Some foods lose some of their nutrients and benefits to the body when cooked or added to industrialized products, as many vitamins and minerals are lost during cooking or due to excess sugar, white flour and chemical preservatives that the industry adds to processed products.
Here is a list of 10 foods that provide the most health benefits when eaten raw.
- The health benefits of chocolate are due to cocoa.
- Which is rich in antioxidants and has properties such as lowering blood pressure and producing Serotonin.
- The hormone that gives you a sense of well-being.
However, to produce chocolate, the industry uses large amounts of sugar, oil, flour and other ingredients that make the final product no longer have the benefits of cocoa, so ideally consume chocolates with at least 70% cocoa, and use cocoa powder to make recipes and add it to breakfast milk, for example.
Although convenient, industrialized juices are rich in artificial preservatives, dyes and sweeteners, which can cause problems such as allergies and increased blood sugar, as well as not providing all the beneficial nutrients of fresh fruit.
Therefore, it is necessary to prefer to buy fruits and make natural juices at home, because this way the food will be rich in fresh nutrients that will detoxify the body, improve metabolism and bring disposition to the body.
Garlic is rich in allicin, a substance that helps lower high cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and prevent thrombosis and heart disease; however, raw garlic contains large amounts of allicin, as some of it is lost during cooking.
Therefore, to protect your heart and get more health benefits from garlic, you should eat it raw or drink 1 glass of garlic water a day in the morning and before bed. Find out here how to make this home remedy for the heart.
Eating biscuits, cereal bars, breads and other coconut products does not bring the benefits of this fruit, as they are rich in sugars and white flour, which increase blood sugar and promote weight gain.
Therefore, fresh coconut should be preferred because it contains fibers that improve the functioning of the intestine, and its water is rich in potassium, sodium, phosphorus and chlorine, important minerals to maintain the hydration of the body, especially after physical activity. See also how to make coconut oil at home.
During the dehydration process, the fruit loses some of the vitamins contained in the water and begins to have twice or triple the sugar before, increasing the calories of food and blood sugar after consumption.
For example, it is preferable to consume fresh fruit, which gives more fullness, has fewer calories and provides all the nutrients for the body to function properly.
Oily fruits such as nuts, chestnuts and peanuts are rich in omega-3s, good fats that help maintain heart health and nutrients such as iron and magnesium, which prevent anemia and muscle problems.
Therefore, the consumption of these industrialized fruits with aggregate salt should be avoided, as excess salt increases blood pressure and causes water retention, decreasing the benefits of raw fruits. See how Brazil’s nut protects the heart.
Red peppers are rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6 and magnesium, nutrients that act as antioxidants and prevent problems such as anemia.
However, when cooked, fried or roasted for a long time, red pepper loses its vitamin C and antioxidant power, so it should be consumed raw or in fast sofritos, without the food temperature eating up too much.
Like garlic, onion is rich in allicin, a substance that helps prevent cardiovascular problems, cancer and high blood pressure, however, cooked onions lose some of this nutrient, so eating raw onions has more health benefits.
Broccoli is a vegetable rich in vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and proteins, as well as containing the substance sulforaphan, which prevents cancer, lowers high blood pressure, improves the immune system and protects the heart.
However, this protective substance is better absorbed into the gut and is most commonly used in the body when broccoli is eaten raw, so avoid cooking this vegetable for a long time, preferring to eat it raw or cooked quickly for 5 to 10 minutes by steam.
Beetroot is rich in fiber, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and folic acid, nutrients that help strengthen the immune system, combat inflammation and lower blood pressure.
However, once cooked, beetroot loses some of this nutrient, so it is better to eat it raw, grated in salad or added in natural juices. See beetroot juice recipes.
See how the raw diet develops, where only raw foods are allowed on the menu.