Vegetables are one of the essential food you need in your diet. They are mostly low in calories, but rich in fiber and contain vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Vegetables are also available in the form of oil and you can obtain these health benefits of vegetable oil if you consume it regularly.
Some people think that lettuce leaves and tomatoes are enough, however, the nature provides us with a wide variety of vegetables that can be used and prepared in different ways.
Vegetables are commonly consumed or eaten by being cooked, steamed or baked. Some are even eaten in the form of juices. However, do you know that vegetables are also good to be eaten raw? According Shayna Komar, a licensed and registered dietitian at Thomas F. Chapman Family Cancer Wellness at Piedmont, people will likely have more energy, better skin tone, improved digestion and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease when they get used to eating raw food.
Not all vegetables can be consumed raw. There are some vegetables that should be cooked before consuming, such as potato, brussels, cauliflower, broccoli, red kidney beans, and mushrooms. Instead, consume the following vegetables if you want to enjoy them raw: tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, spinach, green bell peppers, and others.
Are you curious of the amazing health benefits of eating raw vegetables? There are not many people know that eating raw vegetables give you lots of benefits.
- Promote Healthy and Glowing Skin
Vegetables are rich in water and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of raw vegetables is effective to maintain the youth and elasticity of the skin. Some vegetables are even helpful to fight the signs of aging.
They are beneficial for maintaining the firmness of the skin as well as fighting wrinkles. Mint is also good for your skin health. Read more about it in health benefits of mink for skin.
- Boost Intestinal Health
Constipation is one of the problems in intestines that people commonly experience. It appears to affect about 1 in every 5 people. It is annoying and terrible as it can cause inflammation and painful muscle contractions.
Fortunately, dietary fiber and water from raw vegetables can be helpful in preventing this situation. As a result, it leads to optimal intestinal health. In other words, eating raw vegetables feeds beneficial intestinal bacteria.
- Reduce the Risk of Getting Chronic Diseases
Diabetes, heart disease, brain disorder and certain types of cancer could be prevented by consuming raw vegetables. There is a recent study showing that eating an extra serving of green vegetables daily reduced the risk of getting type 2 diabetes by about 14% because of the high fiber content of vegetables.
The dietary fiber from raw vegetables breaks down into fatty acids. These fatty acids are beneficial for maintaining the intestinal health.
- Boost your Energy Level and Well-being
Vegetables can increase energy level, especially if you eliminate carbohydrates and processed food from your diet. The consumption of raw vegetables has also been linked to greater creativity, curiosity and happiness. They are indeed helpful to make you feel better and calmer.
- Control your Weight
Raw vegetables are low in carbohydrates, but are very rich in dietary fiber. Therefore, they can help you to lose weight and control body weight if you eat them daily. You can combine eating raw vegetables with some healthy habits, such as eliminating processed food and some carbohydrates from your diet and exercising.
Besides, the dietary fiber also helps to improve metabolic markers, such as blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar level.
Are you looking for other ways of losing weight? Then, you can try consuming chia seeds and feel these health benefits of chia seeds for weight loss.
- Promote Better Athletic Performance
Good athletic performance can be obtained when you have a proper and balanced nutrition. Vegetables, in particular, are able to increase the body resistance and help its recovery as well. There are some recommended vegetables you can try, such as celery, beetroot and fresh tomato juice.
Despite the fact that eating raw vegetables is beneficial and has lots of good impacts for our body, there are some things you need to consider. Food poisoning should be the top consideration.
People are able to get food poisoning while eating raw fruits and vegetables because there might be some bacteria that is commonly killed when the vegetables are cooked. If you still want to consume raw vegetables, make sure to wash it thoroughly before consuming.
If you still want to consume vegetables, but don’t like them raw, you can enjoy them made into smoothies or pickles. There are health benefits of pickled vegetables and health benefits of drinking vegetable smoothies.