10 Healthy Foods That Can Be Eaten Raw

Have you ever heard of a raw food diet? If you are unfamiliar with the term, then let us tell you that raw-food diet is mostly eating unprocessed and uncooked foods, so that you get all the nutrients without the dangerous additives.

This means that eating cooked food can sometimes let you gain weight, while people who eat raw food are more inclined to lose weight. This is because highly processed foods are more easy to digest and it's softer and requires less energy from our bodies to break it down.

You can reap the benefits of eating raw foods, as it lowers inflammation, improves digestion, provides dietary fibre, improves heart health, prevents cancer, treats constipation, and helps to maintain a healthy body weight, among others.

Raw foods can include far more than just fresh produce. Apart from raw fruits and vegetables, you can consume nuts, seeds, sprouted grains and raw dairy products.

So, let's have a look at the 10 healthy foods that can be eaten raw.

1. Olive Oil

Many people use olive oil in cooking for maintaining a healthy weight. However, you will be surprised to know that olive oil is best used raw because it is rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, which gets depleted when the oil is overheated while cooking.

2. Berries

Berries contain many nutritional benefits which can benefit your body when you eat them raw. But, these benefits can significantly reduce when they are heated up. So, you can instead add raw berries to your Greek yogurt or eat a handful of them for a quick snack.

3. Onions

Onions contain cancer-fighting compounds and sulphur compounds in them. Eating raw onions instead of cooked onions can help protect against lung cancer and prostate cancer. Add onions in your salads when you are eating lunch or dinner.

4. Nuts

Nuts are not meant to be heated, as it loses its nutritional value. Raw nuts offer tons of magnesium and iron, both of which are excellent for your body and if it is heated up, the calories and fat increase while the magnesium and iron content decrease.

5. Red Bell Pepper

A raw bell pepper is about 32 calories and is full of vitamin C, which gets reduced when it is cooked. While it increases flavour in cooking, some of the nutritional value gets lost. The best way to enjoy raw red bell peppers is to either eat them grilled or eat them with a little hummus.

6. Coconut

Eating raw coconut is much better than adding it to cooking dishes. It is because it contains more nutrients and electrolytes when you consume it raw compared to cooking it. Also, coconut water is a natural source of electrolytes that provides your body with magnesium, potassium and sodium.

7. Garlic

Any dish that you cook with garlic bursts with flavours. While garlic is used in cooking, unfortunately due to cooking it, its nutritional value gets reduced. Garlic contains cancer-fighting compounds that you can benefit from when you eat it raw.

8. Beetroot

The rich reddish pink colour of the beetroot is what makes beetroot nutritious. Beetroot is a fantastic source of folate, which helps with brain development and cell reproduction, but when they are heated up, they lose about 25 percent of their nutrients.

9. Tomatoes

Raw tomatoes provide essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients that can deliver a number of profound health benefits. Eating raw tomatoes will prevent health conditions, including bone loss, cancer, diabetes, kidney stones, heart attack and obesity.

10. Avocado

An avocado is rich in fibre and low in carbohydrates and it is also loaded with carotenoids. This healthy fruit can be eaten raw by using it in salads, sandwiches and dips. Don't use it in cooking, as all the nutrients will get lost in the process.