Medicines in the garden: the benefits of raw beets and contraindications to its use. Cheese, benefits and harms to the human body

27.08.2019 Bakery

You can hardly find another product that would be extremely tasty, nutritious and very useful for the body at the same time. The enormous benefits of cheese were noticed by our distant ancestors, who, having barely learned how to breed cows and goats, quickly mastered the science of making cheese and further improved it. Today there are hundreds of varieties of this fermented milk product, each of which is good in its own way.

How is cheese useful for our body?

Firstly, it contains a huge amount of substances necessary for a person, which the body assimilates almost completely. Secondly, the protein content in it is even higher than in meat or fish. And, in addition, it contains important amino acids: lysine, methionine, tryptophan. Also, cheese contains a lot of vitamins, phosphorus, zinc, calcium, etc.

For a person who spends a lot of energy, cheese is useful in that it allows you to replenish the calories expended. It should be consumed by children, people engaged in manual labor, nursing mothers and pregnant women. This is a category of people who need mineral salts to a much greater extent than others. The benefits of cheese are also indicated by the fact that only 100 grams of this product per day covers the body's needs for many vitamins and minerals. It is not without reason that it is recommended for patients with bone fractures: it contains calcium, which is so necessary for the restoration of bone tissue.

Any kind of cheese is healthy, and each in its own way. So, the use of mozzarella cheese is to fight insomnia. Brie and Camembert help the gastrointestinal tract to function properly. And gouda, epuas and emmental are the real "storehouses" of calcium. Only 70-100 grams per day, and the body will fully receive the elements it needs. It is especially important to include cheese in your diet for the elderly, and also for smokers. Indeed, over the years, the body needs more and more calcium, and nicotine interferes with the normal assimilation of this element.

In recent years, tofu soy cheese has appeared on store shelves. It not only has a pleasant flavor, but also has a high protein content. The low fat content in it also speaks of the benefits of tofu cheese, thanks to which it is easily absorbed by the body and can be recommended for people with diseases of the digestive system. The calorie content of tofu cheese is only 72 kcal per 100 g of product.Researchers confirm that the benefits of tofu cheese are beyond question. But at the same time, they emphasize that you should not get too carried away with it, because this can cause memory impairment.

A special category is made up of Swiss (calorie content - 396kcal ) and Dutch (calorie content - 361kcal ) cheeses that help maintain healthy teeth and counteract tooth decay. Those who are on a diet can recommend the Adyghe cheese: it contains a minimum of fat, while the calorie content of this cheese is quite high ( 252 kcal).

Does everyone is cheese useful, or are there diseases in which this product should not be consumed? Of course, there are contraindications: diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, colitis and gastritis with high acidity, acute and chronic pyelonephritis, urolithiasis, arterial hypertension, cardiac edema, etc.

Obesity can also be added to this list, since overweight people who are prone to eating large portions of food can easily eat more than 200 grams of the product at a time, covering in one fell swoop the entire daily calorie requirement of the body. If such a person is still a passionate fan of cheese, you should opt for its low-calorie varieties and consume them no more than 50 grams per day.

Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and protein. Some are saltier and fattier than others. We will tell you about the most healthy and delicious cheeses here.

Cheese is a tasty and healthy product; it is used for the preparation of many dishes. It is an excellent source of calcium and protein, although it should be noted that some cheeses are too high in salt and fat. We will tell you about the most useful species here. cheese... May they always be in your fridge!

You need to eat cheese in moderation

The cheese tastes good, it satisfies hunger well and is indispensable in many recipes. How can you imagine pasta without grated cheese? Or pies without toasted cheese?

This dairy product provides the body with calcium, proteins, amino acids (including tryptophan). Therefore, it is recommended to eat it at any age. But ... there is no perfection in the world. Cheese is also imperfect; it usually has too many calories and a lot of salt. Therefore, you need to eat it in moderation.

If you eat cheese in moderation, of course, it is good for your health. And the healthier it is, the more natural it is and the less processed it is. For example, the salt content in cheese often depends not so much on the type of cheese as on the manufacturer.

If you're trying to shed those extra pounds, keep in mind that fresh cheeses contain less fat and salt than aged ones.

It is also important to know that cheeses made from sheep's or goat's milk are generally healthier than those made from cow's. This is explained by the fact that our digestive system is easier to cope with the assimilation of sheep and goat milk. And there are more nutrients in it.

