Why You Need to Cook these Vegetables for Maximum Nutrition
You know you should eat your vegetables - but are they better cooked or raw?
Raw vegetables of all kinds are great sources of vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants,
and fiber. However, the finest vegetables available are of no value to you
if you cannot properly digest them - a key issue with some raw vegetables.
Eating raw cruciferous vegetables actually suppresses your thyroid's hormone
production, creating fatigue, coldness in your body and a slowing of your
metabolism. Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage,
cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, radishes, rutabagas and turnips.
Cabbage and its cousins in the cruciferous vegetable
family are nutrient-rich, but unless you cook or ferment them, they
could slow down your metabolism.
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So, how can you get the benefits of these great cruciferous vegetables without
all the negative effects?
When eating cruciferous vegetables, it's important to cook them to avoid
the thyroid-suppressing properties. But what if you are committed to a raw
food diet (or you simply want to enjoy them raw)?
Body Ecology's system of health and healing has a solution for raw foodists
who want to eat cabbage, kale and collards … ferment them! This gets
rid of the thyroid-suppressing effect and maximizes nutrition.
Many people enjoy cooked vegetables - and now raw foodists can enjoy collards,
kale, cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables safely too. Actually, raw,
fermented vegetables are a great way for everyone to eat raw, and they also
provide an abundance of necessary plant-based enzymes that ease digestion
and populate your stomach with good bacteria. The fermentation process supports
the growth of these good bacteria -- and once in your body, they prevent viral
and fungal infections, boost immunity and increase the nutrient value of your
food.
Even better, raw, fermented vegetables are easy to make at home! It's as
simple as mixing chopped veggies with any of our Body
Ecology Starters and letting them ferment at room temperature for about
a week.
The Body Ecology website has step-by-step
instructions that explain the whole process. If you'd like more information
on which fermented food starter to use, check
out the article in this week's newsletter.
Once you've made your own raw, fermented vegetables, add a ½ cup serving
to each meal to aid your digestion and populate your digestive tract with
healthy bacteria. Additionally, the fermentation process 'pre-digests' the
vegetables and makes the nutrients more easily absorbed. So if you've had
trouble digesting raw vegetables in the past, try fermented vegetables!
Vegetables should be a key staple in your diet -- 80% of what you eat overall!
Whether you are a raw foodist, a veggie lover or you want to get more benefits
from the foods you eat, fermenting vegetables provides a delicious way to
improve your health.
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