Cooked Vegetables Guard Against Aging
When it comes to vegetables, cooked is better. In fact, research has shown that cooked vegetables have five to 100 times the cancer-fighting benefits of raw vegetables. Despite the widespread “salads are healthy” image, the truth is that cooked vegetables are superior. So, say farewell to the myth of raw vegetables.
Cooking Greatly Increases Anti-Oxidant Benefits
Laboratories around the world are discovering what vegetables can do. Researchers are looking not only at vitamins and minerals, but also at functional components that help prevent and alleviate cancer, lifestyle-related diseases and other ailments. Advanced research is being done on lycopene in tomatoes, beta-carotene in green and yellow leafy vegetables and carrots, and chlorophyll in green vegetables, to name a few.
Vegetables are rich in antioxidant components that have been proven to inhibit the detrimental effects of excess active oxygen, a known cause of cancer, heart disease, brain clots and aging. Research into the cancer-inhibiting properties of vegetables has notably advanced, shedding greater light onto the benefits of vegetables.
Despite these discoveries, “fresh vegetable diets” that are based on eating raw vegetables remain popular, especially among women. The refreshing appearance, pleasant texture, Occidental appeal, diet image and hopes of beautiful skin have all combined to create the “raw vegetable myth.”
Hiroshi Maeda, a professor at Kumamoto University, says, “We now know that cooked vegetables have far greater benefits for the human body — from five to 100 times the benefits, depending on the vegetable.”
Next month, we will delve deeper into Professor Maeda’s research.
(Translated by Roy Mashima)
(The information provided should not be construed as medical advice or instruction. Consult your physician before attempting any new program. Readers who fail to consult appropriate health authorities assume the risk of developing serious medical conditions.)
