In recent years, many people have said that eating vegetables raw will be more nutritious and can even prevent cancer. But does eating raw vegetables really have such a miraculous effect or is it harmful to our health? No matter how you view this point, you must first understand the advantages and disadvantages of eating raw vegetables before eating them!
Eating vegetables raw is the most nutritious
According to Wang Mingyong, an expert on organic diet, vegetables are rich in vitamin C, vitamin B complex, enzymes, minerals, etc. Once heated, the nutrients will Loss, "The intake of nutrients from raw vegetables will be higher than that from cooked foods." For vegetables containing vitamin C, 80% of the vitamin C will be lost when cooked at a temperature of 80°C, and the enzymes will be completely destroyed after heating. .
Many people think that eating raw vegetables means eating vegetable salads. In fact, this is not the case. Wang Mingyong said that energy soup, bean sprout juice, lightly pickled kimchi, etc., "As long as vegetables are not heated, they are called raw foods." "However, not all vegetables can be eaten raw. Root vegetables, because they contain raw starch, must be heated before they can be eaten, and cannot be eaten raw. Vegetables suitable for raw food are mainly leafy vegetables and sprouts.
According to the dietary guidelines of the United States, vegetables and fruits should each account for 1/4 of the food intake in a day, that is, fruits and vegetables combined should account for half. Wang Mingyong plans his diet based on this dietary guideline. Daily menu, "There should be more vegetables than fruits. The amount of vegetables I consume every day accounts for about 30% of all food, and the remaining 20% ??is fruits."
Although he is a believer in eating raw vegetables, Wang Mingyong Not all vegetables should be eaten raw. "My ratio of raw to cooked food is about 1:1." For example, if the recommended amount is 4 vegetables and 3 fruits a day, he will choose 1 vegetable to be eaten raw, then add fruits, and the other 2 Tao is cooked food, which satisfies the ratio of half and half raw and cooked food.
The nutrients of some vegetables can only be absorbed if they are cooked
Raw vegetableists believe that only by eating vegetables that have not been heated can you get complete nutrients. Zhang Silan, a nutritionist at Neihu Cathay Clinic in Taipei, disagrees. She believes that not all nutrients will be lost after heating. Vegetables rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K must be cooked with cooking oil, or topped with oil and vinegar sauce, etc. before they can be absorbed. absorb.
Generally, nutrients will be lost after vegetables are heated, but the opposite is true for tomatoes. The lycopene in tomatoes will release more lycopene after heating, and add some oil when cooking. Easier for the body to absorb.
People who advocate eating vegetables raw believe that nutrients will be destroyed after vegetables are heated, but Zhang Silan said: "It is not that serious, and there is no need to be too anxious." Do not cook vegetables at high temperatures or cook them for too long, or cook them overnight. Do not heat it repeatedly, as the nutrients will not be reduced too much. "It is not that the nutrients will drop from 100 to 0 after heating." You can also get nutrients by eating fried or blanched vegetables.
It is best to cook vegetables quickly, so as not to lose the nutrients after being cooked for a long time. What you eat in your stomach is really only calories and no nutrients.
Unheated food is prone to bacterial infection
In addition to absorbing more nutrients, some people believe that eating raw vegetables can also reduce cardiovascular disease, fight cancer, etc., Director of the Toxicology Department of Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Yan Zonghai clarified that there is currently insufficient medical and clinical evidence to confirm these claims.
Yan Zonghai said that what is worrying about eating raw vegetables is that these ingredients have not been processed at high temperatures and are easily contaminated by E. coli and salmonella. If there are parasites on the vegetables, you may eat them and suffer from parasitism. Insect diseases. These germs are not resistant to high temperatures. "As long as they are heated thoroughly, bacteria and parasites can be killed."
If you eat food contaminated by E. coli, it will cause acute gastroenteritis, vomiting, and Symptoms such as diarrhea and stomach pain may cause sepsis in people with weak immunity, the elderly, and children. As for salmonella contamination, although it is uncommon, the symptoms are much more severe than those of ordinary gastroenteritis. Once infected, it may cause sepsis and require hospitalization.
In Taiwan, patients infected with parasites are quite rare. However, during the cultivation of vegetables, parasites and eggs in the soil may adhere to the vegetable leaves. If the vegetables purchased are not washed If it is clean and not cooked, it is possible to eat live insects.