We must not forget that cow's milk often contains hormones and that cows are usually fed with "artificial" feed, and not grazed on pastures.

Of course, a healthier product is obtained from those producers who graze cows, sheep or goats in natural conditions and use only organic feed additives.

What are the healthiest types of cheese?

When we “go on a diet,” we usually try not to include cheese, as it is a high-calorie food that contains quite a lot of salt.

But there are also healthy cheeses that will not harm a healthy, balanced diet(of course, they need to be included in the diet in limited quantities). It is recommended to eat the following cheeses:

1. Ricotta

In ricotta cheese contains a large amount of proteins, vitamins A and B, as well as zinc... It contains a very low percentage of fat compared to other varieties and is low in salt.

Ricotta is made from whey. This cheese has a grainy texture, it is white in color and tastes very good. It can be used in salads and sweet desserts. In Italy, it is often added to pasta.

2. Pecorino Romano

This is also a very healthy cheese, it is made from sheep's milk. It is a salty cheese that belongs to the hard cheese category. Its homeland is the central metropolitan area of ​​Lazio (Italy).

This cheese is often used in sauces and is eaten toasted. Grated, it is added to the paste. It is saltier than other pecorino cheeses (Tuscan and Sardinian).

3. Granular curd

Granular (grained) cottage cheese is a type of low-fat cottage cheese. It is a curd grain mixed with fresh, slightly salted cream.

It comes in several varieties: creamy, whipped, salt-free, lactose-free.

Contains many proteins and other nutrients such as calcium, selenium and phosphorus. A cup of grainy curd contains 28 grams of protein. It is especially useful for those who are trying to lose weight.

4. Parmesan

Another cheese from Italy is also very useful, more precisely, from its Parma region (hence its name). It is a hard cheese with a brittle texture. The cows that provide milk for Parmesan graze on special lawns. In their diet only fresh grass, hay and grain. This cheese should ripen for at least a year, and preferably 2-3 years.

Many people think that Parmesan is eaten only with pasta and soups, but this is not entirely true. His can be eaten before the main meal and for dessert. You can combine this cheese with ham and fruit.

5. Cheddar

People with lactose intolerance cannot eat many dairy products, including many cheeses. But mature cheeses like cheddar are low in lactose. With partial lactose intolerance, they can be eaten.

6. Feta

This cheese is made from sheep and goat milk. It has the consistency of a dense curd, the taste of cheese is salty, with a delicate lactic acidity.

Real feta cheese is made in Greece, but there are also Turkish, Bulgarian, Romanian, Danish feta cheese of quite decent quality on sale.

It is usually included in salads with olive oil, tomatoes and cucumbers. In summer, these salads are very popular in many Mediterranean countries.

7. Panel

This soft white cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk is one of the healthiest. When cut into small pieces, it is usually served before the main meal.

The panel absorbs other odors well, such as garlic. It contains a lot of proteins. It is better to choose a cheese with less salt and fat.

Raw beets in the diet are new and different. Culinary processing (cooking, frying, stewing or baking) is more familiar to a person. But moderate consumption of this raw vegetable will significantly improve health. Root vegetables taste sweet due to their high sucrose content. You can get the most out of your health benefits by including this raw vegetable in vitamin salads.

The chemical composition of fresh and boiled vegetables

If most vegetables lose most of the beneficial trace elements and vitamins during cooking, then beets in this case are a happy exception. The only thing that necessarily changes is the calorie content. A raw vegetable has 40 kcal per 100 g, while a boiled vegetable has 49 kcal.

Reference. The root vegetable in any form contains beta-carotene, di- and monosaccharides, dietary fiber, organic acids, starch and water. These substances help to improve digestion, improve general condition.

Raw beets are a dietary vegetable. 100 g of the product accounts for:

  • 1.5 g of proteins;
  • 8.8 g carbohydrates;
  • 0.1 g fat.

What is the harm?

Beets contain chlorine, the excess of which causes irritation in the mucous membrane. A symptom of this phenomenon is a tickling and pinching in the throat (especially when eating a raw vegetable for the first time). These symptoms usually go away quickly. If the burning process in the nasopharynx is prolonged and acute, this is a symptom of the onset of an allergic reaction to a raw product. Allergies can occur in the form of skin rashes, swelling of the nasopharynx, swollen lymph nodes, chills and fever.

