July 10 – Foods That Are Better Off Cooked
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We hear it a lot to eat fresh green salads with as many colorful veggies in it as you can! And it’s true that all the minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients our bodies get from the fresh produce is immense!
However, some vegetables have a “secret” that reveals their true power when they are a bit cooked. Not really over-cooked, but heated in a healthy way: through roasting, grilling and steaming.
The higher temperatures tend to unlock and release the most powerful of the “ingredients” these vegetables carry inside. What are they?
- Tomatoes
- Asparagus
- Carrots
- Red Cabbage
- Red Bell Peppers
- Spinach
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– What vegetables do you like RAW and Slightly COOKED?
– Are you aware of the fact that some vegetables release more antioxidant power when they are slightly cooked?
good morning ladies hope you all are having a super day I like them cooked and some raw they are good either way some better cooked them others
Good Morning! I had always thought that raw veggies were better for you. It’s interesting when you find something you believed to be true for so long not true!
JENNIFER,
It truly IS amazing to discover new things that shatter down the myths we believed in!
Morning, I like my broccoli raw. I did not know about cooking the veggies to unlock more nutrition.
Good day! I am picky with veggies but there are still alot I enjoy. Broccoli raw or steamed is one of my all time favs. Carrots are good both ways. I love steamed asparagus(or roasted or grilled). I did not know some veggies are better for you slightly cooked. I always thought cooked was just taking away the good stuff.
Well I’m a day late, but I couldn’t get the page to load yesterday. I like many foods both raw and slightly cooked. Turnips, cabbage, mushrooms, red or yellow peppers, onions, ……so many I can’t even think.
When you eat tomatoes cooked, your body absorbs more of their cancer-fighting Lycopene.
Why Lycopene
Found in brightly colored vegetables, Lycopene may guard us from Heart Diseases and many types of cancer.
Sources of Lycopene
Tomatoes are the best known source of this amazing phytonutrient! Plus, all tomato products like Pastes, Sauces, Purees contain up to 75 mg per cup! Eat them, plenty of them with your pastas, salads and as dips.
RAW Tomatoes are good, but they are not as rich with Lycopene as when they are heated!
I did not know that I guess I will have to eat more cooked ones intresting
Tomatoes, to get the whole benefit of them, should be eaten cooked! Otherwise, lycopene won’t be absorbed by your body!
I had no idea. I knew tomatoes had lycopene but I didn’t know they helped reduce the risk of cancer or that it was better to cook them.
I eat a lot of tomatoes during summer, in salads and on sandwiches. I guess I need start cooking them. I do use them in stir fry. I don’t eat much pasta.
I am not a fan of raw tomatoes at all. If I accidentally bite into one on a burger I have a mini freak out. lol But I do enjoy sauces and stuff you can make from them. I like to make fresh pasta sauce with all the things from our garden. So much better tasting than canned or jarred.
I didn’t know about the lycopene. I love grilled tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and a little feta cheese. I add them to stir fries and we eat a lot of those. We like tomato sauces for dipping, so I guess we’re doing well.
The benefits of raw red cabbage are Immense! Heard it? IMMENSE!
– Low calorie
– No Fat
– Even with 1 gram of protein!
– 1.5 gram of fiber
– 90% it is Water!
It is a Strong Antioxidant source that enhance your immune system, thus, Health.
Why Cooked Red Cabbage?
A cup of cooked red cabbage would satisfy 85% or your daily Vitamin C requirements!
Plus about 20% of your daily Vitamin A requirements!
Did you know that?
Both vitamins are part of the cancer fighting vitamins and phytonutrients. They benefit and thwart against diabetes, stroke, heart attach, bone loss and kidney stones!
EAT RED CABBAGE REGULARLY!
no I did not know that but I will have to add it in my slaw and use it in my pot roast
I’m confused. I understand that it is good to cook and eat raw but which is better? Or does it matter?
Jennifer,
Most of the time, RAW IS the Way to eat our veggies!
Today, I’ve given an example of some veggies that unleash additional power for some nutrients that are released ONLY when they are heated!
NO CONFUSION needed here!
Continue eating RAW. But remember these vegetables that have some amazing power when they are slightly heated, like on a grill, sauteed.
That helps. Thank you!
I don’t like cabbage.
Interesting. I love red cabbage in my salads but never thought to eat it cooked. I’m not even sure how you would cook it. I’ll be checking out Pinterest for some ideas. I know my fiance won’t touch it with a ten foot pole but maybe my son will enjoy it.