The risk of raw food is higher than that of cooked food
Yan Zonghai does not recommend eating raw vegetables. He believes that the risk of raw food is higher than that of cooked food. Although he hasn't completely stopped eating uncooked vegetables, he only eats them occasionally, such as eating out when there is a lettuce salad. He usually doesn't eat them deliberately. Raw vegetables are never in his diet. Planned.
Wang Mingyong, who advocates eating raw vegetables, has a different view. "I have been eating raw vegetables for almost 20 years. I have never had parasites in my life, and I have never taken anti-parasitic drugs." He believes that people suffering from the disease in Taiwan The chance of parasites is not high. As long as the vegetables are washed, bacteria and parasites can be removed, and pesticides are more terrible than parasites.
Organic fruits and vegetables should be grown in uncontaminated land, and no chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used. When eating, just wash away the remaining bacteria and insect eggs on the vegetables.
Choose seasonal or organic vegetables for raw food
When eating raw, it is best to choose clean vegetables without pesticide residues. However, the price of organic vegetables is much more expensive than ordinary vegetables. According to the past agricultural The committee randomly inspected commercially available vegetables for pesticide residues and found that legumes such as kidney beans and cucumbers were often on the list. For fruits and vegetables like these that are prone to pesticide residues, you can choose organic ones.
As for the vegetables that are abundant in the season, because they are cheap, farmers will not spray pesticides to increase costs when planting, and there will be less pesticide residues. If you want to eat the vegetables in season raw, you don’t have to Don’t buy organic. In addition, cauliflower is not easy to clean. Regardless of whether it is organic or not, Wang Mingyong will blanch it before eating it and will not eat it raw.
Organic vegetables are expensive. If you buy "fake organic" in an organic store, you will really be taken advantage of. Organic vegetables should be non-toxic and clean vegetables. However, "fake organic" products are often found in China, and although some organic vegetables are grown without pesticides, these vegetables are still unsafe if the farmland or water sources are contaminated. When people buy, they should try to find reputable stores.
According to Wang Mingyong’s experience, organic vegetables have better vitality and can be stored for a longer time. For example, ordinary Chinese cabbage will wither and turn yellow after being placed in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days, but organic vegetables will wilt and turn yellow. The cabbage is still very fresh after 5 or 6 days on the ice.
Pregnant and young children with poor immunity should not eat raw food
Although raw vegetables can absorb higher nutrients, not everyone can eat them. Yan Zonghai recommends that pregnant women, infants and young children, kidney dialysis, terminal Patients with liver cirrhosis, those undergoing chemotherapy and other major diseases, as well as those with poor immunity, are best not to eat raw vegetables, because eating parasites or bacteria such as E. coli may cause serious symptoms and endanger health.
Even if ordinary people want to eat raw vegetables, they must choose the right time. Wang Mingyong said that when you wake up in the morning, your body is cooler, so it is not suitable to eat cold vegetables or energy soup as breakfast. If you want to drink energy soup in the morning, you should drink it after breakfast. Do not drink energy soup after dinner, because some people will urinate frequently, have cold hands and feet, and become physically uncomfortable if they drink it too late. It is best to eat energy soup at noon, when the yang energy is the strongest. It is more suitable to eat raw and cold food at this time.
Drink warm energy soup in winter
In winter, the temperature is too low, and some people will feel weak and cold after drinking energy soup. Wang Mingyong believes that when taking energy soup, you can add water that is not hot to your hands. Make it a "warming energy soup" and it won't be too cold. Although some people think that high temperatures will destroy enzymes, vitamin C and other nutrients, this non-scalding temperature is less likely to destroy nutrients.
Vegetarians who only eat organic diets and raw vegetables will suffer from malnutrition due to insufficient intake of calories, protein, and vitamin B12. In addition to paying attention to calories, these people can also eat more plant-based protein-rich foods such as soybeans to supplement protein.
However, vitamin B12 is only found in meat. Not eating meat will cause vitamin B12 deficiency, causing pernicious anemia and other problems. In addition, the vitamin D and calcium provided by fruits and vegetables are also insufficient, so additional supplements are required.