Saturday, May 15, 2010

Raw Food vs Cooked Food: The Scoop

Is raw food really healthier than cooked food? Let's look at all angles of the question.

Why do we cook food? Basically, food is cooked to kill germs and bacteria and to make it more palatable.

However, not all food requires cooking. For example, some foods like vegetables or fruits can be eaten raw after merely being washed with water. Indeed, sometimes if those types of food are cooked they will not taste nice.

Cooking food also causes its enzymes to denature. Science has also proven that vitamins and minerals in food which are vital for our growth and health are killed off by intense heat.

However, if we were to eat meat, fish or other such foods raw we would most likely throw up at the horrible taste. We would also end up falling ill as these foods contain high amounts of germs and bacteria when they are raw and uncooked.

Hence, to answer the question: For certain types of food which only need to be rinsed to cleanse the dirt off them, it is definitely better to eat them raw as it this will help to preserve the freshness of the food and sustain the vitamins and minerals contained in the food.

On the other hand, you had better not try eating meat or fish raw unless you want to contract salmonella or food poisoning!