Are the Well-being Benefits of a Raw Food Diet as Advantageous as they Seem?

Even though raw foodism followers consider that cooking food destroys their natural resources, vitamins and enzymes; cooking does absolutely have its positives as well. Not only does it soften food to serve the absorption procedure but study shows that raw vegetables are not necessarily healthier for us.

Numerous studies undertaken in recent years by several but specifically by Harvard Medical School found that a high usage of lycopene (a red pigment primarily found in tomatoes and other food for example red bell pepper, pink guava, watermelon and papaya) lowers the threat of cancer and heart attacks, and may well in fact be a more powerful antioxidant than vitamin C.

Another report published by the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry deduces that heating effectively heightens the amount of lycopene in tomatoes. A particular form of lycopene in tomatoes, cis-lycopene, increased by 35% subsequent to being heated for 30 minutes at 190.4°F (88°C). This is as a result of the wide walls of the fruit being wrecked by the heating procedure, which facilitates the body to absorb the nutrients that are bound to the fruit’s walls. One of the best food thermometer's to help you in accurately measuring the temperature of your food is the efectivCHEF Quick Read Digital Cooking Thermometer.

Steamed or boiled vegetables for example cabbage, carrots, peppers, mushrooms, spinach and asparagus also emit a higher amount of antioxidants to the body than they do when consumed raw. Even though both steaming and boiling of carrots, broccoli and zucchini preserves antioxidants better than frying, boiling is believed to be the superior kind of cooking.

However, the disadvantage of cooking vegetables is that it can destroy some of their vitamin C, as it is easily degraded as a result of heat, oxidation and cooking in water (in fact it dissolves in water). However, the consequences may just be worth it as vitamin C can be found in many more vegetables and fruits (such as oranges, kale, broccoli, carrots and cauliflower) than lycopene.

That said, when certain plants, specially cruciferous vegetables for example cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli are heated, an organic composite called Indole, is formed, which helps to eradicate precancerous cells prior to them turning malignant.

So in summary, it's evident that it’s no simple task when comparing the health beneftis of raw and cooked food. There are still several ambiguities concerning how various molecules in plants react with the human body. Irrespective, the conclusion is to eat your fruit and vegetables despite how they are prepared.