Cooking can be considered as an important part of preparing food. The most common myth which surrounds the fact of eating cooked food is that cooking kills the bacteria and makes your food safe for consumption. However, there are many food recipes which don’t include cooking and can be consumed raw, but a majority of food like vegetables, meat, chicken and breads are cooked or boiled before consuming.
Is it healthy to eat raw food, or is it safer to cook your food before consuming it? We will try and find a solution to this question.
Taste:
It is believed that raw food has most natural taste than the cooked food. The idea behind this logic lies in the activeness of the enzymes. Raw food generally has active enzymes whereas enzymes in the cooked food are denatured. Taste of cooked food can be altered by using various spices, but food which contains oil and spices is not necessarily healthy and nutritious. Raw food gives a more natural taste and cooked food needs artificial flavors.
Digestion:
Enzymes are needed for a healthy digestive system. As mentioned earlier, raw food are rich in enzymes. They are responsible for breaking down the food particles so that it can be utilized for energy. Raw fruits and vegetables are rich source in enzymes and breakdown carbohydrates, proteins and fats. On the other hand, cooked food has low levels of enzymes, making it harder to digest. However, cooked food is safer and has fewer chances of carrying unwanted bacteria and other virus which can affect your health.
It is hard to figure out if raw food is better than cooked food or vice versa, but the fact that raw food has more nutrients supports the consumption of raw food theory. However, not everything can be consumed raw (for e.g. Meat) and hence it becomes important to cook some foodstuffs. A well planned combination of raw and cooked food can be considered appropriate and an ideal diet for a person.
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