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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
Linda
My body DEFINITELY does NOT tell me to go vegan!!!
Chelsea
This is an extremely informative article! Thank you for the information, I learned a lot. Is this also true for romaine and other lettuces, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce?
Sarah
Letttuces are low in anti-nutrients and are fine to eat raw.
Charlotte King
I can personally testify about the dangers of eating raw Spinach. For years I suffered from IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease), a term used to broadly cover the many diseases and conditions that cause humankind intestinal pain & suffering, whether caused by genetics, environment, medication, diet, or something else entirely. I had been told that my condition was genetic, and I never questioned that diagnosis when I was young. I also knew that I was Anemic – specifically, low in Iron – and that I needed to add Iron to my diet. Iron pills made me sick to my stomach, and as I didn’t want to overeat Red Meat, I consumed Iron-rich vegetables such as Spinach to help boost the Iron in my system. Although I invariably suffered irritable bowels the night and day after eating Spinach, I never, EVER thought that the vegetable I thought was so good for me was making me sick. I just assumed I was,gonna get sick one way or the other. Fortunately, one night I went out to dinner with a friend and when I ordered a Spinach Salad she gave me the strangest look. Then she asked me, “Spinach doesn’t make you sick? My Mom had IBD and couldn’t eat Spinach because it contains so much Oxalic Acid!”. Well THAT was an eye-opener for me, let me tell you! I went home and began researching Oxalic Acid and how it affects people with IBD and other intestinal disorders. Wow! Why didn’t ANY of my doctors or health care “specialists” ever warn me about this? The answer is because if I was no longer sick I would no longer need their services! Duh. So, am I feeling better now? Actually, you may not believe it, but yes, yes YES!! I am very careful about what I eat and, although I still have some health issues, my IBD has not flared up for a couple of years now. Amazing.
Adam
Thanks for sharing
Darlene Ashley
When I started eating an anti-inflammatory diet, I started eating at lot of green salads, e.g. baby greens or green leaf lettuce. Is there a problem eating lots of green salads with these ingredients, as your articles didn’t mention leaf lettuce or baby greens?
Thomas lawless
Wow straight after I read that it’s fine to eat raw veg so much conflicting information and I know why it’s because what might be okay for you might not be okay for someone else the body has a brilliant skill which has kept it alive for centuries and that’s the fact that it can adapt… so a test done on 50 people that don’t eat hardly eat any veg will already be skewed there’s more variables than you can imagen so end of the day the most important thing you can do is listen to you body and go vegan
ELIZABETH A. LEE
Yeah. I heard that if you pair oxalate foods with calcium foods in the same stomachful, the effect is negligable. classic combo is a strawberry spinach salad with cheese and almonds
Sarah
Do you have some research to back this up? I don’t see how strawberries and cheese and almonds could block the effects of oxalic acid in the gut and the harm to the kidneys.
lina
Hi, how much leafy greens is enough? Is there a minimum to maximum requirement daily or weekly? Thanks.
JT
You lost me at “Raw Foodies, I love you, I REALLY REALLY DO (but, PLEASE eat some meat! You’re looking a wee bit pale).”
what does not eating meat and looking pale have to do with each other? and I’m sure raw foodies everywhere will be forever thankful that you love them though. Seriously, advice like eat some meat is such a load of crap.
Sarah
Ummm, maybe because folks who don’t eat meat are generally very very pale and have a handshake like a wet fish. I can pick a vegan out of a crowd in a heartbeat.
kelly
BAHAHAHAHA true dat!
رژیم لاغری
I think your info on oxalic acid is a bit off. It doesn’t oxidize, it combines with calcium and/or magnesium and precipitates in your bloodstream or kidneys. The crystals can aggregate and cause kidney stones. If you precipitate the oxalic acid with calcium or magnesium (say from milk) in your food preparation then you are unlikely to absorb it. Drinking plenty of water so that your time isn’t too concentrated also helps. Dehydration is a big factor in oxalate kidney stones.