Cebu City – Food is any substance consumed to sustain an organism's nutritional needs. Most of the food comes from plants, and animals, and contains vital nutrients like carbs, lipids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. You can eat it cooked or raw. But what is healthier raw food or cooked food?

Foods that haven't been cooked or processed are referred to as raw foods. Advocates argue that cooking destroys some nutrients and enzymes and that raw foods are more nutrient-dense than cooked ones. Some people think that heated food is poisonous. On the other hand, cooking food can improve its taste, but it also changes its nutritional content. Interestingly, some vitamins are lost when food is cooked, while others become more available for your body to use. Some claim that eating primarily raw foods is the path to better health. However, certain cooked foods have clear nutritional benefits. It may depend on the food neither it is completely raw nor completely cooked because both raw and cooked fruits and vegetables have various health benefits, including a lower risk of chronic disease.

Here are a few examples of foods that are either healthier raw or healthier cooked:

Foods That Are Healthier When Eaten Raw

• Broccoli: Raw broccoli contains three times the amount of sulforaphane, a cancer-fighting plant compound.
• Cabbage: Cooking cabbage destroys the enzyme myrosinase, which plays a role in cancer prevention. If you choose to cook cabbage, do so for short periods.
• Onions: Raw onion is an anti-platelet agent, which contributes to heart disease prevention. Cooking onions reduces this beneficial effect.
• Garlic: Sulfur compounds found in raw garlic have anti-cancer properties. Cooking garlic destroys these sulfur compounds.

Foods That Are Healthier when Cooked

• Asparagus: Cooking asparagus breaks down its fibrous cell walls, making folate and vitamins A, C and E more available to be absorbed.
• Mushrooms: Cooking mushrooms helps degrade agaritine, a potential carcinogen found in mushrooms. Cooking also helps release ergothioneine, a powerful mushroom antioxidant.
• Spinach: Nutrients like iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc are more available for absorption when spinach is cooked.
• Tomatoes: Cooking greatly increases the antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes.
• Carrots: Cooked carrots contain more beta-carotene than raw carrots.
• Potatoes: The starch in potatoes is nearly indigestible until a potato is cooked.
• Legumes: Raw or undercooked legumes contain dangerous toxins called lectins. Lectins are eliminated with proper soaking and cooking.
• Meat, fish and poultry: Raw meat, fish and poultry may contain bacteria that can cause food-borne illnesses. Cooking these foods kills harmful bacteria.

Therefore, some foods are more nutritious when eaten raw, while others are more nutritious after being cooked. However, it’s unnecessary to follow a completely raw diet for good health. For the most health benefits, eat a variety of nutritious raw and cooked foods. ND II, Sarah Belle I. Antiola, RND