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Conventional belief is that raw vegetables are always healthier than cooked, but this is not true depending on the plant foods eaten according to lab testing and anthropological evidence by experts in the field.
I stopped by one of my favorite healthfood stores today to pick up a large glass of fresh juice made from organic raw vegetables for an early lunch on the go. As usual, I asked for the a carrot, celery, beet, spinach and cucumber blend. But, hold the spinach. I definitely skipped the green smoothie too!
While this request is usually met with a simple nod by the juice bar attendant, this time the guy looks up and says, “Why no spinach? We have a lot of people that come in here and love the spinach in their juice.”
Ah! Great question!
The truth is that not everything should be eaten raw, especially vegetables!
Some raw vegetables must be cooked else you are actually harming yourself. Below is a rundown of what veggies should not be eaten raw either in whole or juiced form.
Cruciferous Raw Vegetables
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but cruciferous vegetables should be cooked before eating as they contain chemicals that BLOCK the production of thyroid hormone in your body! Considering that 2 out of every 3 Westerners are either overweight or obese and this is projected to jump to 75% by 2020, this is of particular importance as folks struggling with weight usually suffer from borderline to full-blown hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone, so someone suffering from this condition surely does not want to be eating foods that will block what little thyroid hormone is being produced in the first place!
Symptoms of hypothyroidism include cold hands and feet, thinning hair, fatigue, reduced or nonexistent libido, coarse dry hair, constipation, difficulty losing weight, and depression among many others.
Cooking crucifers reduces the goitrogenic substances by about 2/3. Fermentation does not reduce goitrogens in these veggies, but since fermented crucifers such as sauerkraut are typically eaten as a condiment and, hence, in small amounts, consumption is fine if the diet is rich in iodine.
Here is the list of common cruciferous vegetables that you do not want to be eating raw if you want to protect your thyroid gland!
Arugula, broccoli, kale, maca root, cauliflower, cabbage, turnip, collard greens, bok choy, brussels sprouts, radish, rutabaga, and watercress.
Notice that many of these vegetables are commonly included in fresh veggie juice blends or in salads. While an occasional arugula salad or cup of coleslaw is not going to do harm to most folks, it would be wise not to make a habit of eating/drinking any of these vegetables in raw form. Kale chips are a safe choice too.
Raw Vegetable Greens
Some veggie greens contain a chemical called oxalic acid. This substance is a very irritating to the mouth and intestinal tract. It also blocks iron and calcium absorption and may contribute to the formation of kidney stones.
The good news is that oxalic acid is reduced by a light steaming or cooking. Just be sure to discard the vegetable cooking water.
Veggies containing oxalic acid include spinach, chard, parsley, chives, purslane and beet greens.
Hmmmm. Spinach is known for being high in iron, yet eating it raw will not necessarily give you the iron you want because of the oxalic acid?
Yep, that’s right. Cook that spinach first if you are seeking an iron boost without the indigestion and don’t get hooked on the raw spinach salads!
Don’t stress about munching the parsley garnish on your next gourmet dinner, though. A little bit here and there is not going to cause a problem. Eat a big spinach salad everyday and it is virtually certain you will eventually succumb to kidney stones, according to Dr. William Shaw, Director of The Great Plains Laboratory for Health, Nutrition and Metabolism.
Other Raw Vegetable Cautions
Other vegetables that are best to avoid eating raw include:
- Raw potatoes contain hemagglutinins that disrupt red blood cell function.
- Raw sweet potatoes will give you gas.
- Raw, edible mushrooms such as the common white mushroom contain toxic substances such as agaritine, a suspected carcinogen. These substances are heat sensitive and are neutralized by cooking.
- Raw alfalfa sprouts are mildly toxic and inhibit the immune system. Eating large quantities regularly can make the skin overly sensitive to the sun or trigger autoimmune symptoms that mimic lupus.
Dr. Weston A. Price on Raw Vegetables
A good rule of thumb when considering the best way to consume your veggies is to remember the letter that Dr. Weston A. Price wrote to his nieces and nephews in 1934. In this letter, he strongly urged them to eat their vegetables cooked in butter. His research found that the bulkiness (fiber) of raw vegetables interfered with the human body’s ability to extract minerals from them via the digestive process.