It is forbidden to combine raw beets and garlic, as this increases the burden on the heart. Nitrates can accumulate in the tops of the root crop if the vegetable grows in ecologically unfavorable regions. Nitrates provoke body poisoning. It accumulates in the area near the tops. Therefore, be sure to trim the top off before eating.

Read more about how much and in what form it is better to eat beets, as well as what are the benefits and harms of eating them for human health.

Contraindications for use

Important! Raw beets can harm people suffering from acute diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as internal bleeding. Heartburn, colitis, gastritis with high acidity, irritable bowel syndrome, flatulence - with such ailments, raw beetroot dishes are prohibited.

But for the purpose of combination therapy, microdoses of beetroot juice can be prescribed.

Cheese is a very strict nutritional system, which provides for the complete exclusion of any food subject to thermal processing - both boiling, frying, etc., and freezing. Raw foodists tolerate sun-dried foods and cold-pressed vegetable oils. They include cereals in the menu only in the form of sprouted grains.

Adherents of a raw food diet argue that such a system is advisable by the fact that this way the nutritional value of the products is preserved. The principles of the system are based on the fact that the human food chain could not include thermally processed food. Therefore, it is a raw food diet, in their opinion, is a biologically natural type of diet. Details about the features of this power system, as well as the pros and cons, reviews are given below in the article.

Features of the diet of raw foodists

The benefits and harms of a raw food diet are considered differently by raw foodists and scientists alike. According to raw foodists, heating destroys the lion's share of beneficial nutrients. Therefore, unprocessed food is considered useful, which is consumed in its "original" form by raw food eaters.

There is no doubt that unprocessed food is beneficial because it contains a lot of , minerals ... After all, everyone knows how beneficial the consumption of fresh gifts of nature is. However, raw foodists not only determine the advantages of such a diet, but also recognize it as the only correct one for the body.

Whether this is actually the case, you can draw conclusions by learning more about the principles and consequences of this type of nutrition. Mainly among raw food eaters prevail vegans - that is, those who do not consume animal products at all. However, some people who consider themselves to be raw foodists, on the contrary, eat exclusively raw meat and raw animal products.

The following types of raw food diet are determined:

  • Omnivorous - a person consumes all types of food, but only raw or dried.
  • Vegetarian - fish and meat are excluded, milk, raw eggs are included in the diet.
  • Vegan - Only raw plant foods are consumed.
  • Carnivore - the basis of food is raw fish, meat, seafood, eggs, and vegetables and fruits on the menu are minimized.
  • Fruitarianism - the consumption of exclusively berries and fruits, as well as some varieties of vegetables.

At the same time, the opinion of adherents of each of the listed nutritional options boils down to the belief that raw food is most useful for the human body.

The vast majority of raw foodists are vegans, so below we will focus specifically on the benefits and dangers of this type of diet. Very often you can find reviews that a raw food diet helped get rid of various diseases - both acute and chronic, lose weight, and also improve the condition of nails, hair, skin.

Most often, among fans of raw food consumption, the following theses sound:

  • Among all species, only humans and some domestic animals eat thermally processed food. That is why only they suffer from cancer and genetic ailments.
  • When food is heated, beneficial enzymes are destroyed, released carcinogens and free radicals , which provokes dangerous diseases.
  • When the nutrients in foods are heated, they can provoke destructive chemical reactions. So, thermally processed carbohydrates provoke and are reborn into the cancinogen acrylamide.
  • In the process of frying, they are destroyed and, which provide protection from the influence of free radicals.

Effects of raw food on the body

Heat-treated foods tend to be harder to digest than raw foods. In turn, unprocessed food provides the following effects:

  • Reduces the acidity of the body, "providing" it with alkalis.
  • Much less often leads to inflammatory processes and fermentation in the intestines. Such food passes more easily through the digestive system, thereby ensuring a more coordinated work of the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Makes the treatment of patients more effective hypertension , autoimmune diseases, cancer, etc.
  • Prevents accumulation in the body.

Whether it is worth practicing a raw food diet, the harms or benefits dominate with this type of diet, dietitians also often argue. Some of them partially agree with certain theses in favor of this nutritional scheme. However, adherents of a raw food diet "attribute" many positive qualities to it, claiming that a raw food diet:

  • reduces the severity of inflammatory processes in the body;
  • improves the work and condition of the heart muscle;
  • cleanses the skin;
  • prevents development and helps to get rid of such a problem;
  • helps to maintain a healthy body weight and a beautiful figure;
  • reduces the amount of kantserogens and antinutrients in the body;
  • helps to normalize liver function;
  • provides the body with nutrients.

