Is it better to eat raw or cooked?
Here is a debate (almost) old as the world: is it better to eat raw or cooked? Each camp has its own recommendations: raw food eaters will ensure that raw is the option to choose, while followers ofChinese dieteticswill swear by hot and cooked. But what are the real advantages and disadvantages of each option? And above all, what about the type of food concerned?
Eating raw
Followers of raw food attest to it: eating raw allows you to benefit from all the nutritional resources offood. But without going as far as the extreme raw food (which has many disadvantages!), it must be admitted that it is better to eat most vegetables raw and fresh. The body thus takes full advantage of their richness in enzymes, minerals, vitaminsand water. Indeed, heat deteriorates many nutrients (including vitamins A, group B, C). But be careful: these same vitamins are sensitive to light, so it is advisable to store the foods concerned in a cool and dark place.
In addition, raw fruits and vegetables, if consumed moderately and at the beginning of a meal, “launch” digestion, raw vegetables “exciting” gastric secretions. In addition, some fruits boost the digestive process of proteins, because they are rich in enzymes (cysteine protease) that participate in the hydrolysis of peptide bonds. Thus papaya, pineapple, fig and kiwi are to be eaten raw, at the beginning of the meal.
Benefits of eating raw
- Preservation of the majority of vitamins and minerals.
- “Authentic” taste of food.
- Faster and longer lasting satiation, due to the chewing effort required.
Disadvantages of eating raw
- Possibility of bacterial or parasitic contamination, especially for animal proteins.
- Difficulties in preserving and preserving nutritional qualities.
- A large consumption of raw fruits and vegetables can irritate the wall of the intestine ( raw Fibers ), resulting in pain and transit disorders.
- Some foods are not edible when raw (for example, plants containing solanine).
Eat cooked
The act of cooking food has had very beneficial consequences for the evolution of human beings. Indeed, certain foods (meat, root vegetables), which have become more easily edible through cooking, have facilitated the digestion and assimilation of certain nutrients by our hominid ancestors. Thus cooking has eliminated many parasitoses and poisonings and increased the energy value of certain foods (the digestion of cooked foods requires less energy from the body than that of raw foods). These phenomena contributed to the brain andmuscle growth of our ancestors.
Cooking therefore allows edibility, sanitation, enrichment and improvement of the diet, in general. But beware, everything depends on the cooking method: some, very aggressive for the food, will deteriorate its structure and thus, its potential benefits. We are of course thinking of cooking with water, which contributes to the phenomenon of “leaching” (loss of micronutrients), or cooking with a flame (smoking of food, carbonization of fats, release of carcinogenic AHAs and HPAs) .
Disadvantages of eating cooked
- Improved consistency, appearance and taste of certain foods.
- Better digestibility, for the majority of foods.
- Accessibility to certain foods, which cannot be eaten raw.
- Destruction of possible bacteria and parasites (E. coli, toxoplasmosis, salmonella, etc.).
Disadvantages of eating cooked
- Alteration of the nutritional quality of certain foods, with partial or total destruction of micronutrients – especially group B vitamins and vitamin C.
- Some cooking methods are harmful to health, like frying or barbecuing. They generate the formation of oxidizing substances (such as acrylamide), or even potentially carcinogenic substances.
- The glycemic index of certain foods (carrots, beets) increases with cooking.
Foods: which to eat raw or cooked?
Foods that can only be eaten cooked
- Chestnuts (tannic acid causing liver and kidney damage)
- Cassava root (cyanide)
- Bitter almonds (cyanide)
- Green beans and butter (phraseolin causing intestinal disorders)
- Legumes, especially kidney beans (phytohaemagglutinin causing severe gastrointestinal disturbances)
- Eggplant (solanine)
- Unripe tomato (solanine)
- Cashew nuts (anacardic acid on the shell of cashews is an allergen)
- Most mushrooms, especially the morel (hemolysin destroys red blood cells)
- chicken and pork
Foods best eaten raw
- Broccoli, because it contains sulforaphane, beneficialagainstcancer, inflammatory process and. Cooking deteriorates this substance.
- Arugula, because it is rich in vitamin B9 (mental health) and flavonoids (antioxidant quercetin).
- So-called unstable vegetable oils, such as rapeseed, hazelnut or grape seed oil. These fats change under the effect of heat. They can even release carcinogenic substances.
- Garlic and onion, because they contain allicin with antiviral and antibiotic properties.
- Berries (blueberries, blackcurrants, currants, strawberries …), because cooking destroys by half their polyphenol content.
- Beetroot, because although it is common to eat it cooked, it is much richer in calcium, iron, potassium, fiber and vitamin B9 than cooked (it loses up to 25% of its nutrients). In addition, the cooking process increases its glycemic index.
- Pineapple, because the bromelain it contains (reducer of inflammation, antiplatelet agent, ” fat-burner “) is damaged by heat.
Foods that are best eaten cooked
- Crucifers such as kale or turnips, gentle cooking (steam, steamed) allowing better absorption of their phytonutrients.
- Spinach, because cooking facilitates the assimilation of the iron, magnesium and calcium they contain.
- Antioxidants (carotenoids such as beta-carotene or lycopene) and ferulic acid in asparagus, peppers, tomatoes and carrots are “released” during cooking. These substances help reduce inflammation factors in the body.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.