Health Benefits Of Water-Based Cooking

While the crust of a perfectly grilled steak or the golden edges of a thin-crust pizza can be irresistible, routinely cooking with methods like grilling, pan-frying and roasting comes with a hidden cost. Chief among them is the production of advanced glycation end products, compounds linked to faster aging.

On the flip side, nutrition experts point to water-based methods, such as steaming, boiling, poaching and simmering, as an easy way to preserve nutrients and limit AGE formation, making them a smart choice for anti-aging cooking.

The trend is also showing up on TikTok, with creators spotlighting dishes like soups, curries and stews, emphasizing not only their anti-aging benefits but also their skin-hydrating effects, since these dishes are cooked with plenty of moisture from water, broth or even coconut milk.

AGEs form during cooking when sugars react with proteins or fats at high temperatures in a process called the Maillard reaction, the same one that gives browned food its flavor and color.

“Dry heat techniques such as frying, grilling, roasting, baking and barbecuing generate large amounts of AGEs because they involve high temperatures and low water content, conditions that strongly accelerate browning and glycation,” said registered dietitian and food scientist Jennifer Pallian, describing glycation as a process where sugar molecules attach to proteins or fats in the body without enzymes, often changing their structure and function.

“AGEs don’t just sit quietly in the body — they actually bind to tissues and change how they work,” said registered dietitian nutritionist Melanie Murphy Richter. One clear example is collagen: When AGEs attach to it, skin, joints and blood vessels stiffen. “They also interact with a receptor fittingly called RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end products), which triggers a cascade of inflammation and oxidative stress.” Over time, that constant stress weakens mitochondria, the energy-producing parts of our cells, and speeds up what we experience as aging, such as fatigue, slower recovery and reduced resilience.

AGEs can also accelerate chronic disease. “In diabetes, they worsen insulin resistance by interfering with how glucose moves into cells, and they can damage the pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin,” Richter said. “In cardiovascular disease, AGEs cross-link collagen in vessel walls, making arteries rigid and vulnerable to plaque buildup.” In the brain, AGEs add to oxidative stress and interact with proteins to create the inflammatory environment that contributes to Alzheimer’s.

Sofia Popov, microbiome scientist and founder of GUTXY, a gut wellness company that offers personalized microbiome testing, adds that high levels of AGEs in the diet may also disrupt the gut. “They weaken the gut’s protective barrier, leading to ‘leaky gut,’ where harmful bacterial toxins escape into the blood.”

Plus, AGEs can upset the balance of gut bacteria, lowering beneficial microbes that help produce protective short-chain fatty acids, while allowing less helpful strains linked to inflammation and gut damage to thrive. “These changes trigger chronic low-grade inflammation, gradually overwhelming the body’s natural defenses and accelerating aging processes,” Popov said.

While cooking can destroy nutrients by breaking them down with heat, water-based methods use lower temperatures — too low for the Maillard reaction to occur. That not only helps limit nutrient loss but also prevents the formation of harmful compounds such as AGEs. “Steaming helps preserve vitamin C, B-complex vitamins and cancer-fighting compounds like glucosinolates, which are all heat-sensitive,” Popov said.

Swapping dry-heat cooking methods for water-based ones can cut circulating AGE levels by as much as 50%. Popov notes that pan-fried eggs have about 10 times more than boiled eggs, stir-fried vegetables up to 2.4 times more than their boiled counterparts, grilled chicken breast four to five times more than poached per serving, and french fries up to 90 times more than boiled potatoes per serving.

There isn’t a universally accepted safe level of dietary AGEs, as the risk depends on how much you take in and how effectively your body clears them. “Only a fraction of dietary AGEs is absorbed, and in healthy people, roughly one-third of that absorbed amount is excreted by the kidneys, while clearance can fall with kidney disease,” said Kerri Louati, director of women’s health at LifeMD. “Because absorption, excretion, cooking methods and the food’s overall composition, including its water, fat, protein, sugars, fiber and antioxidant content, vary widely, experts have not defined a single intake cut point that predicts harm for everyone.”

In practice, treat AGEs like sodium or added sugar: It’s the overall pattern that matters. “Shifting more meals toward methods that reduce AGE formation has been associated with improvements in inflammatory and endothelial stress markers, even without directly measuring AGEs,” Louati said.

Aside from cooking methods, your food choices play a big role in how many AGEs end up in your body. “The highest AGE loads come from animal-based foods that are rich in protein and fat and cooked at high heat — things like grilled steak, fried chicken, bacon or processed cheese,” Richter said. “Pastries and baked goods that combine sugar, fat and protein are another major source, since sugar fuels glycation both during cooking and inside the body once eaten.”

On the other hand, plants tend to be much lower in AGEs. “Plants generally produce fewer AGEs because they’re naturally lower in fat and protein, the main building blocks for glycation, and richer in water, fiber and antioxidants,” Richter said. “But what’s equally important is nutrient synergy: Plants deliver polyphenols, vitamins and minerals that don’t just work in isolation, they work together.” Vitamin C regenerates vitamin E, helping stabilize cell membranes. Polyphenols from berries or green tea scavenge free radicals that would otherwise speed up glycation, while herbs like rosemary and turmeric can actually block AGE formation at the chemical level.

While it’s unrealistic to cut out dry-heat cooking methods completely, you can help lower the production of AGEs by being mindful of how you prep your food. Louati suggests choosing leaner cuts of meat and limiting added sugars, like in glazes, since sugars and fats on a hot, dry surface speed up Maillard reactions. “If you still want a glaze or glossy finish, brush on a very thin layer in the last minute or two of cooking or toss the food with a small amount off the heat,” she said. “Build meals from whole foods and pile on rosemary, thyme, oregano, turmeric, ginger, garlic, onion and black pepper; their nutrients, antioxidants and polyphenols help neutralize reactive intermediates, and their natural moisture keeps browning in check.”

You can also reduce AGEs during prep by adding acidity, moisture and shorter cooking times. Marinate foods 30 to 60 minutes in lemon or lime juice, vinegar, yogurt, wine, or tomato to lower surface pH and slow the Maillard reaction. “Use moderate heat and briefer cook times; for example, cook moist first and finish with a quick sear, and reheat with a splash of water rather than re-browning leftovers,” Louati said.

How you cook can be just as important as what you cook when it comes to nutrition. Small tweaks in cooking methods can significantly reduce AGE formation, and pairing the right foods with the right techniques gives your body the best defense against aging factors like AGEs.