When making healthy meals, most of us don’t think about whether or not cooking our food affects its nutrition. Although, some foods can be more nutritious when cooked, there are other foods that are healthier when consumed raw. This is because heating can destroy certain nutrients.
As such, Jumia Food, Nigeria’s No 1 food ordering platform identifies some of the foods that are healthier when eaten raw.
Onions
Onions has sulphur compounds, along with cancer-fighting antioxidants. Thus, eating it raw can help shield you against lung and prostate cancer. So, do not shy away from popping a slice in your mouth when cooking.
Red Pepper
Red pepper contains a large amount of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to repair, regenerate tissues and protect against heart disease. When you cook it, the level of vitamin C will significantly decline. So, if you want to get the best out of red pepper, do not cook it!
Garlic
Quite a number of people hate eating raw garlic because of the smell. However, cooking it reduces the antioxidant allicin, which helps fight heart disease and cancer. Garlic does contain other nutrients that remain intact after cooking, but to maximize its benefits, it’s best to enjoy garlic raw.
Spinach
Spinach is high in vitamin C and cooking it gets rid of a large amount of nutrient. However, cooking spinach also breaks down oxalic acid which can assist with your body’s absorption of calcium, iron, and magnesium; so it is advisable to alternate when eating it.
Nuts
We all prefer the taste of roasted nuts, but the cooking process takes away some of its nutritional value. Know that roasting increases the calories and fat content of nuts while diminishing magnesium and iron.
