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Some foods contain more essential nutrients when cooked versus when eaten raw; for instance, your body absorbs a higher concentration of antioxidant phytochemicals from cooked carrots, tomatoes, spinach and kale.
Fiber
Fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate that promotes regularity and weight loss. Studies also indicate it may reduce heart disease risk by lowering triglyceride and cholesterol levels, feeding beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract, and producing short-chain fatty acids which nourish colon walls.
Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes (such as beans and peas), nuts and seeds as well as bran are excellent sources of both viscous and nonviscous soluble fiber. Aim to consume at least 25 grams daily in your diet through nonstarchy vegetables, adding ground flaxseed to oatmeal or brown rice dishes, snacking on nuts and seeds or choosing whole grain bread and cereal products.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are one of the body’s primary energy sources, providing essential energy to support cell respiration and can be found in many foods including fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes, starches and sugars.
Monosaccharides such as glucose (fruit sugar), sucrose (cane or beet sugar), lactose (milk sugar) and fructose are the simplest types of carbohydrates. Other complex carbs have longer chains consisting of multiple monosaccharides combined together into disaccharides or oligosaccharides; polysaccharides include starch, cellulose and pectin as well as sugar alcohols like mannitol or xylitol – used in chewing gum).
Staying away from highly processed carbohydrates like cakes, pastries, full-sugar sodas and candy is key to staying on track with health goals. Instead, choose foods like quinoa, beans and vegetables for optimal wellness.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic substances essential to human health that must be consumed regularly through our diet to function and stay healthy. Since vitamins cannot be synthesized by our bodies, they must be obtained through eating. There are 13 known vitamins with unique benefits and risks, divided into two categories – fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins; with fat-soluble (A, D, E & K) being stored in fat cells and liver tissues while any excess water-soluble ones leaving via urine production. Below is the recommended daily intake (RDIs). A microgram equals one millionth of one gram.
Minerals
Minerals are naturally-occurring inorganic solids with characteristic chemical composition and highly ordered atomic structures, formed over long periods of time in geological environments. [4]
Minerals can often be identified through physical properties, such as hardness, lustre, streak and cleavage that help differentiate one from another.
Most minerals needed for human health can be obtained from eating healthy diet and not via supplements; however, certain individuals may be at risk of deficiency in certain minerals like iron (Fe), which helps support red blood cell production and immune function.