Expert opinion

However, scientists are less optimistic about the benefits of following such a diet. Research on the effect of this type of nutrition on the body is ongoing. The results of some of them already provide a basis for drawing conclusions about the impact of raw food consumption on health and answering the question of whether such a diet is harmful.

Heart

Studies conducted to determine the links between heart disease and the consumption of raw fruits have shown the benefits of a raw food diet. If a person ate a lot of non-thermally processed fruits and vegetables, his risk of developing vascular and heart ailments was significantly reduced. Also, such people had a decrease in the level of "bad" and an increase in the amount of "good", which also had a positive effect on the state of the heart.

Weight loss

In the course of various studies, experts have come to the conclusion that by practicing a raw food diet, you can significantly reduce weight and body mass index. According to the results of one of the scientific experiments, which lasted seven months, people, adhering to such a diet, were able to lose an average of 3.8 kg. Thus, in this case, the answer to the question of whether a raw food diet is beneficial is yes.

The health effects of continued raw food practices in women

A study was conducted on the effects of a raw food diet on 297 women and 216 men with the aim of identifying raw foods and weight loss. All volunteers were divided into five groups, depending on the percentage of raw food in their diet. According to the results of the study, scientists recorded that men on average lost 9.9 kg, and women - 12 kg. However, in about a third of women under 45 years of age, the manifestation was noted - complete or partial. As a result, the experts concluded that a prolonged raw food diet could be harmful, which consists in maintaining too low weight and the manifestation of amenorrhea.

Teeth condition

In a study on the effect of a raw food diet on the frequency and severity of dental erosion, information was studied on 130 people in whose diet raw food was at least 95%. On average, they ate this diet for 39 months. The results confirmed that this type of diet, compared to the usual one, increases the likelihood of tooth erosion.

Chronic illnesses

In an experiment aimed at studying the effects of consuming exclusively raw food for a week on the body of people with chronic diseases, volunteers were divided into two groups. People from the first ate only raw vegetables, from the second - cooked in the microwave. According to the results of a survey of volunteers, experts concluded that such a diet is useful if it is followed for a short time.

The Impact of a Raw Food Diet: A Rodent Study

The aim of this experiment was to determine the effect of raw and cooked foods on the health of rodents. The laboratory rats were divided into three groups. The rodents from the former only consumed raw food, and in the end they were healthy, energetic and produced normal offspring. After dissecting their bodies at an age equivalent to 80 years in humans, the scientists noted that all the organs of the rats were in normal condition.

Rats from the second group ate cooked food. And its harmful effects on health were pronounced, since the rodents suffered from, they often developed pneumonia , cataract , arthritis , cancer and others. Many rodents from this group died prematurely; autopsy revealed pathological changes in various organs. Rats from the third group received raw food, but only until the age, which corresponds to the human 40 years. They then alternated between raw food and periods of fasting. As a result, after the autopsy, the scientists noted that the internal organs of the rats were not sufficiently damaged.

The harm of a raw food diet

Some of the health risks of a raw food diet have already been described above. But, in addition to the negative effect on the condition of the teeth, the female reproductive system and underweight, there are other disadvantages of this type of nutrition.

Answering the question of why the consumption of raw food is harmful, first of all, it should be noted that the risk of a number of diseases is increased due to an unbalanced diet. It is very important that a person receives, along with food, the rate and amount of nutrients that he needs. Discussing the dangers of a raw food diet, experts note the following negative effects associated with it:

  • In the body, the amount of homocysteine , which leads to the risk of developing diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
  • Deficiency important for the body, lack of bone mass, insufficient amount of "good" cholesterol.
  • Risk of toxins in some foods, as they are neutralized during cooking.
  • Increased likelihood of changes in sex hormones in men, in particular a decrease in production.

Not every person is able to withstand such a diet, taking into account both taste preferences and willpower. In addition, some people have a direct contraindication to consuming only raw food. You cannot adhere to such a diet for people with problems in the digestive tract, a tendency to food allergies, since the consumption of raw food can provoke complications, as well as the manifestation of side effects. You should not practice such a diet for the elderly and those who suffer from chronic diseases.

