Benefits of processing some fruits and vegetables
Responding to Thanh Nien reporters, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lam, former Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, commented: "Raw food is not encouraged, because in raw food, except for spices that we eat fresh, raw without any processing, many types of vegetables and fruits will be hard if eaten raw, some types contain anti-nutrients, which are only lost through processing."
Dr. Lam further explained: Eating raw food can affect some people with health problems, because eating raw food makes the food hard and difficult to digest. With that food, people with gastritis and colitis are easily irritated and inflamed.
Experts note that each person needs to ensure that the body receives enough necessary nutrients to protect health.
"During the cooking process, some substances in food are partially lost, including vitamins B and C. That is acceptable, but you can eat more ripe fruit to compensate for the vitamins lost during processing," said Dr. Lam.
Experts also talk about the benefits of processing some fruits and vegetables. For example, lycopene in tomatoes, if cooked, is better absorbed than when eaten raw and metabolized. Or yellow and dark green vegetables rich in beta carotene, when processed in a diet with fat, these substances are absorbed and metabolized, but when eaten raw, they are not absorbed and metabolized.
Why should we eat fully and balanced?
According to the Institute of Applied Medicine (Vietnam Medical Association), debates about a reasonable human diet are becoming increasingly fierce in modern society, especially when it comes to the topic "Should we eat meat or not?". There are some arguments that humans should not eat meat based on evolutionary, biological or ethical aspects, but there are also many other views.
An expert from the Institute of Applied Medicine said: In terms of biological factors, humans can eat seeds, fruits, vegetables, roots and many other parts of plants, but cannot completely digest these components. According to science, the outermost layer of each plant cell is the cell wall, which is made up of compounds like cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin fibers. The human body cannot digest these fibrous compounds because we naturally lack the cellulase enzyme needed to break them down. This is different from herbivores such as cows, goats, buffaloes... when these animals cannot produce cellulase themselves, but they have intestinal bacteria that produce that substance, while humans do not. That is why these animals can eat plants and digest more types of plants than humans.
In contrast, the human body can produce all the enzymes, such as protease and lipase, necessary to break down and absorb meat. This is why humans can eat meat, while herbivores cannot.
Another fact that proves this is the structure of human teeth. Human teeth are designed to serve omnivores, that is, to be able to eat both animal and plant foods. Therefore, humans have evolved to be able to eat a variety of foods.
Modern nutritional science has shown that animal foods provide certain essential nutrients that plant foods do not have, or only have very low levels of, or are difficult to absorb during digestion. This is why people should eat a full and balanced diet, including both animal and plant foods, the expert added.
BENEFITS AND RISKS
The raw diet is a diet that consists of only plant-based, raw, unprocessed foods.
According to studies compiled on the Medical News Today website, because it includes lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts; and few processed foods that can be high in sugar, salt, and saturated fat, the raw diet can bring certain health benefits to some groups of people. For example, the risk of heart disease is reduced by 17%, the risk of high blood pressure is reduced by 75% thanks to the body being provided with more fruits and vegetables. Being overweight and obese can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Adopting a raw diet can help a person lose weight and reduce the risk of these health conditions. One study showed that in nearly 4 years of eating raw, people following this diet lost 9.9 - 12 kg. However, it is worth noting that about 14 - 25% of the study participants were underweight.
On the other hand, according to Medical News Today , health problems that a raw diet can cause include:
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies: Raw food diets do not include a variety of foods, which puts a person at risk of not getting all the vitamins and minerals they need. Research also notes that cooking helps break down the fiber and cell walls in foods, which can improve the nutritional value of foods in some cases. A 2005 study found that 38% of raw food eaters were deficient in vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause: jaundice, sore or inflamed tongue, mouth ulcers, vision problems, irritability, depression, mood and behavior changes, and memory loss.
Weak bones: A study on raw plant-based diets found that people on these diets had low bone density, which puts them at higher risk of fractures and osteoporosis.
Tooth decay: One study found that 97% of study participants developed tooth decay when eating a raw food diet.
Irregular periods: About 30% of people under 45 who eat raw foods have irregular menstrual cycles or their periods stop altogether.
Food Poisoning: When eating any raw vegetables or fruits, it is important to prevent any cross-contamination of bacteria by washing your hands and storing food in a hygienic environment. Doctors recommend cooking it thoroughly to reduce the chances of food poisoning.
With the above benefits and risks, experts note that each person needs to ensure that the body receives enough calories or nutrients needed to protect health. Scientists do not consider the raw diet to be a safe long-term diet.
Phuong An
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