What vegetables can you eat raw?
In this brief article, we are going to answer the question, “What vegetables can you eat raw?”
What vegetables can you eat raw?
There are many vegetables that you can eat raw. Some of them are mentioned below.
Parsnips
Raw parsnips have the same flavor and crunch as raw carrots. Prepare them raw and arrange them on a crudite dish, or shave them thin and mix them into a salad.
Sprouts of Brussels
Try Brussels sprouts raw if you’ve never liked them before. While the boiling form may have been a necessary evil as a child, the shredded or chopped thin versions are a long cry from that.
Sunchokes
Shaved and thrown in salads, this tuber, also called Jerusalem artichokes, adds a nice crunch.
Corn
When corn is at its sweetest, it might actually taste better raw than when it is cooked. One of the best things about summertime.
Beets
Beets, when eaten in their raw state, are luscious, sweet, and very crisp. Cut them into tiny strips or shred them for use in salads and slaws.
Asparagus
Asparagus is delicious when roasted, but it also makes for a refreshing and light salad if you cut the stems into thin strips.
Fork-Chopped Greens
We’ve already extolled the virtues of raw bok choy, but still it bears repeating, you need to start using it in more ways than just stir-fries.
Kohlrabi
You may add crunch and a little heat by slicing the veggie into matchsticks or shaving it thin.
Artichokes
If you wish to eat an artichoke raw, choose a little one because the “choke” in larger ones must be removed before eating. To keep artichokes from turning brown after being chopped, sprinkle with lemon juice.
Black-eyed peas with kale
When raw collards are finely sliced and added to a salad, they have the same satisfying heartiness and density as kale.
Roots of Celery
Shredded celery root is a great addition to coleslaw since it is particularly crunchy and has a subtle celery taste.
Zucchini
Raw zucchini in paper-thin slices makes for a fantastic pizza topping. You may also peel the vegetable and use the ribbons in salads or with spaghetti.
What are the benefits of eating raw vegetables?
Greater Quantity of Vitamins Dissolvable in Water
Vitamin content is increased in fresh vegetables, which is one of their main advantages. Vitamin C and other nutrients are heat sensitive and can be destroyed or lost when vegetables are cooked. So, for instance, compared to raw cauliflower, boiling cauliflower is probably deficient in vitamin C.
Water-soluble elements, such as vitamins C and B, are more easily absorbed when vegetables are eaten raw rather than cooked. However, you may still get enough vitamin C in your diet through cooked vegetables.
Antioxidants
Vegetables are beneficial because they contain antioxidants. But similar to vitamin C, antioxidants can be degraded in the cooking process.
As your veggies cook, some of the antioxidants they contain may be lost to the water, while others may be neutralized by the oxidation of the oil used in cooking.
Consuming fresh vegetables at their height of maturity is the best way to maximize your body’s absorption of their protective antioxidants.
Experiment with a Wide Range of Textures
The nutritional value of raw vegetables is secondary to the fact that it provides yet another option for including these healthy foods into your diet.
Serve raw broccoli salad instead of the roasted broccoli you would normally serve as a side dish to bring a unique and interesting texture and flavor to your meal.
Similarly, swapping out steamed spinach for a spinach salad is a great way to add some variety to your diet and take use of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Avoiding monotony in one’s eating habits is facilitated by eating a variety of nutritious vegetable meals.
What Are The Consequences of Consuming Raw Vegetables?
While a raw vegetable diet is beneficial, cooked vegetables also have their place. Cooking can increase the bioavailability of several nutrients.
Example, the beta-carotene (a form of vitamin A) in carrots is more readily absorbed when cooked than when fresh. And cooking helps your body absorb more lycopene, the antioxidant responsible for tomatoes’ red color.
Vegetables are good for you whether you eat them fresh or cooked in a variety of healthful ways including steaming, roasting, grilling, etc.
The key to a balanced diet that provides all the nutrients people need is to eat a wide range of foods prepared in different ways.
Traditional diet proponents say you don’t need raw food to gain nutrients. Cooking makes certain meals healthier. Cooking tomatoes releases lycopene as well as other carotenoids that boost our immune system, fight cancer, and reduce heart disease risk.
Raw foodists may lack iron, zinc, calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. Raw foodists should take vitamin supplements.
Contaminated food exposes people to germs and viruses. Cooking and preparing food kills salmonella. Uncooked food can cause illness including food poisoning.
Food-borne infections are more common in young children, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems.
Conclusion
In this brief article, we answered the question, “What vegetables can you eat raw?”