So, should you drink your veggies raw? Of course. Raw vegetable juice made from veggies that are safe to consume uncooked is a wonderful way to get a fast infusion of easy to digest, colloidal minerals. It is also highly alkalizing to the body and a proven way to gently detox the gut.
The great thing about veggie juice is that the fiber is removed, which is the “bulkiness” that Dr. Price found interfered with the mineral absorption.
However, if you are going to eat the fibrous portion of the vegetable, it is best to cook them in butter as advised by Dr. Price to enhance the availability of the minerals. The fat in the butter permits greater absorption of the minerals, and besides, buttered veggies taste fantastic!
References
Nourishing Traditions
The Role of Oxalates in Chronic Disease, William Shaw PhD (Director of The Great Plains Laboratory for Health, Nutrition and Metabolism)
More Information
Best Green Juice for Congestion
Nightshade Vegetable Contraindications
Cleansing Myths
Cooked carrots are far better than the rabbit ones!! The cooking process releases enzymes which are bound in the veg. 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. Just dont overcook!!
Good article except for the asinine “please eat some meat” comment. It is true that due to their varying compositions some vegetables are optimally eaten raw, and some are best cooked. That should have been the extent of the author’s article. Plenty of people who eschew meat for both ethical and environmental reasons are not necessarily raw foodists. And it is not difficult to be healthy and still eat in a responsible, non-selfish manner.
Very true. I’m a meat eater myself, but for anyone wanting to maintain a healthy diet, while not compromising on any moral or ethical issues they have with the conmsumption of animals or animal products (incl. eggs and/or dairy), there are plenty of foods out there containing the necessary protein, iron and calcium for their daily needs.
There are plenty of reasons that some people may be pale, not limited to medical problems or genetic traits, I certainly wouldn’t blame it all on someone’s diet.
I dont agree with you. My opinion is that meat ís essential and irreplaceable
Too bad. Science doesn’t care about opinions, it cares about facts. You can be perfectly healthy abstaining from meat.
True, but not perfectly health abstaining from animal foods. If you don’t want meat, seafood and eggs will do just fine 🙂
I agree with you Helen, it has been established that humans are omnivores. Vegetarians have to find ways to adapt their diet to meet their needs, the holes left in their diet by not eating meat proteins. They say it’s not needed….yet there are obvious deficits in their diets and they search for alternatives but the best choice is what nature intended.
Well, I know I may be in the minority here but I do completely disagree with the article. I’m a holistic nutritionist that have not only completely normalized my thyroid function (after being on thyroid medication for 12 years and being told by my doctor I’d be on it “for life”), but I’ve done it by eating a predominantly raw food diet filled with all the foods you are recommending to be cooked.
Not only that, I’ve recommended the same for many of my clients whose thyroid functioning has also improved. We may all be strange anomalies, but I highly doubt it. I eat very large quantities of chard, spinach, and nightshades in raw form, as well as many other foods. I personally think that one of the worst things you can do to leafy greens is to cook them – based on my own health from going from 200lbs to 130lbs and resolving every health issue I had, and on the feedback from my clients.
But it’s just my opinion to add to the mix!
I too have normalized my thyroid condition and eat raw spinach almost everyday and don’t seem to have any problem with it. I can not eat raw broccoli but the spinach is great.
Julia my experience of eating predominantly cooked veggies and then going to a predominantly raw diet is that the raw diet gave me superior health, energy, stamina and mental state. I was at those times having fresh raw juices every day, and huge raw salads. As a holistic nutritionist I was wondering if you had any insights as to why the research and information out there says that these raw veggies contain substances that suppress thyroid and create other health issues, yet so many people experience the exact opposite.
Thank you for adding this in. The author doesn’t include any references to case studies or research to support her claims. I recently added in fresh, homemade coleslaw to my diet, and I’ve had nothing but fine results… with the exception of a strange “fiery tongue” side effect from the sudden influx – it’s kinda like tasting hot sauce in my mouth throughout the day without having eaten any hot sauce. Otherwise, my scalp condition has decreased in intensity (seborrheic dermatitis) and I lost almost 5 lbs last month without having to add extra physical exercise (I get around 20 minutes cardio daily, usually light). Plus, I just feel spunkier! And homemade coleslaw is DELICIOUS!
hi ,
i started taking half bowl of spinach everyday with black salt at night while doing my work. is that fine with me or not. i have thyroid , cervical, spondylities,
Actually, I’ve read that it’s bsd for you to cook vegetables. When you cook anything thats a plant or a grain it releases a chemical called Acrylamide. Its a carcinogenic. Its a natural process of when cooking vegetables. So the best way to cook a vegetable is to steam it.
