The Movement Toward Fresh Raw Vegetables

For the past several years, there has been a movement toward fresh, raw vegetables.  The idea is that by avoiding the heat associated with the cooking process, the concentration of nutrients contained within the veggie should be higher than if they’re cooked.  The idea sound good on the surface, but does it hold up under close scrutiny?

Health Benefits of Fresh, Raw Vegetables

Several recent publications have explored the health benefits of the raw movement.  With respect to nutrition, the results are rather ambiguous.  For example, research has shown that if the goal is to consume vitamin C, we would be better served by going the minimally processed route.  Why?  Because vitamin C is not stable to heat, and so degrades at high temperatures.  Most people think of citrus fruits when discussing vitamin C, but many vegetables are also excellent sources.  Some of them include:  broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, kale, mushrooms, peas, and sweet potatoes.  Vitamin C is generally considered a powerful antioxidant and important for protecting against many diseases and cancers, so many Americans strive to consume high amounts.

The flip side of that equation is that other nutrients and antioxidants are actually concentrated by the cooking process.  Take lycopene, for example.  Lycopene is most well known as the substance that imparts the red color to tomato and tomato products (i.e. ketchup), but can also be found in fruits such as watermelon, pink grapefruit, and red bell peppers.  Some scientists believe that lycopene may be an even more powerful antioxidant than vitamin C.  In contract to vitamin C, lycopene is actually concentrated by the cooking process.  This makes sense, because it is closely bound by the cell walls.  Furthermore, lycopene is not found in a large variety of vegetables, in contract to vitamin C.  Studies have shown similar results with carotenoids, which are found in carrots, zucchini, and broccoli.

It seems to me that the answer to the question of whether to go with cooked or raw vegetables lies first and foremost in what you will eat.  Vegetables, delivered in almost any form (except fried), are healthy.  Particularly in the western diet, we would be better served by eating more of them – period.  From there, the discussion about how to prepare them should first be a matter of what you like and will eat.  If you don’t like raw broccoli, then try it boiled, steamed, or grilled.  Eaten in any form, you will be better served by eating more of such healthful veggies.

For myself, most of the time I go lightly cooked in the case of most crunchy vegetables.  Give me broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and I enjoy the crunch.  Beans of all sorts I take boiled, and leafy vegetables I prefer raw (as in salads).  Why?  Because that’s how I like their taste.  If I won’t eat them, it doesn’t matter how good they are for me.

How do you take your veggies?

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