Raw foods are unprocessed and uncooked foods, so you get all the nutrients without harmful additives. Cooked foods can sometimes make you gain weight, while people who eat raw foods are more likely to lose weight, because processed foods are more easily digested and softer and require less energy from the body to break them.
The benefits of eating raw foods are lowering inflammation, improving digestion, providing dietary fiber, improving heart health, preventing cancer, treating constipation, and maintaining ideal body weight.
Raw foods include far more products than just fresh produce. Apart from raw fruits and vegetables, you can eat nuts, seeds, sprouts and raw dairy products.
Here are 5 healthy foods that can be eaten raw.
1. Olive oil
Many people cook using olive oil to maintain ideal body weight. However, olive oil is best eaten raw because it is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, which will be destroyed due to overheating oil when cooking.
2. Berry
Berries contain many nutritional benefits when eaten raw. However, these benefits decrease significantly when the berry is heated.
3. Onion
Onions contain cancer-damaging compounds and sulfur compounds. Eating raw onions (instead of cooked onions) prevents lung cancer and prostate cancer. Add the onion to the salad when you have lunch or dinner.
4. Peanut
When the bean is heated, it will lose its nutritional value. Raw beans contain lots of magnesium and iron, both of which are very beneficial to the body. If the nuts are heated, the calories and fat levels increase, while the levels of magnesium and iron decrease.
5. Red bell pepper
A red pepper contains about 32 calories and is rich in vitamin C, which will decrease when cooked. While red peppers improve the flavor of cooking, some of their nutritional value will be lost.