Featured image: My “Young and Old Crockpot Stew” – contact me for info.
Growing up, when my mom made any kind of vegetable, she always saved the cooking water, and used it later as an addition to soups or other dishes. The reason for using cooking water is that as vegetables cook, some of their nutrients leach out into the water. This means if you toss the cooking water, you are tossing valuable nutrients down the drain.
I now use this trick not only for myself, but for recipes I make for my dog. Some of my recipes have this nutrient-rich water in them already — like when I make a big batch of stew, soup or other dishes where the liquid remains in the pot.
Other times, when I steam vegetables by themselves, I am left with valuable cooking water, which I save. Sometimes I will use it in my own dishes, and other times I add it to my dog’s recipes.
Do this favor for yourself and your dog, and you will help increase your nutrient intake. This tip is good all year round, but I recently featured it during Nutrition Month.
This tip is good for vegetables, but also other kinds of foods. For example, when you cook certain pieces of meat, nutrients are released, whether it is from the meat itself, or the bone or cartilage on the meat. This is why people often use a whole chicken for a pot of chicken soup, for example. There is flavor and nutrition everywhere.
As always, I am here to assist. When you are ready to transition to a truly nourishing diet for your dog, visit my Services page to choose an option that works for you. I am available for general diet reviews, supplement reviews, health concerns reviews and more.
Talk with you soon!
~ Sarah
Sarah Whitman, MS
Founder, Dog Food Coach
PS – Do you have a golden retriever? Visit my other site, GoldenRetrieverDiet.com