Foodie Friday - Raw or cooked?

There have been studies done that we should be eating atleast a 51 percent raw food diet. There are suggestions that we should eat 70 percent raw food and 30 percent cooked. Of course most raw vegetables and fruits keep their nutrients in the raw state but once cooked lose some of their nutrients due to the heat. But there of course are some foods we need such as beans for protein that must be cooked.

Most of us are barely eating enough fruits and vegetables. We need to make sure we are eating our fruits and veggies and they should be atleast 50 percent of our diets! Of course you need your grains, nuts, seeds and legumes (beans) as well but together they should be 50 percent of the diet. Let us get back on track and eat healthier!

Vegetables that are rich in vitamin C, like broccoli, spinach and lettuce, are among some of the healthiest vegetables to eat raw, since cooking can significantly destroy the vitamin C content. Vitamin C-rich vegetables to eat raw include: Brussels sprouts. Kale. Broccoli. Lettuce. Green beans. Snow peas.

Bell peppers.

Also, onion and garlic should be eaten daily raw. They provide anti-bacterial properties as well as antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties.

Foods best to eat cooked and why:

Uncooked potatoes not only taste bad but can also lead to digestive problems. The uncooked starch of the potatoes can lead to bloating and gas. To avoid any type of gastronomical problem, it is advisable to bake, sauté, or cook the potatoes before consumption. It is also advisable to stay away from green potatoes which contain high amount of solanine, a poisonous toxic which can lead to headaches and nausea.

Uncooked or undercooked beans contain a large amount of toxin, glycoprotein lectin which leads to problems such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea within some hours of consumption. The severity of the symptoms also depends on the amount of toxins that have been consumed. Kidney beans have high amount of lectin which can cause the problems mentioned above. Soaking the beans for 5 hours can help in destroying the toxin.

Eggplant has compound solanine which restricts the absorption of calcium. Solanine poisoning can lead to a number of neurological and gastrointestinal problem the symptoms of which include nausea, dizziness, vomiting and cramping. Wash it eggplant using a vegetable and fruit cleaner before cooking to make it safe for consumption.