Why Cooked Tomatoes Are Better Than Raw Ones

                                             Image Credit: Mercola.com
 

It's rare I suggest a cooked food is more beneficial for you than consuming it raw. That said, there are a few exceptions to the "raw rule." For example, it is well-known that lightly cooking vegetables such as asparagus, carrots and spinach increases the bioavailability of certain nutrients. Dr. Rui Hai Liu, a professor in the department of food science at Cornell University, who has researched how heat affects food, suggests the cooking of certain vegetables can free up nutrients for easier absorption.

States Liu, "Common wisdom says cooked food has a lower nutritional value compared to fresh produce, but that's not always true. Many nutrients in fruits and vegetables are bound in the cell walls. Cooking helps release them so they're more bioavailable and absorbed by the body."

A study by Liu, published in 2002 in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, indicated heating tomatoes for 30 minutes at 190.4 degrees F (88 degrees C) — roughly the temperature at which you'd simmer soup on the stove — boosted absorbable lycopene levels by 35 percent.

Despite the fact cooking reduced the vitamin C content of tomatoes, Liu and his team noted a 62 percent increase in the antioxidant levels of cooked tomatoes. As you may know, antioxidants protect your body from cell and tissue damage that results when harmful free radicals are metabolized. About the outcomes, Liu said:

"This research demonstrates heat processing actually enhanced the nutritional value of tomatoes by increasing the lycopene content … that can be absorbed by the body, as well as the total antioxidant activity. The research dispels the popular notion processed fruits and vegetables have lower nutritional value than fresh produce."

 

Article Source: Dr Mercola at Mercola.com