Beetroot, broccoli and onion are foods that are usually preferred to be cooked.
But they are only really healthy if you eat them raw.
If you want to live a healthy life, you have to watch your diet.
That's why many people regularly end up eating really good foods such as broccoli, beetroot and peppers.
Vegetables are known to be healthy.
But did you know that some vegetables are even healthier when eaten raw?
You should eat these foods raw to get all the important nutrients that the vegetables contain.
Peppers: Best eaten raw because of the vitamin C
Although, from a purely botanical point of view, peppers are a type of fruit because the pod develops from a fertilized flower, the food is popularly referred to as a vegetable or, more correctly, as a fruit vegetable.
But no matter which category you put peppers in, they are one of the foods that should be eaten raw.
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Vegetables are healthy and should not be missing from the plate.
Some varieties are best eaten raw.
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© Dan Kosmayer/Design Pics/Imago
The reason is that red peppers in particular contain a lot of vitamin C, namely a little more than 200 milligrams per 100 grams of fruit vegetables, according to the German Nutrition Society (DGE).
That's more than a lemon contains and only half a pepper covers the daily requirement of an adult.
However, vitamin C is very sensitive to heat.
Because of this, peppers should be eaten raw or only slightly reheated if you want them to retain their healthy nutrients.
Eating broccoli raw: Heat can kill important nutrients
What applies to peppers also applies to broccoli.
The vegetable contains many important nutrients for the human body, including vitamins B1, B2, B6 and E, which protect against skin aging and cell damage, as well as vitamin C. Only 100 grams of broccoli in its raw form meets the vitamin C requirement of a adults per day.
Cooking it reduces the amount of nutrients in broccoli.
For example, 100 grams raw contains 94 milligrams of vitamin C, cooked it is only 90 milligrams.
According to the DGE, this is still almost enough to cover the daily requirement, which is between 95 and 110 grams for women and men.
However, in raw form, broccoli also contains glucosinolates, which are amino acids thought to protect against colon cancer.
Anyone who eats broccoli raw should limit themselves to the fine florets, as the stalk is difficult to digest uncooked.
Also note: If broccoli is stored for too long and already develops yellow spots, it loses valuable vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Beetroot: For the extra portion of folic acid, it is better to eat it raw
Beetroot is one of those vegetables that you can eat both cooked and raw.
It tastes good in both variants, but only raw contains large amounts of folic acid.
The vitamin is important for cell division and the formation of new cells, but it is highly soluble in water and sensitive to heat.
When beetroot is cooked, a large part of it is lost.
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According to the DEG, 100 grams of beetroot contain around 0.08 milligrams of folic acid and 10 milligrams of vitamin C. Both are sensitive to heat and are reduced during cooking.
But beetroot is also healthy because it contains large amounts of iron (0.9 milligrams), potassium (407 milligrams), calcium (17 milligrams) and magnesium (21 milligrams).
Nevertheless, beetroot should not be eaten too much, as it contains oxalic acid, which can be harmful to the body in large quantities and, for example, promotes the formation of kidney stones.
If you want to preserve beetroot, here are some useful tips.
Onions: Raw especially healthy for the heart and cells
Raw onions are usually only on the burger, but you can also eat the vegetables in a salad or on bread and butter.
Raw onions are particularly healthy because they also contain the heat-sensitive vitamin C, B1, B2 and B6 vitamins, vitamin E and antioxidants.
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Onions also have the sulfur-containing ingredient isoalliin, which causes tears when cutting onions.
In the body, however, the substance is very healthy and is even said to have a cancer-preventive effect.
Rubric list image: © Dan Kosmayer/Design Pics/Imago