I love red cabbage, raw in salads or on sandwiches, used in coleslaw, stir fries, soups and stews, fried in evoo, and roasted cabbage steaks. Yum.
Raw Asparagus is cool, but when cooked it releases some of the protective antioxidants –> Ferulic Acid, the nutrient that safeguards cells from environmental damage and may protect us from certain cancers. And yes, they are Heart-friendly!
The Raw Asparagus is loaded with:
– Fiber
– Glutathoine –> Detoxifying compound that helps to break down carcinogens and other harmful compounds like free radicals.
– Packed with Antioxidants and is the TOP veggie to neutralize the free radicals
– Contains Asparagine, the natural amino acid that acts as Diuretic!
– Wanna stay Young –> Eat Asparagus! With B12 vitamin inside it prevents cognitive decline!
I’m not too big on raw asparagus. I prefer mine cooked anyway. Any suggestions on how to cook it? I’ve had them on the grill and that was really good.
You can put them in oven with a little olive oil and sea salt or parmesan cheese.
Fresh grated parmesan is best. Also you can wrap a piece bacon around a little bunch of asparagus.
we grow our own asparagus and not to much eating it raw unless its cut up small and in a salad
I love asparagus, I cook it in oven and in grill. My whole family loves it.
One of my favorite veggies and the whole family likes it (a rare occasion in this house). I cannot even imagine eating it raw though….yuck. I usually steam it but it’s great roasted/grilled/stir fried. So yummy. I must admit I love it with mayo which is counter productive but I’ve broken this bad habit. I’m lucky to live in a region where asparagus is grown locally. We had (they just cut it this year unfortunately) an Asparagus Festival with live music, activities, a fried asparagus eating contest and asparagus made every way imaginable. Can I say asparagus ice cream anyone?
I can only eat it raw if it’s the very thin new stalks, and very chilled. Otherwise we eat it cooked any way. Our favorite is to marinade it for a couple of hours and then toss it on the grill.
RED BELL PEPPERS
This vegetable has earned its accolades in abundance. All due to its immeasurable by our human science ability to provide a rich pantry of amazing phytonutrients, those chemicals that keep our bodies zinging and zooming and thriving!
“Bell pepper contains concentrated amounts of beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. (One cup of freshly sliced red bell pepper, for example, contains about 1,500 micrograms of beta-carotene, or the same as one third of a small carrot.)
In a recent study from Spain, researchers took a close look at vitamin C, vitamin E, and six different carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, cryptoxanthin and zeaxanthin) found in all commonly eaten foods.
Only two vegetables were determined to contain at least two-thirds of these nutrients. One of these foods was tomato, and the other was sweet bell pepper!”
The best way to prepare Red Bell Peppers for the antioxidant power retention is through Sauteing. With a few minutes on a skillet, your veggies are done, and you can season them with any herbs and your choice of spices.
I admit, I don’t eat too many red peppers but it sounds like I should start. I can’t believe how much beta-carotene they have in them.
love my peppers great on sandwitches in salad and in salsa
I eat them in salads raw. I use them cooked with stir fry, steaks, sausages.
I love the flavor of bell peppers but the crunch I cannot handle. I cook with them a lot but end up picking them out of the dish. I’ll have to look into some more recipes that may use them in a way I’d actually eat em.
I don’t care much for green bell peppers, but red and yellow are fabulous. They are a staple in my kitchen for cooking and snacking.
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SPINACH
Spinach is yet another golden leafy veggie that provides a myriad of phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals to our bodies to function as new.
It’s an excellent source of:
– Vitamins K, C, A, E and B6
– Magnesium
– Riboflavin
– Potassium
Remember this:
While cooking spinach degrades its Folate and Vitamin C, it liberates the Antioxidant Carotenoids, thus increasing their Bio-availability.
Thus, Cooked Spinach is higher in Vitamin A than its raw counterpart.
Incorporating both Raw and Cooked into your diet on the regular basis would help you to get the benefits of a wider variety of nutrients that this amazing leafy vegetable has to offer.
I’m funny about spinach. I love raw spinach. I eat it almost daily. I cannot stand cooked spinach though!
I use spinach in my smoothies everyday. I have used it in my lasagna.
I love spinach!!
I don’t think I’ve ever tried cooked spinach. It looks so unappetizing. But I’ve always know it was good for you thanks to Popeye. I’ll have to try it cooked. I do love it in salads though.
I never ate raw spinach til I was an adult. I love it though. Hubby will eat it in a salad, but it has to be mixed with other greens. We both love wilted salads though (not the healthiest options, so it’s a rare treat), and we love it cooked, or grilled onto sandwiches.