One of the newer trends today is to eat raw food. Gone are the days where we spent hours behind the stove, cooking all the meat and veg to a pulp. Today, we are wise enough to understand that these foods lose their nutritional value when cooked for too long. But could it be healthy to eat raw vegetables? And how would you eat it?
You are in good company – in this post, we look at several health benefits of eating raw vegetables and give you some pointers on how you can consume it while we are at it. Not everyone loves nibbling on a whole raw carrot, and if you don't, you really should not have to. There are many ways you can prepare raw vegetables and still get the health benefits if you hadn't processed it at all.
If you love looking at new and fresh ways to prepare healthy meals or need some pointers on how to start planning meals more effectively, head on to this post over here.
Let's take a look at what health benefits you can expect when eating raw vegetables.
Yes, that is correct. All you naysayers out there, vegetables and fresh fruit contain lots of fibers, and very little fat and calories. That's like a yo-yo dieters dream, isn't it? You can enjoy a raw piece of vegetable, guilt-free, knowing that while you eat that, your body is not consuming any fat. You can also rest assured that due to the fact that raw vegetables are high in dietary fiber, you won't need as many carbs to feel full.
Green veggies like broccoli actually have the ability to reduce your chances of getting cancer. This is of course if it is not cooked. Some vitamins and minerals present in vegetables are no longer present once it has been cooked. These vitamins and minerals include Vitamin C and folate. In broccoli specifically, isothiocyanates and glucosinolates are destroyed when exposed to heat. These vitamins actively combat cancer.
Raw foods have the ability to cool our bodies down and hydrate us at the same time. This is mainly due to the high amount of water in raw veggies and fruits like cucumbers, watermelon, salads, and spinach.
Recent studies have found that raw vegetables contain water-soluble fibers which, when consumed, will actively fight the amount of cholesterol present in our bodies. High cholesterol usually leads to heart problems or heart-related disease. Eating more raw vegetables which are high in dietary fiber will help your body protect itself against bad cholesterol.
Because raw veggies are not cooked and deprived of all their nutritional goodness, we are able to make the most of the vitamins and minerals when we consume raw and fresh fruits and vegetables, leading to a notable increase in energy levels.
Consuming raw vegetables will automatically increase your daily intake of antioxidants. This means your body will have free access to all the necessary vitamins and minerals it needs to build its strength and includes actions like anti-aging, boosting your immune system, and protects your body cells to name but a few.