One interesting thing I discovered is the nutritional difference between raw and cooked veggies. I had heard and read that lightly cooking broccoli increases its nutritional profile. I was amazed that the same holds true for green leafy veggies like kale.
A cup of cooked kale has 1062mg of Vitamin K, while raw only has 547mg.
A single raw brussels sprout has 143 IU of Vitamin A, While a cooked one has 217. However, Vitamins C and K decrease with cooking. While Folate and choline increase. Confusing? Overwhelming? Yes. I constantly read that raw fruits and veggies pack a powerful enzyme punch. Something their cooked counterparts lack. I wish I could find similar numbers for various vegetable enzyme levels in raw and cooked forms.
According to one website: Enzymes are important because they assist in the digestion and absorption of food. If you eat food that is enzyme-less, your body will not get maximum utilization of the food. This causes toxicity in the body. (Can you guess why over 75% of Americans are overweight?)
My take away is that a mix of raw and lightly cooked veggies is best. Throughout my day, I eat or drink a mix of raw veggies and fruits along with some cooked veggies. When I cook my greens, I only steam them for 1 to 2 minutes. Never longer. Usually just 60 seconds and they're done. Which is great for fixing dinner in a hurry. My goal is to always have something green with each meal. So get your green cooking thumb on.
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