Raw Foods vs. Cooked Foods: Which Do You Like Best?
There is no doubt that raw foods and cooked foods have always existed in people's eating behaviors. And nowadays, with the rapid development of society and the popularization of information technology, many food lovers and chefs are deeply infatuated with the taste, nutrition and health of ingredients. They also aspire to the original ecology of foods and advocate a natural and healthy way of eating.
Raw Foods
Raw ingredients often provide people with their own unique flavor, texture and nutrition, such as the crisp and fresh taste of vegetables, the refreshing and juicy taste of fruits, the smooth and delicious taste of seafood and the soft and tender taste of meats. In the traditional diet of the West, it is very common to eat raw vegetables, like onions, celery and peppers. And in China, especially in the northern region, people are used to eating garlic and Chinese onions with sauces.
It is undeniable that eating some vegetables and fruits raw is very beneficial to human health. First of all, the nutrients in natural ingredients, such as Vitamin B, C and enzymes that can promote digestion, will not be decomposed or destroyed by heat. Secondly, raw foods have no artificial essence, colorant, preservative or other substances, and there is no carcinogen that may be produced in frying and roasting. However, food safety is what we must pay attention to in raw foodism, because there may be bacteria like listeria, pesticides and other harmful substances on vegetables. So they need to be washed and cleaned, and be treated by knives and chopping boards that have not been used for cutting raw meats.
Cooked Foods
After proper cooking, foods are all perfectly wonderful in color, smell and taste, stimulating people's sensory organs, accelerating the secretion of the digestive juice and the gastrointestinal peristalsis and generating a strong appetite. In addition, many physical and chemical reactions will occur in the cooking process, which helps people digest and absorb indigestible foods.
Let's take vegetables as an example. First, cooked vegetables can promote the absorption and utilization of Vitamin K and carotenoids. Next, with most oxalic acid, which would reduce the bioavailability of calcium, magnesium and zinc, from vegetables being removed in cooking, the utilization rate of minerals in the cooked vegetables is relatively high. Then, cooked foods are good for patients who suffer from indigestion. And last, it is more hygienic because heat can kill germs and eggs in vegetables.
People can take in more nutrients, with foods being processed. Cooking is capable of removing many anti-nutritional substances and increasing the digestion and absorption rate of foods. Nevertheless, some nutrients are vulnerable to be lost, such as vitamins, which reduces the nutritional value of foods to a certain extent. Therefore, modern nutrition suggests that the right amount of raw foods should be added to people's diets to replenish the nutrients that cooked foods do not have.
Molecular Gastronomy: Make Raw Ingredients Fresher
Molecular gastronomy is a culinary art that uses scientific methods to control the cooking time and temperature accurately. It creates a feeling of freshness for traditional dishes through the deconstruction and reorganization of molecules. Sous vide belongs to the category of molecular cuisine. Its way to cook is to put food in a fresh-keeping bag which can resist high temperatures, seal it in a vacuum-packed state and soak it in the even-temperature water for a specific time until it is cooked. At this time, food can release the most sodium glutamate at the most suitable temperature, with the original taste being maintained and the texture and nutrients being at their best.
Strictly speaking, sous vide cooking can't be considered as a "raw food diet" because most foods are fully cooked when served, with only a few exceptions like eggs and vegetables. However, the dishes have not been cooked at the boiling point so that many people questioned their readiness. For example, chicken breast or steak cooked in sous vide looks pink and tastes tender and juicy, which can be seen as the art of raw food diets.
