Reviewed by nutritionist Karen Ansel, MS, RDN
Image: Getty Images. EATHELL design.
Key points
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Cooking some vegetables can reduce the content of vitamin and antioxidants.
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Garlic, broccoli, beets, cabbage and peppers are fosher raw than cooked ones.
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If you can’t eat them raw, burning is usually the best way to keep their nutrients.
Only 10% of adults in the United States eat enough vegetables, according to the centers for the control and prevention of diseases. Because vegetables are loaded with nutrients that help prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer and other chronic diseases, this is not exactly a big news. While eating vegetables in any form is crucial, you may be surprised to learn that some vegetables retain more of their nutrients when eating them raw instead of cooking.
As a bonus, many raw vegetables do not require much, if any, time to prepare. And they can even be purchased pre -cut for convenience. Raw vegetables are also easily portable, so you can take them in motion to supplement nutrients to your lunch or quick breakfast. So, they are a convenient way to add more products to your day, which can simply win you a place in this coveted top 10% of Americans who actually eat enough vegetables!
Which vegetables are healthier to eat raw? We ask the question of nutritionists. Here’s what they told us, plus delicious new ways to add more raw vegetables to your world.
1. Garlic
Garlic is not just a scent. It is also full of health benefits, especially if you eat it raw. Eating raw garlic is associated with better cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. “The secret lies in allicin, a powerful compound discovered in garlic, which is created through an interesting chemical reaction,” says Stacey Woodson, MS, RD, LDN. “When you cut, lubricate or press fresh garlic, break the walls of the cells,” she explains. “This allows two naturally occurring compounds, allinin and enzyme allinase, to mix and mix, forming the useful allicin.”
If you do not like raw garlic (or your stomach can’t tolerate it), don’t worry! “If you cut or press your garlic and let it stand at least 10 minutes before cooking, you will still reap these remarkable health benefits, as this brief break gives a chemical reaction to work with its magic,” says Woodson. While you don’t have to wait for this reaction when using raw garlic, try this recipe trick where you will cook it.
2. Broccoli
If a vegetable has to get a gold star to prevent disease, it may be broccoli. This patron vegetables can help protect against cancer and is associated with better health of the intestines, bones and heart. This is because it is loaded with nutrients such as folate and vitamins A, C and K, as well as calcium, iron and potassium. Broccoli are also rich in bioactive compounds, including glucosinolats, sulforaphane and indol-3-carbinol, which act as antioxidants and help reduce inflammation. So, there are many good reasons to eat.
While cooked broccoli still contain some of these nutrients and antioxidants, raw broccoli give you much more than them. “Broccoli loses some of its antioxidants and vitamins, such as vitamin C and folate, in the cooking process,” says Lisa Andrews, M.ed., Rd, LD.
The immersion of raw broccoli flowers in the ranch is a great start. But why stop there? Sapna peruvemba, MS, RDN, recommends that grated broccoli is weak with cream -shaped dressing. For even more diet, mix in more raw vegetables such as carrots, cabbage and cabbage.
If the raw broccoli is not for you, try to activate it. Studies have shown that burning is the best method of cooking to preserve glucosinolats struggling with broccoli. On the contrary, frying stirring and boiling broccoli leads to the largest losses of nutrients.
3. The color
Nothing beats raw beets! That’s right, you can enjoy these root vegetables raw. In the process you will evaluate even more nutrients. “The bright red color of the beet comes from betaleins, which are antioxidants with anti -inflammatory properties,” says Juliana Crimea, RD, MHSC. The problem is that the betolans are easily degraded by heat. “Eating beets raw helps to preserve these nutrients intact, along with Vitamin C and natural nitrates,” she says.
And if high blood pressure is a problem, eating raw beets can help you reduce your number. This is because beets are rich in blood pressure compounds called nitrates. After eating beets, their nitrates become nitric oxide, which helps to relax your blood vessels to improve blood flow. While both raw and cooked beets have this effect, raw beets are particularly powerful, which can explain why a study found that raw beet juice lowers blood pressure even more than boiled beets.
You are not sure how to prepare raw beets? “If you want to enjoy raw beets, try to crush them in salads or glory, mixing them in smoothies or dipping or slicing them thinly to make a refreshing beet salad garnished with feta or goat cheese,” Crimi offers.
4. Kale
Kale is another cross vegetable worth eating raw. When you cook cabbage, you lose health minerals and antioxidants, especially glucosinolas struggling with cancer. “These vegetables contain an enzyme called myrosine, which helps to turn glucosinolats into powerful compounds called isotiocyanates that have anti -inflammatory and contradictory benefits.
Do you need another reason to eat Kale Raw? Consider the results of a study that found that people who ate 1½ weekly portions of raw cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, are less likely to develop pancreatic cancer than people who ate only a serving of raw cruciferous vegetables per week.
This was said, many people are not fans of the difficult texture of Raw Kale. If you are one of them, Pruvemba recommends that you massage it until it is softened. Or try to mix raw cabbage in puree. You will extract all its nutrients without trying to chew it.
5. Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are a delicious addition to fries, omelets, stewed beans and more. But did you know that a raw red pepper contains more than double double vitamin C orange and nearly 20% of your daily dose of folate?, The bell peppers are also full of antioxidants such as polyphenols. “Vitamin C, folate and polyphenols can break down during the cooking process,” says Trista Best, Mph, Rd, LD. Eating them raw will ensure that you are getting more of these nutrients, she explains.
The raw bell peppers make a great breakfast, dipped in humus or guaca, thrown into a spicy black bean salad or stuffed with tuna salad for a light lunch or dinner.
Our expert takes
All vegetables are great for you. But some vegetables such as garlic, broccoli, beets, mud and bells retain more nutrients when eating them raw instead of cooking. This is because the heat of cooking can break down their antioxidants or make some of their vitamins and minerals escape during cooking. “This was said, if the raw vegetables upset your stomach, do not stress,” says Perebamba. “Prepared, they are still incredibly nutritious, and eating them is much better than missing them entirely or eating them raw and feeling unhappy.” If raw vegetables are not your thing, burning is usually the best method of cooking to hold their nutrients. But in the end, every vegetation is good Vege!
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