Which is Healthier for you? Raw vs. Cooked Vegetables
Raw Food enthusiasts make some serious assertions about the benefits of eating raw foods. They state that food in its natural state has its full complement of vitamins, minerals, food enzymes and much more. Moreover, if one wants the maximum amounts of these nutrients in a foods, cooking will damage the nutrient content, So what are we to think?
Does Cooking Destroy Nutrients?
Cooking does not destroy all nutrients. Recent research has shown that antioxidants actually increase when cooking certain vegetables. According to the Journal of Food Science, recent research shows that irrespective of cooking methods, certain vegetables seem to retain their nutrients better than others. Beets, artichokes, green beans, and garlic seem to keep more of the antioxidant powers, regardless of how they are cooked. Carrots, celery, and green beans actually were more potent in removing free radicals after they were cooked. Researchers aren’t sure why, but postulate that additional antioxidants may be freed due to cell wall destruction during cooking, or that new antioxidant compounds might be formed by “thermal/chemical reactions.”
A January 2008 report in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry said that boiling and steaming better preserves antioxidants, particularly carotenoids, in carrots, zucchini and broccoli. An earlier study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2002 showed that cooking carrots increased their level of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is part of a group of antioxidants called carotenoids, which give fruits and vegetables their red, yellow, and orange colorings. The body changes beta-carotene into vitamin A, which promotes healthy reproduction, supports bone growth and regulates immune system function.
Moreover, minerals are not affected by cooking. In fact, they are often made far more bioavailable by cooking because cooking breaks down the fiber where the minerals reside. In addition, gentle steaming, preserves some minerals as well.
Cooking actually has several nutritional advantages. It breaks down the fiber in the food and renders the vegetables more digestible for many people. It also helps kill some bacterias, viruses and parasites that may be on raw vegetables if they are not cleaned sufficiently.
The Downside of Cooking Vegetables
Some of the problems with cooking vegetables are that vitamins C and E are damaged. Cooking for about 10 minutes begins to destroy vitamin C, but does retain some of their vitamin C content. Vitamin E is destroyed in about 20 minutes, depending on the temperature of cooking and the way the food is sliced and diced. However, cooking may be worth the tradeoff because vitamin C is prevalent in many other food sources. Another interesting fact is that stir-frying for under ten minutes preserves most Vitamin C and E.
Some problems with Raw Foods?
Today, one of the biggest issues concerning raw foods is improper cleanliness. Uncooked foods may contain bacteria and parasites. In addition, most people today cannot digest raw foods easily. This is because they lack the enzymes to digest cellulose and other vegetable fibers. Cows for example, have four stomachs to help them regurgitate their foods several times aiding in the digestion of raw foods. Humans do not have this capability, making digestion difficult. Many nutrients are bound in the starch matrix of vegetables and fruits and are unavailable if eaten raw because raw starches are difficult to assimilate into the body. Cooking breaks down the starch, cellulose and other fibers, rendering the nutrients more available for absorption. Cooking also concentrates some vegetables such as the leafy greens, making it possible to eat much more of them at a sitting.
How to enjoy your vegetables?
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