5 Foods that are Healthier when Eaten Raw

You have heard from your mother or grandmother thousands of times that various foods should be consumed raw as cooking can kill their nutrients. Yes, that’s true! Heat exposure is the major reason that can alter the basic goodness of foods while making their nutritional profile completely null. Not only this, but it can also affect the taste and flavour too.
For all those, who want to make their health virtuous, it is extremely important to understand the cooking methods properly so that you can maximize your nutritional profile in no time. Maybe baking, boiling, steaming, roasting and grilling looks like a great way to enhance the taste of some food but it comes with a condition of altering nutrients and health benefits. So, some foods should be consumed in the raw form rather than tossing it in the pan.

Here are some foods that you should eat raw:

Broccoli: The green broccoli is packed with various nutrients like protein, Vitamin C, calcium, and potassium that are really helpful in building immunity, heart health, lowering down blood pressure and also gives many other health benefits. All of these nutrients and health benefits get easily washed-out, the moment you cook or boil it. To consume it in a raw form, you can make a broccoli salad at home and you can also add a home-made dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, herbs and garlic over it. It will not hamper the nutritional profile and also add a unique flavour to your buds.

Coconut: Due to the incredible amount of benefits it offers, coconut is something that everybody likes to prefer. But it’s important to take care of the form you are drinking! Various nutritionists and doctors said that packaged coconut water or sports drinks that say it has coconut water in it, or dried coconut is not safe to consume. Raw Coconut is packed with a lot of nutrients including potassium, magnesium and sodium with a high content of electrolytes but a processed form is rich in sugary content and will not offer the same content of nutrition to you- no matter how good the brand and taste it gives. Similarly, coconut chutney is also a bad decision to consume coconut.

Nuts: Many of you spend a million bucks to get that roasted and salted nuts. And why not! You all might love that flavour-ride. But let us tell you that it can do more bad than any good. Roasted and spiced nuts are low in nutritional values and are high in calories. Raw nuts are rich in iron, magnesium and Omega 3 fatty acids and can make you feel fuller for a longer period of time. Always choose raw and fresh nuts that are free from any roasting and salting. Similarly, say no to processed bars that are having nuts as it is only rich in sugary content.

Red bell peppers: We all adore the taste of red bell peppers! Isn’t it? These are rich in Vitamin C and can also fulfil more than half of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C. But giving it a cook or heating it can kill all the nutrients as it is very sensitive to heat. You can give it a very light stir fry before consuming, otherwise, raw is the best form to consume it.

Berries: Adding dried berries in the kitchen has become a great way to satisfy snacking time now a day. Unfortunately, dried berries are high in sugar content and do not provide any nutritional benefits. Also, it can add up to your weight as it is high in calories and carbohydrates. Always choose raw and fresh berries in order to get the maximum nutrients.

Over to you

So, to make yourself happy and healthy you should try to consume these foods in the raw form. Always beware of the processed and packaged foods as they are NIL in the nutritional profile and can do no good to the health and well-being.