4 vegetables that have more health benefits when cooked

Cooked mushrooms contain many nutrients. Picture: Pexels

Cooked mushrooms contain many nutrients. Picture: Pexels

Published Jun 29, 2022

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We know that a good variety of vegetables – the all-time health foods – is recommended for maintaining our overall well-being.

But did you know that some vegetables are actually better for you when cooked? If you want to reap maximum health benefits from these four vegetables, cook them instead of eating them raw.

Mushrooms

Raw mushrooms may taste great in salads, but you should probably avoid them. Health experts reveal that raw mushrooms contain agaritine,a carcinogen, and it is also impossible for your body to digest raw mushrooms.

They say that because you cannot digest raw mushrooms, you will not get nutritional benefits from eating them.

They also say cooked mushrooms contain many nutrients which include protein, carbohydrates, calcium, selenium, zinc, choline, vitamin D, fibre, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, and several B vitamins, including folate.

To make your cooked mushrooms taste delicious, we suggest sautéing them in garlic-infused olive oil or butter.

A staple in sandwiches and salads, tomatoes can give you way more antioxidant goodness when in a cooked form. Picture: Pexels/Photomix Company

Tomatoes

A staple in sandwiches and salads, tomatoes can give you way more antioxidant goodness when in a cooked form, like a sauce or even ketchup.

Research has shown our bodies can only absorb 4% of antioxidants from raw tomatoes, whereas when they are cooked those antioxidants are more readily available for use.

Don’t store potatoes in direct light, and don’t eat them if portions of the flesh are green in colour. Picture: Pexels/Georgiana Mirela

Potatoes

Not many people fancy eating a potato raw, and that is a good thing. Experts reveal that potatoes exposed to bright light for prolonged periods can build up high levels of glycoalkaloids that cause illness.

They say cooking doesn’t completely destroy glycoalkaloids, but does reduce amounts of this toxic chemical. That said, don’t store potatoes in direct light, and don’t eat them if portions of the flesh are green.

Rich in calcium and magnesium, spinach is also a great source of iron. Picture: Pexels/Rodolfo Quirós

Spinach

Spinach is rich in nutrients, including iron, magnesium, calcium, and zinc. Experts however reveal that these nutrients are more readily absorbed when spinach is cooked, because spinach is packed with oxalic acid (a compound found in many plants) that blocks the absorption of iron and calcium.

So, heating spinach releases the bound calcium, making it more available for the body to absorb.

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