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The big raw food debate: An ayurveda perspective

The big raw food debate: An ayurveda perspective
Avoid having raw salads during the monsoon as your gut is prone to infection during this season. ©Shutterstock.

According to the ayurvedic school of thought, not all foods are good to be eaten raw. Read on to know why, as we tell you how to balance between raw and cooked foods.

Written by Paras Hemrajani |Published : November 20, 2019 7:23 PM IST

The space of nutritional science is fraught with many fad diet trends and switching to raw foods is one among those. The popularity of raw foods stems from the belief that they are higher in nutrients and lower in calories than the cooked ones. Experts are of the opinion that most of the essential and health-friendly nutrients are lost in the process of cooking. While this school of thought cannot be written off, ayurveda has a different take on this.

THE AYURVEDIC POINT OF VIEW

Ayurvedic diet recommends that you can eat fruits, nuts, and salads raw but not all food items should be consumed in the uncooked form. As per Ayurveda, it is necessary to cook some food items before you have them. This is beneficial in two ways: Firstly, warm food increases blood flow to your gut, which improves your digestive health; Secondly, cooked food is easy to break down, which is why your body absorbs more nutrients. Science also bacs these claims by the Ayurveda school of thought. Studies published in the National Institute of Health (NIH), US, have shown that cooking food is better than eating them raw.

WHY SCIENCE RECOMMENDS COOKING FOOD

According to the NIH, while cooking saps drains foods off some essential nutrients, it helps your body to absorb some others in a more efficient way. Here are a few other science-backed reasons for cooking your food.

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Cooked food is easier to chew and digest

Chewing in the first and the most important function of your digestive system. If there's a problem in this, it could reduce your digestive capacity, bringing down your ability to absorb nutrients. According to the NIH, cooking food breaks down some of its fibres and plant cell walls, making it easy to chew and digest. It is important that the food is digestible, as absorption of nutrients depends on it. Cooking of food has been linked with reducing the anti-nutrients in the food. Anti-nutrients are plant-based compounds that can inhibit the body's ability to absorb nutrients.

Cooking food can increase its antioxidant capacity

According to a study published in NIH, cooking certain vegetables like carrots, broccoli and zucchini can increase the proportion of antioxidants like beta-carotene and lutein in them. Beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant, which can be converted into vitamin A by the body. These antioxidants have been linked with decreasing the risk of prostate cancer and heart diseases as they protect the body from harmful molecules called free radicals.

Cooking food kills harmful bacteria

Vegetables like spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and raw sprouts, are prone to give you bacterial contamination. That is which is why it is advised that they should not be consumed raw. E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria are some of the most common bacteria that may be found in raw foods. Eating food items that contain bacteria can trigger food-borne illnesses.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

There is no denying that raw foods come with some added nutritional benefits. But there are some pitfalls to having everything raw. Instead of ditching uncooked foods altogether, be a little smart about your choices. It's best to discuss with a nutritionist before making the decision. Avoid having raw foods during the winter and monsoon seasons. While your body's defence mechanism is weak during the cold wintry days, monsoon is the season for viral and bacterial gut infections.