Leafy greens will benefit your body no matter if you eat them as raw or cooked vegetables. However, you absorb the abundant minerals such as calcium, iron, and beta carotene in spinach better when it's a cooked vegetable.
Broccoli, spinach, and lettuce may lose up to 50% or more of their vitamin C when boiled ( 4 , 5). Because vitamin C is water-soluble and sensitive to heat, it can leach out of vegetables when they're immersed in hot water. B vitamins are similarly heat sensitive.
Cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers and many other vegetables also supply more antioxidants, such as carotenoids and ferulic acid, to the body than they do when raw, Liu says. At least, that is, if they're boiled or steamed.
Are Raw or Cooked Veggies Better For Weight Loss? Raw veggies have fewer calories than cooked veggies, due to their higher water content, Coufal explained. Cooking evaporates the water, making cooked veggies more calorically dense, meaning they have more calories per pound.
As for the loss of nutrients, certain vitamins do dissipate after a vegetable is cut -- those that are carried by water, like vitamin C, rather than fat, like vitamin D. But the amount of loss is determined by the storage temperature and the length of time the food remains exposed to the air.
Research shows that leafy greens also contain a specific type of sugar that helps fuel growth of healthy gut bacteria. Eating a lot of fiber and leafy greens allows you to develop an ideal gut microbiome — those trillions of organisms that live in the colon.
Spinach and other leafy green vegetables like kale, lettuce, etc. are great for burning belly fat and are very nutritious as well.
1. Spinach. This leafy green tops the chart as one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables. That's because 1 cup (30 grams) of raw spinach provides 16% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin A plus 120% of the DV for vitamin K — all for just 7 calories ( 1 ).
Boiling is the worst way to cook vegetables: “You're going to lose a lot of the nutrients in the water unless you use it for soup,” he warned. Boiling has a much longer cook time compared to, say, steaming, which uses less water and helps to retain nutrients.
2. Kale. Kale is a very popular leafy green vegetable with several health benefits. It provides around 7 calories per cup of raw leaves and good amounts of vitamins A, C, and K.
If you eat contaminated leafy greens without cooking them first, such as in a salad or on a sandwich, you might get sick. CDC estimates that germs on produce eaten raw cause a large percentage of U.S. foodborne illnesses. Leafy greens and other vegetable row crops are a major source of E. coli O157 infections.
It might sound strange if you're used to eating fresh greens in salads (and most of us are). But there is absolutely no reason not to grill or cook your lettuce. Heartier varieties—like romaine, escarole, and endive—stand up just fine to a little heat.
Yes, cooked lettuce! In Chinese cuisine, cooking lettuce is not unusual. Actually, it's more often cooked than served raw. In fact, stir-fried lettuce is a cherished “good luck” recipe served around Chinese New Year.
While it will wilt and soften, it will also retain a bit of refreshing crunch and add another layer of texture and sweet flavor to the soup. Arugula, spinach, or other darker, softer greens also add a nutritious punch — lettuce in soup is an easy way to get another serving of greens in.
Cooking (Or Not Cooking) Broccoli To Protect Its Nutritional Riches : The Salt Cooking broccoli too long destroys the beneficial enzyme that breaks down chemicals into cancer fighters. The best way to eat it is raw or steamed for just two to three minutes, a nutrition expert says.
In most cases, raw broccoli is safe to enjoy with little or no risks. However, like most vegetables in the cruciferous family, both raw and cooked broccoli may cause excessive gas or bloating in some people. Broccoli may cause digestive distress, particularly in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) ( 12 ).
Nightshade Vegetables
Eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes are all members of the nightshade family. These vegetables contain the chemical solanine, which some people claim aggravates arthritis pain and inflammation.
These veggies: certain vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale and cabbage contain special phytonutrients (fight-o-nutrients), such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which help to fight against environmental estrogens that can add belly fat.
There are many other variations of dark leafies, including collard greens, kale and even romaine. These plant foods are great sources of folate and a host of vitamins and minerals. They also provide a punch of fiber that help clear your colon.