Plant Best Eaten Cooked

It is true that eating raw vegetables is healthier because the cooking process takes away at least 50 per cent of the enzymes and nutrients in vegetables. Eating organic raw fruits and vegetables is a key aspect of an anti-cancer diet. However, this claim doesn’t impose that ALL vegetables must be eaten uncooked. That being said, it is suggested that you keep a note of all plant foods, especially vegetables that are best eaten raw and those that need cooking.

Plant Foods That Are Best Eaten Raw

• Fruits – all types of fruits can be eaten raw, except for a handful kinds like quince and crab apple that are too tart to be eaten raw.
• Non-sweet Fruits – cucumbers and tomatoes are optimal fruits that are packed with water and nutrients, which are essential in weight control and general health.
• Lettuces – iceberg and romaine are popular lettuces we make into different salad recipes and eaten raw. Romaine is rich in water and nutrients and is easily digestible. The Iceberg lettuce on the other hand is pleasant to the taste buds, just like the former, and is also easily digestible.
• Celery – a high alkaline and optimal vegetable that goes well with other vegetables and fruits, except melon.
• Avocado – this contains natural fats needed for energy and optimal health.

Plant Foods That Are Best Eaten Cooked

• Seeds and Nuts – these are usually roasted with or without salt. Seeds and nuts are good sources of protein and healthy fats. These make as a healthy snack; however, raw nuts have phytic acid that is harmful to the body. Phytic acid can prevent your body from absorbing nutrients like zinc, magnesium, iron and calcium.

• Exotic Greens – these include frisée, dandelion, watercress, mustard greens, mache and escarole. They have a slightly bitter taste and can be toxic when eaten raw.

• Peas, Beans, and Legumes – these need cooking and should only be eaten in a minimal amount as fat, starch and concentrated protein that make them putrefy and ferment in the body, leading to production of gas.

• Squashes – acorn, pumpkin, butternut, and zucchini among many others are flavourless and difficult to digest. They need cooking and seasoning to become palatable and digestible.

• Raw potatoes have hemagglutinins that interfere with red blood cell functions.

• Raw, edible mushrooms, like the classic white mushroom, have toxic substances such as agaritine, a suspected carcinogen. These substances are neutralized by cooking.

• Alfalfa sprouts are slightly toxic and weaken the immune system. If eaten often, they may contribute to inflammation, lupus and arthritis!