Should You Eat Cooked Or Raw Vegetables? Ask Your Genes
How you cook and prepare your foods influences the availability of certain nutrients. In addition, your genes can put you at risk for specific nutritional deficiencies.
Prepare your foods right to meet your nutrition needs
How you cook and prepare your foods influences the availability of certain nutrients. In addition, your genes can put you at risk for specific nutritional deficiencies. What this means is that, depending on your genetic makeup, preparing foods one way, might be better for you than another. For example:
Carrots and dark green vegetables are a rich source of fat-soluble vitamins A (beta-carotene) and K, but only when cooked thoroughly in a broth or other sauce that contains fat. Eating these vegetables raw will provide little to none of these vitamins.
Lycopene is an antioxidant found in tomatoes and other red-colored fruits and vegetables. Lycopene from tomato paste or soup is up to four times more bioavailable than from fresh tomatoes.
Raw vegetables are a good source of water-soluble vitamins. Cooking causes a 20-40% loss of vitamin C and folate. Boiling in water causes even greater losses.
Vitamin B12 is made by bacteria and found naturally only in animal foods like shellfish, eggs and milk. Fresh, clean vegetables do not provide this nutrient. Vegetarians and vegans typically rely on fortified foods and supplements to meet requirements.
Certain genetic variants affect nutrient availability in your body. Understand your genes so you can prepare foods in a way that will best meet your personal nutrition needs. Learn more about gene-nutrient-disease interactions:
--folate
--lycopene
Did you know 23andMe now connects to GB HealthWatch? If you have your personal genetic data available, you can find out how your genes influence your nutritional needs.
You can use the HealthWatch 360 app or web tool to track your food choices and health condition. If you experience symptoms of nutritional deficiencies, you can try modifying your food preparation methods to see if this helps.
Become a Community Contributor.
