Raw Vegetable Nutrients Are
Difficult to Absorb
(continued from December TV)
Cooked vegetable soups were found to have calcium and minerals not found in plain water in which the same vegetables were soaked. Other compounds found in greater amounts were flavonoids from non-green/yellow vegetables (such as cucumbers, cauliflower, round onions, cabbage, eggplant and radish) and carotene from green and yellow vegetables.
Cooking breaks down the cell walls of water-soluble plant fibers such as cellulose, hemicellulose and pectins, releasing them and making them more easily absorbed by the body, according to Professor Hiroshi Maeda of Kumamoto University. These fibers hold great promise for inhibiting cancers such as cancer of the large intestine.
Prof. Maeda also studied the inhibition of cancer antigens by studying how tumor antigens can be controlled.
The majority of vegetables, he discovered, have a significant inhibitive effect, although the effects of carrots and tomatoes, which contain carotene and lycopene, as well as radishes and the inner leaves of cabbage, were relatively minor. The outer, darker leaves of the cabbage that are continuously exposed to ultraviolet radiation, however, were found to have considerable anti-radical (antigen inhibiting) effects. It should be noted that juicing tomatoes rather than cooking them breaks down the cell membranes and allows the absorption of quantities of lycopene that allows the absorption of quantities of lycopene that would not be possible if the tomatoes were eaten raw.
Using a bit of fat in the cooking process can further increase the efficiency of lycopene absorption, a fact determined by research at the School of Nutrition at the University of Tokushima School of Medicine.
To be continued
(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.)
