Raw vs cooked vegetables: which is healthier?

Cooking food aims to make food easier to eat and digest by the body and to have a tastier taste and aroma. However, it cannot be denied that some ingredients in food can be lost during the cooking process, especially ingredients that are not heat-resistant. This has led many people to think that raw vegetables are healthier than cooked foods (because they don't lose much of their nutritional content). Is this true?

Cooking food can increase the nutritional value of a food

Some of the ingredients in food can be more easily digested by the body after going through the cooking process. Thus, cooked foods may be better than raw foods. Several studies have also shown that cooking vegetables can increase the levels of antioxidants they contain, such as beta-carotene and lutein.

Such as a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2002. This study shows that cooked carrots have higher levels of beta-carotene than raw carrots.

The antioxidant lycopene that many tomatoes contain is also easier for the body to absorb if the tomatoes are cooked first, not eating them raw. Research shows that tomatoes cooked for 30 minutes have twice the lycopene content compared to raw tomatoes.

This is because heat can destroy the thick cell walls in tomatoes, making it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients that are bound to these cell walls. In addition, the total antioxidant content in tomatoes increased by more than 60% after the cooking process.

However, some foods can lose their nutrients when cooked

Although cooking food provides its own benefits to food, cooking can also reduce some of the nutritional values in food. This is what makes some raw vegetables better than cooked vegetables.

Some ingredients in food are more sensitive to heat received during the cooking process. Generally, enzymes are sensitive to heat and will deactivate when exposed to heat. In addition, some nutrients, such as vitamin C and vitamin B, are also very susceptible to heat and dissolve easily in water when boiled.

Some studies have even shown that boiling vegetables can reduce the content of vitamins C and B by 50-60%. Not only vitamins B and C, vitamin A and several minerals can also be lost when cooking at high temperatures, although perhaps in lower amounts.

But don't worry, with the right cooking methods, the amount of nutrients lost can be reduced. The cooking method of steaming and roasting may be better than boiling to retain the B and C vitamins in vegetables or other foods. Also pay attention to when you cook. The longer you cook, the longer the food is exposed to heat, the greater the loss of nutrients.

What foods are better cooked or eaten raw?

As explained above, there are some foods that are better eaten raw and some that are better eaten cooked. This depends on the content contained in these foods.

Vegetables are better eaten raw

Some vegetables that are better eaten raw are:

Broccoli. Heat can reduce the sulforaphane content in broccoli. In fact, these compounds can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Cabbage. Cooking destroys the enzyme myrosinase, which can also prevent cancer.
Garlic. Also contains sulfur compounds (namely allicin) which can prevent cancer growth. This allicin compound is susceptible to heat.
Onion. Eating raw onions can help you prevent heart disease because of their anti-platelet properties. Heat can reduce this content.

The food is better cooked first

Some foods that are better eaten cooked are:

Tomato. Cooking tomatoes can increase the content of lycopene, which is linked to a reduced risk of cancer and heart attacks.
Carrot. The cooking process can increase the beta-carotene it contains.
Spinach. The nutrients in spinach, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc are more easily absorbed by the body when the spinach is cooked.
Asparagus. Ferulic acid, folate, vitamins A, C, and E, are more easily absorbed by the body when the asparagus is cooked.
Potato. Cooking makes potatoes easy to eat and digest by the body.
Mushroom. Cooking can reduce levels of agaritine (a dangerous substance in mushrooms) and ergothioneine (a powerful antioxidant in mushrooms).
Meat, chicken and fish. The cooking process can kill the bacteria present in meat, chicken and fish. And make meat, chicken, and fish easier to eat.