Until today, there is no consensus about whether children can practice this type of nutrition. After all, on the one hand, there is proven evidence that little raw foodists have good health, good health, they are active and are not obese. On the other hand, this still poses a danger to a developing organism, since the digestive system of a small child cannot receive nutrients from raw food as it happens in the gastrointestinal tract of an adult. Therefore, nutritionists do not recommend giving only raw food to babies.

Many doctors confirm that raw food children are often diagnosed with anemia ,d deficiency of protein and a number of other substances important for the body.

To date, not enough research has been done on the effects of raw food consumption on children's health. However, in most cases, experts agree with the following beliefs:

  • A raw food diet is dangerous for children as it prevents them from getting enough vitamin B12 contained in the liver, fish. For the development of the baby's brain, this vitamin is very important, because with its lack, there is a violation of the cognitive functions and social development of the child.
  • This type of diet can provoke a tangible decrease in cholesterol levels, which, in turn, will lead to the development of depression and anxiety. Also, low cholesterol levels can be one of the reasons for the manifestation.
  • Children who eat only raw foods may have a lack of iron, because the source of this trace element is: meat, legumes, eggs. In the first years of life, iron is very important for the development of the brain - its lack can cause a deterioration in immunity and slow development of intelligence.
  • The consumption of raw foods for children can also be dangerous in terms of contamination with pathogenic microorganisms ( colibacillus , salmonella ), the development of intestinal infection.

It is highly discouraged for expectant mothers to practice this method of nutrition, as it can lead to premature birth and low birth weight.

If a woman is categorically determined to eat only raw food during the period of carrying a baby, she needs to make sure that the body is provided with all the substances and elements important for the development of the baby. In this case, the expectant mother is advised to take vitamin supplements.

Plant foods contain fewer essential foods than meat and fish. But if you combine foods correctly, then even when consuming raw food, you can get a lot of nutrients.

Adepts of a raw food diet during pregnancy claim that women with such a diet can easily control weight, they feel vigorous and energetic, and receive a sufficient amount of fiber. However, it is important that the health indicators of a pregnant woman are monitored by specialists.

conclusions

Thus, a raw food diet is a healthy diet if you follow its principles for a short time. For those who periodically practice such a food system, it is important to correctly formulate a diet, especially responsibly regarding the selection of products for children. However, the constant consumption of exclusively raw food can be dangerous for the body and cause severe harm to health.

A raw food diet is not only a diet, but also a special worldview. And quite extreme: extremely raw food is rough for our digestive system. And not everyone can withstand strictly such nutrition without a special philosophy.

Many raw foodists are helped by their deification of nature. They believe that originally people ate raw food and cooked food could not be included in the cycle of substances in nature. In their opinion, this harms nature, to which they are extremely careful. Among their principles: do not kill animals (and do not eat them, of course), do not destroy plants by digging them up by the roots or cutting them down. What can you do? Pick up ripe fruits, berries and vegetables without harming the plant.

On the other hand, raw foodists quite rationally argue that any food after heat and other processing loses not only vitamins, but also other useful substances. And that when exposed to temperature, carcinogens, acrylamide, trans fats and other harmful components are formed. Basically, it all makes sense. But, paradoxically, experiments have shown that after cooking, many vegetables become even healthier. As they become softer, they more easily release vitamins, antioxidants and other nutrients than raw foods. And as a result, the assimilation of these substances only increases. Whereas a lot of usefulness, "immured" in the fiber of raw vegetables, passes through the digestive tract in transit, not being absorbed.

In recent years, a trend has emerged in the West that is less fanatical about dogmas and philosophy of a raw food diet and uses such food only sporadically to cleanse the body or lose weight. For example, a week of "raw eating" is replaced by two months of simply healthy eating without radical prohibitions.

How raw foodists eat

The raw foodists' diet is different from the traditional one: there is no first, second and third course for lunch. In this regard, raw foodists are divided into two groups.

The first are monotrophs. At one meal, they consume only one fruit, vegetable or other plant product. For example, they start the day with an apple, after an hour they can eat an orange, after another hour - nuts, then - tomatoes, and so on.

The second group is mixed raw food. Several similar foods can be consumed in one meal. For example, different vegetables or different fruits, mixing fruits with vegetables or nuts is allowed. You can also mix animal products with dairy products, but not vegetable products.

