Cooking food aims to make the food easier to eat and digest the body and so has the taste and aroma of a more delicious. However, it is undeniable that some of the content in food can be lost during the process of ripening, especially content that is not heat resistant. This makes a lot of people think that raw vegetables are healthier than cooked food (because the nutritional content is not much that is missing). Is this correct?
Cooking food can increase the nutritional value of a food
Some of the content in food can be more easily digested after going through the process of ripening. So, cooked food may be better than raw food. Some research has shown that cooking vegetables may increase the levels of antioxidants they contain, such as beta-carotene and lutein. As research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2002. This study showed that cooked carrots have high levels of beta-carotene which is higher than raw carrots.
The antioxidant lycopene that is widely conceived tomatoes are also more easily absorbed by the body if the tomatoes are cooked first, not eat it in raw condition. Research shows that tomatoes are cooked for 30 minutes has a high content of lycopene, which is twice the size compared to raw tomatoes. This is because heat can destroy the cell wall thickness in the tomatoes, making it easier for the body can absorb nutrients that are tied to the walls of the cell. In addition, the content of total antioxidant in tomatoes increased by more than 60% after the cooking process.
However, some foods can lose nutrients when cooked
Although the cooking of food provide special benefits on food, but cooking can also lose some of the nutritional value in food. This makes some of the raw vegetables are better than cooked vegetables. Some of the content in food is more sensitive to the heat received during the cooking process. Generally, enzymes are sensitive to heat and will turn off when exposed to heat. In addition, some nutrients, such as vitamin C and B vitamins, are also very susceptible to heat and is easily soluble in the water when boiled.
Some research even shows that boiling vegetables can reduce the content of vitamin C and B up to 50-60%. Not only vitamins B and C, vitamin A and some minerals can also be lost when cooking at high temperatures, though perhaps in a lesser amount. But don’t worry, with the right cooking methods, the amount of nutrients lost can be reduced. The cooking method of steaming and roasting is probably better than boiling to retain vitamins B and C in the vegetables or other foods. Note also the time you cook. The longer you cook it, the longer the food is exposed to heat, the greater the amount of nutrients lost.
What food is better cooked or eaten raw?
As already described above, there are some foods that are better eaten raw and there are those who are best eaten cooked. This depends of the content contained in those foods.
Vegetables are better eaten raw
Some vegetables are better eaten raw is:
• Broccoli. Heat can reduce the content of sulforaphane in broccoli. In fact, these compounds can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
• Col. Cooking destroys the enzyme myrosinase, which can also prevent cancer.
• Garlic. Also contains sulfur compounds (i.e. allicin), which can prevent the growth of cancer. Compound allicin is vulnerable to heat.
• Onion. Eating onions raw can help you in preventing heart disease because of the content of antiplateletnya. Heat can reduce the content of this.
The food is well cooked first
Some foods are better eaten cooked is:
• Tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes can increase the content of lycopene, in which lycopene is associated with reduced risk of cancer and heart attacks.
• Carrot. The cooking process may increase the beta-carotene it contains.
• Spinach. Nutrition in spinach, such as iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc is more easily absorbed by the body when cooked spinach.
• Asparagus. Ferulic acid, folic acid, vitamins A, C, and E, is easily absorbed by the body if cooked asparagus.
• Potatoes. Cooking easy potatoes are eaten and digested.
• Mushrooms. Cooking can lower the levels of agaritine (a harmful substance in the mushrooms) and ergothioneine (antioxidant in mushrooms strong).
• Meat, chicken, and fish. The cooking process can kill the bacteria in meat, chicken, and fish. As well as meat, chicken, and fish more easily eaten.
The need for digital IT is needed in everyday activities, Bead IT Consultant is the right choice as your partner, visit our website by clicking this link: www.beadgrup.com