Vegetables are good for you; this is common knowledge. Not only are they low in calories, which will help you stay in shape, but they have a lot of other benefits to keep you healthy. And the good thing about them is that they are healthy for you no matter how you cook them. And if you don’t wish to cook them, raw vegetables provide you with even more also have a lot of benefits. In fact, what you might not realise is that raw vegetables have different nutritional benefits than cooked ones.
While both options are certainly good for you (and truly, eating vegetables, no matter how you cook them, is the important thing), there are a few reasons why you might choose the raw option.
A lot of vitamins – Vegetables, of course, are rich in vitamins and minerals. Raw vegetables have a higher vitamin content. These vitamins are heat-sensitive, so being exposed to heat will suck the nutrients out of your vegetables. While cooked vegetables will still supply a lot of these nutrients, eating raw vegetables will ensure that you get all of them into your system.
More antioxidants – The antioxidant content in vegetables is very high. This is why some people will add things like cucumbers to their water. Some of these antioxidants will leave the veggies while they are being cooked, while others might be neutralized by cooking oil.
More variety – One of the benefits of eating raw vegetables is simply to include more variety in your diet. Cooked vegetables can be a bit boring sometimes (specially if you have them a lot) so sometimes it might be good to swap that roasted pepper in your recipe for a raw one. This will add crunchiness to your dish.
The downsides of eating raw vegetables – While eating raw vegetables can bring a lot of benefits into your life, some vegetables (like carrots, or tomatoes) are actually more nutrient packed when cooked. So, it is important to mix it up, and truthfully, just have a bit of both. The important thing is to have a well-rounded diet that gives you the nutrients you need.
Healthiest vegetables to eat raw – Vegetables like broccoli, spinach and lettuce are among some of the healthiest vegetables to eat raw. This is because they are rich in vitamin C, which can be destroyed if cooked. Other veggies include brussels sprouts, kale, lettuce and green beans and onions.
It is important to have vegetables and fruits with every meal. They are filled with nutrients that may lower your risk for certain serious health problems.
M&P Engineering is a leading manufacturer and supplier of food processing equipment to suit all food production factories. M&P Engineering’s large onion peeling machine uses self-adjusting floating knives to top, tail and peel onions of 45mm to 115mm diameter. The machinery is easy to operate due to the simplistic mechanism and design and thanks to the dry peeling process the product remains in pristine condition once it has been peeled.
M&P Engineering offers a wide range of food processing machinery in addition to onion peeling machines, including food depositors and rotary transfer units. If in need of food filling equipment, M&P Engineering designs and manufactures sachet filling machines to suit your factory requirements. If working on a budget, speak to a member of our M&P Engineering team today to discuss its range of used food processing equipment.
If you would like to find out more information about any of M&P Engineering’s products, call us on +44 (0)161 872 8378.