This does not happen to meats so grill your meats to a crisp.
So my friends cooked toast is crap. French fries are the worst Acrylamide offenders. Chips.
Anyways everything in moderation. You can drink raw vegetable juice just wash it down wit a bunch of water.
In my opinion the benefits of drinking raw vegetable juice outweigh the risks.
Plus if you avoid vegetables juice that doesn’t have spinach and the others your not supposed to have raw then your good to go.
Thanks!
You have a point, but you’re forgetting the fact that the vegetables that release the most acrylamide by far are starchy. Almost all the veggies mentioned here are low carb and are fine to eat blanched, steamed or lightly sauteed.
You can eat all edible plants raw, contains enzymes that built the plant up, so when you intake them, you’re giving your body something it does not normally get, it will enhance your immune system and digestive tract, cooking destroys these enzymes and destroys vitamins, denatures aminos/proteins, period.
Just drink plenty of water in addition to the juices and smoothies and you’ll be fine.
For most people, you are absolutely correct. Some people have more difficulties. For them, there is this article by Dr. Mercola http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/29/six-ways-to-keep-kidney-stones-at-bay-from-the-harvard-health-letter.aspx
Are you actually joking? Cook your vegetables in butter. Thats the most unheathiest thing you could do! Saturated animal fats? No thanks, don’t fancy heart disease or cancer!
Also cooking most of your veg – they lose the nutrients. What do you think humans ate before eating cooked food! – raw plants! – vegetables legumes, nuts, seeds and fruit!
Thats why humans died at the very young age before they learnt cooking. trust me eating things raw does not mean it is healthy or it will cause losing its nutrition. I am a personal trainer and dietitian I can definitely can tell you that what you said is partly wrong. Well cooking with butter is not ideal but eating all veggies raw is not good eaither.
Really? I thought they died at a younger age due to the lack of modern medicine… Guess I’m wrong.
Really??? I even thought they died of young age cuz they were eaten by a dinosaur. 😀
Humans and dinosaurs never existed at the same time.
Before humans cooked their food, along side with raw vegetables and fruits, they also ate raw meat and animal brains…. i don’t see you eating animal brains and raw meat (of course, unless i’m wrong). I don’t agree with the whole butter thing (because i have not read the study, perhaps i’m wrong i don’t know) but i do agree with cooking/steaming the certain vegetables listed above in the article. The author isn’t saying to cook EVERY SINGLE VEGETABLE you eat, author simply lists vegetables that need to be cooked in some type of form in order to gain full nutrients they offer. …..
@Becky: i would recommend you taking couple of health science, anthropology and history courses!
its great help with understanding a lot of things, among why humans can’t digest certain raw vegetables like some herbivore animals can. Why we humans started cooking food. Why certain portions of certain clean meats are very important for a human species well being, etc. i can go on for hours….
Do you know any good books on the anthropology of food? I find it so interesting.
Yes butter! Cooking in oil is a killer. Saturated fats are actually good for you. Look it up. We’ve been lied to for two generations. The trans fats in cooking oil are what contribute among other things to sclerotic arteries, obesity, and cancer. Cooking animal fats does not turn them into trans fats. Just don’t burn the butter or lard. For vegans try coconut oil. It splatters a lot but it is much more heat resistant.
I would be a millionaire by now if I get a nickel for every vegan/vegetarian that say saturated fats are bad for you.
Cooking vegetables in butter is not unhealthy. It is outdated information that eating fat makes one fat or causes heart disease. Check out various scientific studies referenced on the website ‘Diet Doctor’. Fat has been the best source of energy for thousands of years before humans began eating simple carbs.
The whole saturated fat thing was based on very poor studies that have been thoroughly debunked now. You should however limit your intake of meat, especially red meat.
https://www.facebook.com/gardenpath1?ref=hl
This is true, we have been drinking veggie and fruit juice daily for breakfast for close to two years and both of us got kidney stones so are keeping the spinach and oranges out now.
http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-kale-and-how-to-eat-around-it