On several occasions through my interactions with diverse clients, I receive quite challenging questions, one of them being whether one should consume their vegetables raw or cooked. In this post, we will evaluate the importance of consuming raw and cooked vegetables, and attempt to determine whether either of the two is superior.
Whether to eat raw or cooked vegetables is entirely dependent on various circumstances and reasons. For example, if a person has diabetes, he or she may be advised to opt for the intake of more raw carrots rather than cooked carrots because raw ones are considered to have a lower glycemic index. Nonetheless, these same carrots require to be cooked for your body to best utilize their antioxidants. This same individual will still have to cook other vegetables whose glycemic indexes are not necessarily impacted by cooking or lack thereof. In this case, the objective to be prioritized is preventing the rise in blood glucose levels ;hence, it may be advised that this individual opt for the raw carrots even if their bio-availability is slightly decreased .This is an individual case because another patient who is also diabetic may not receive the same recommendation. Hence, it is not about which option is better but rather what objectives are being aimed for when one option is selected over the other.
Firstly, let us review the benefits of each method. Consuming raw vegetables has its benefits. Most notably, you will acquire as many nutrients as possible from a vegetable when it is eaten raw. Indeed, as we were discussing the various micronutrients, you noticed that some of them such as Vitamin B1 and Vitamin C are liable to loss when subjected to heat. So, cooking vegetables or other food sources with these micro-nutrients renders certain amounts of nutrient losses. Though, you should realize that the extent of nutrient loss also varies depending on the particular vegetable or food. The other benefit of consuming raw vegetables is that the food preparation time is greatly reduced.
On the other hand, consuming cooked vegetables or any other food source implies a reduction in the risk of food poisoning incidences. Generally, foods contain parasites and bacteria that could be harmful when ingested, and cooking actually lowers the likelihood that you could consume any of the agents associated with food poisoning. The nutrients of certain vegetables such as carrots and tomatoes become more digestible and bio-available when cooked. As a matter of fact, food preparation methods such as boiling, steaming, and grilling can preserve the nutrients and vitamins in a particular food.
Consequently, there is an agreement that both the intake of cooked and raw vegetables prove to have benefits. Notwithstanding, it is rather complicated to state which one is better than the other. Moreover, it all comes down to why you are opting for one alternative over the other. To illustrate, if your sole reason for consuming vegetables raw has to do with your being concerned about the potential nutrient losses then this may not be valid as long as you are including a varied diet. Also, in this similar case, whilst thorough cleaning may ensure that you reduce the likelihood of consuming unsafe raw foods, cooking may be most appropriate because you will still be obtaining the required nutrients while minimizing the likelihood of food poisoning.
Therefore, whether to eat your vegetables raw or cooked should not be the concern but rather what you are aiming to achieve from opting one for the other. Neither is better but you will realize that during particular instances, the benefits of either one may outweigh the other.