables can significantly reduce their B vitamin content if the cooking water is discarded.

In contrast, fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamins A, D, E, and K, are generally more stable during cooking and are not lost through water, since they dissolve in fats rather than water. Thus, focusing on the characteristics of vitamins B and C reveals why they are particularly prone to destruction or loss during cooking processes involving heat, steam, or water.

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