Anatoly Gendin, gastronomic journalist, writer and blogger:

- Around the world, a variety of products that we are used to cooking, frying or baking, locals sometimes eat raw. This is, of course, not about banal vegetables and fruits, but about meat and fish, which in our domestic culture are consumed only cooked. So, I first tasted raw meat in Italian Piedmont. It was cooked in front of my eyes. A piece of fresh veal was not immediately thrown onto a plate, but first by hand, with two large knives, it was chopped to the consistency of large minced meat, lightly salted and sprinkled with olive oil. It turned out to be very tasty!

On the other side of the world, in South Korea, the wholesale fish market will be remembered for the rest of my life with the mouthwatering aroma of fresh fish from the sea. Fishermen and merchants ate its pieces with pleasure without any cooking or frying, dipping them in a spicy sauce.

The main criterion for selecting products for raw dishes is their unconditional freshness. We somehow do not think about the root cause of our culinary delights, but after all, the heat treatment of food raw materials is, first of all, a way to render them harmless. Giving a better taste and aroma was invented later.

Yes, our stomachs have long been unaccustomed to primitive natural food, and we need to be careful about adopting the everyday experience of other peoples. Not all meat can be eaten raw, even if fresh. Pork is still dangerous, it's better not to risk it. But try veal on occasion. Especially if you are in Piedmont.

What raw foodists can eat

  • Fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs
  • Dried fruits
  • Vegetables and herbs, dried without salt and seasonings
  • Cold pressed vegetable oils
  • Sprouted cereals, other grains and legumes

That raw foodists are not allowed

  • Heat-cooked food
  • Pickles and marinades
  • Salted fish
  • Cured and uncooked smoked meat products, lard
  • Everything that was frozen is stroganin

A raw food diet is different

Vegan (most common form of raw food diet)

Complete and absolute exclusion of food of animal origin.

Vegetarian

Meat and fish are excluded, but milk and dairy products and / or eggs are often allowed.

Fruitorian

75% of food is fruits and berries, the rest is many vegetables, legumes, nuts, grains and seeds. But only those gifts of nature are allowed, for the collection of which it is not necessary to destroy the plant, as, for example, it happens when digging up potatoes and other root-tuberous plants.

Omnivorous

Dairy products are allowed, as well as meat, eggs, fish, seafood (but only raw or dried).

Raw meat diet (carnivorous raw food diet)

The basis of food is not fruits and vegetables, but raw or jerky meat, fish, seafood, as well as milk and eggs.

The harm and benefits of a raw food diet

Minuses:

  • Nausea and diarrhea in many who try a raw food diet.
  • Dental problems - due to rough food, enamel suffers more.
  • Cycle Disruption: Nearly a third of raw food women under 45 have no periods or have menstrual problems.
  • Lowered content of the so-called good cholesterol - high density lipoprotein, which helps cleanse blood vessels.

pros:

  • Reduced blood cholesterol and triglycerides.
  • Improvement of the condition of some patients with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Vadim Krylov, endocrinologist, nutritionist, creator of the author's nutrition program:

- Today in dietetics, many people like to rush from one extreme to another. And a raw food diet is one of the extremes. Homo sapiens from the very beginning of its appearance 40-50 thousand years ago already cooked food on fire. Of course, he also ate raw, but, as a rule, it was vegetables, fruits and berries. Our digestive system is adapted to food that has undergone heat treatment, and when raw, only some of the gifts of nature are normally perceived. If you only eat raw, then there may be a lack of enzymes, because such food is much rougher and you need more of them to digest it. This can lead to nausea and diarrhea. And the excess of acids in vegetables and fruits is aggressive, contributes to the development of gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Plus unprocessed meat, poultry and fish spoil very quickly and cause severe poisoning because of this. That is why such foods are consumed traditionally rather than raw. In addition, some raw foods, such as beans and other legumes, contain toxic substances that only break down when cooked. And raw eggs interfere with the absorption of vitamin H (biotin). Raw food aficionados say cooking destroys vitamins and other nutrients. This is only partially true: only some substances are destroyed, and even then not completely. But there is a simple and good rule of thumb for getting a ton of vitamins, antioxidants and other nutrients: eat 5 fresh fruits and vegetables daily. For example, orange, apple, tomato, cucumber and pepper.