Raw Or Cooked Veggies For Cancer Prevention?

We know that eating vegetables helps prevent cancer but is raw or cooked best? Well it depends on the veggie. Eating them both raw and cooked should have you covered.

Many studies show raw vegetables offer more anticancer benefits. This is not always true with foods high in beta carotene, our body converts beta carotene from whole foods into Vitamin A. A little heat changes the form of beta carotene so it's more easily absorbed. You are likely to absorb more beta carotene from lightly cooked vegetables than raw ones, says researcher John Erdman, Jr., Ph.D., at the University of Illinois.

Also, you are able to absorb more lycopene, another strong anticancer antioxidant, from cooked tomatoes than raw ones, according to German studies.

Certain anticancer carotenoids like lutein in green leafy veggies are not harmed by heat.

But -- several fragile anticancer agents, including indoles and vitamin C in vegetables, are destroyed by heat. That's why you need to eat lots of raw green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, broccoli, lettuce and raw cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower. If you cook them, do it gently and quickly to preserve the greatest health benefits.

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