Food Fight: Raw vs. Cooked

story by Michelle Lee
photo by Kendall Haupt

Raw foodism, with roots in the late 1800s, has recently resurfaced as a pop¬ular fad diet. “Raw foodies” eat uncooked fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, sprouts, herbs, grains, and legumes, and exclude meat, fish, poultry, dairy, and eggs. Enthusiasts claim that raw foods optimize intake of digestive enzymes and increase absorption of vitamins and minerals. Cooking foods at temperatures above 104°F is believed to denature these heat-sensitive enzymes and thus render such foods “dead.”

The original idea behind the move¬ment was to return to the human diet as it was before the discovery of fire. In her book Raw Energy: Eat Your Way to Radiant Health (1984), Leslie Kenton claims that a raw food diet prevents degenerative diseases, slows down the aging process, and boosts energy levels. Kenton’s book led to more books, seminars, and websites promoting the raw food movement.

The Raw Truth

Followers of the raw food movement consume plenty of fresh fruits and vege¬tables—which many Americans lack in their daily diets—and avoid processed food products. Thus, raw foodies take in a limited amount of saturated and trans fats, which help to reduce the risk of heart dis¬ease. The diet is also low in sodium, but high in important nutrients like potassium, folate, and fiber.

However, much of the science behind the diet is simply not true. Contrary to what many raw foodies claim, the “active” enzymes contained in the plants we eat do not enhance our digestion; these enzymes are unique to plants and serve no function in humans. When we consume plant products, the enzymes of the plant are merely broken down along with the rest of the food by our own digestive juices. Our bodies naturally contain adequate amounts of the enzymes required for digestion. In fact, steaming vegetables breaks down cellulose and alters plant cell structures so that fewer, not more, enzymes are required for digestion.

The antioxidant advantage

In terms of nutrient absorption, it is true that cooking food at high temperatures elim¬inates significant amounts of water-soluble vitamins. However, it has been confirmed that cooking plants increases the availabil¬ity and absorption of antioxidants, important nutrients that help protect against heart dis¬ease, cancer, and other illnesses. For instance, cooked tomatoes contain higher levels of lycopene than raw ones. Also, the release of antioxidants called phenolics and flavonoids, found in apples, is enhanced by cooking. Cooking carrots increases the absorption of carotenoids by 15-20%. Researchers at Cornell found that the available amount of ferulic acid—a chemical that protects against cancer—can be increased up to 900% when corn is cooked.

Certain foods, such as wheat and beans, cannot be read¬ily digested in their natural form; they must be sufficiently softened by cooking in order to be broken down and absorbed. Cooking also prevents the growth of harmful bacteria that may arise in raw fruits and vegetables. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fresh produce is the lead¬ing cause of food-borne illness; raw lettuce, sprouts, spinach, and green onions are major sources of disease-causing bacteria, such as E. coli.

And the winner is…

At the end of the day, the raw food diet is not the most effective way of obtaining the best nutrition. Raw fruits and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and dietary fiber, but a diet consisting of only raw foods can deprive us of the many health benefits of cooked food, such as higher levels of antiox¬idants. It is easy to get seduced by different food fads, especially with the influential sway of the media and celebrity endorsements, but whichever craze you choose to follow, remember that the best diet is a balanced diet.