Raw Vegetables

[Michael AndersKeymasterKarma: 3 pts]

Both raw and cooked vegetables have their own beneficial characteristics. Making sure our diet has adequate amounts of both can help us obtain a more balanced spectrum of benefits.

Benefits of Cooked Vegetables

• The cooking of certain vegetables has been shown to improve their antioxidant potential and allow for better nutrient absorption ["Thermal processing enhances the nutritional value of tomatoes by increasing total antioxidant activity." Veronica Dewanto, Xianzhong Wu, Kafui K Adom, Rui Hai Liu (May 1, 2002)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">1, "Bioavailability of beta-carotene is lower in raw than in processed carrots and spinach in women." C L Rock, J L Lovalvo, C Emenhiser, M T Ruffin, S W Flatt, S J Schwartz (June 8, 1998)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">2]
• Cooking can breakdown certain compounds which allows us to eat vegetables that might otherwise be inedible ["Effects of soybean flour on the pancreas of rats." E E McGuinness, R G Morgan, K G Wormsley (November 1, 1984)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">3]

Benefits of Raw Vegetables

• Heating of certain vegetables can destroy beneficial nutrients (specific examples below)
• Cooking can increase the glycemic index of certain vegetables ["Relationship between Processing Method and the Glycemic Indices of Ten Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) Cultivars Commonly Consumed in Jamaica." Perceval S Bahado-Singh, Cliff K Riley, Andrew O Wheatley, Henry I C Lowe (December 1, 2011)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">4]
• Raw vegetables appear to have a more influential effect on cancer prevention and risk of cardiovascular disease ["Raw versus cooked vegetables and cancer risk." Lilli B Link, John D Potter (September 2, 2004)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">5, "Seasonal consumption of salad vegetables and fresh fruit in relation to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer." B D Cox, M J Whichelow, A T Prevost (July 27, 2000)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">6, "Dietary intake of fruits and vegetables and risk of cardiovascular disease." Lydia A Bazzano, Mary K Serdula, Simin Liu (October 3, 2003)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">7]

Specific Examples

• Heating tomatoes can result in increased lycopene content and antioxidant acitvity ["Thermal processing enhances the nutritional value of tomatoes by increasing total antioxidant activity." Veronica Dewanto, Xianzhong Wu, Kafui K Adom, Rui Hai Liu (May 1, 2002)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">8]
• The availability of beneficial compound (isothiocyanates) found in cruciferous vegetables is reduced after exposure to heat ["Disposition of glucosinolates and sulforaphane in humans after ingestion of steamed and fresh broccoli." C C Conaway, S M Getahun, L L Liebes, D J Pusateri, D K Topham, M Botero-Omary, F L Chung (August 29, 2001)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">9]
• The beneficial effects of raw Brussels sprouts on colon carcinogens was not seen when cooked Brussels sprouts were examined ["Effects of Brassica vegetable juice on the induction of apoptosis and aberrant crypt foci in rat colonic mucosal crypts in vivo." Tracy K Smith, Richard Mithen, Ian T Johnson (March 28, 2003)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">10]
• A well known beneficial compound found in garlic (allicin) can be completely inactivate by only 60 seconds of microwave heating ["The influence of heating on the anticancer properties of garlic." K Song, J A Milner (April 19, 2001)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">11]

Additional Notes

• Americans typically consume a large portion of their vegetables in cooked form and lack an adequate supply of raw vegetables
• Many advocate a strictly raw food diet, but cooking appears to be an integral part of human culture and a more balanced dietary approach is likely more beneficial ["‘Cooking as a biological trait’." Richard Wrangham, NancyLou Conklin-Brittain (October 6, 2003)" rel="popover" data-placement="top" role="button" data-trigger="focus" data-html="true">12]

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