Eating fresh uncooked vegetables sounds intimidating, but it is not. It is clean, refreshing, and allows us to appreciate the goodness of nature in its purest form. Traditionally, our meals have always included at least one portion of uncooked vegetables in the form of salads, chutneys, and raitas. It is time to bring back the ancient wisdom and embrace the benefits of uncooked meals in their most scrumptious avatars.
Cooking causes nutritional losses
Overcooking vegetables, especially the leafy ones, causes nutritional losses. Natural enzymes in vegetables, which help digestion, are destroyed by overheating. The best way to preserve all the nutrients, vitamins and enzymes in vegetables is to eat them uncooked.
Benefits of eating fresh, uncooked vegetables
We can enjoy uncompromised and unaltered nutritional benefits, which greatly help in building strength and immunity. It also helps to fight deficiencies and other diseases.
Cooked food is easy to chew and swallow, often resulting in overeating. Uncooked food encourages mindful eating. This helps in keeping the weight in check.
A good balance of water, nutrients, and fibre aid digestion making you feel lighter and energetic.
You will also notice better skin, shinier hair, improved sleep, and a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Deep Rooted recommends: freshly harvested crunchy vegetables that can be eaten raw
Not all vegetables can be eaten raw. Vegetables like Potatoes, Brinjals, and Mushrooms, to name a few needs to be cooked. Care must be taken not to overcook. Steaming is the best way to cook vegetables, and deep-frying is the worst. One may try baking or roasting as well. Most other vegetables can be eaten raw.
Green leafy vegetables like spinach, Arugula, Cabbage, and Lettuce can be tossed into salads or added to green smoothies for maximum benefit. Vegetables like Kale and Collard Greens have high fibre content. Steaming, blanching or sautéing makes them easy to digest. Do not boil them in water or let them overcook.
Beets contain folate, an important compound for the brain. Cooking Beets for a longer period takes away the rich nutritional content. Another vegetable that is best eaten raw is Bell Peppers. Bell Peppers lose their vitamin C in cooking.
Juices made from Gourds such as Bottle Gourd and Ash Gourd have many health benefits. It facilitates weight loss, improves digestion & lung health, and helps manage anaemia, anxiety, insomnia, stomach ulcers etc. Juice of bitter gourd helps with diabetes.
Carrot juice is one of the healthiest drinks. It is a powerful antioxidant. Including Carrots in green smoothies will help against many health issues including arthritis, asthma, high blood cholesterol etc.
Celery juice is also very nutritious. It is anti-inflammatory and is a wonderful source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre.
Other vegetables like Radish, Cabbage, Onions, Lettuce, Zucchini, Parsley, Cucumber, Turnip and many more also have a range of health benefits when consumed as juices. Sprouts and Microgreens are a powerhouse of nutrition with a delightful earthy taste. They can be used in salads, sandwiches, wraps etc. and don’t need cooking.
How much and how to eat?
Normally, a healthy person can have 50%-70% of their total food intake as raw food. This includes fruits, nuts, sprouts, juices, smoothies, and salads. If you are new to eating raw, start small and gradually build up. It is extremely important to choose fresh and clean produce to ensure the right taste and optimum nutrition. We at Deep Rooted.Co has one of the widest varieties that can make this possible. Adopt fresh, embrace good. Make the change now.