Eating raw food means eating foods that have not been heated to more than 40 degrees and are not processed, but there are, of course, variations in what you can choose to eat. The idea of not heating the food is to avoid that the enzymes that occur naturally in the food are destroyed by the heat and that the heating destroys essential nutrients – and all this is considered to have positive health effects.
Enzymes are proteins that enable chemical reactions to occur without adding extra energy in the form of, for example, heat. We have a vast number of enzymes in the body, and they have specific tasks such as breaking down nutrients in the food, enabling the production of proteins, and neutralizing toxins. However, even though heating might destroy enzymes in the food, it will, either way, be destroyed when the food reaches the stomach. The gastric acid secreted from cells in the stomach contains hydrochloric acid, which means that the pH value there is around 2, which is very acidic. Such a low pH means that the enzymes in the food have their structure destroyed, and then they lose their function. The gastric acid also contains the enzyme pepsin, which is active in acidic environments and breaks down other proteins.
That heating would destroy nutrients in the food is true regarding, for example, vitamin C and B vitamins. However, thee heating also increases the chances of absorbing other substances. For example, cooked tomatoes and carrots allow the antioxidant lycopene to absorb easier.
Cooking the food can also help increase the energy content. This applies to starch that is sometimes found in other potatoes. When the potatoes are heated, the starch grains are “gelatinized,” which means that they can be broken down and taken up in our gastrointestinal tract. This can be important to keep in mind for children and young people who are still growing – which is a very energy-intensive process – and those who exercise a lot. If you are on an energy deficit, muscle growth will be impaired, and there may be an increased risk of injury.
Heating the food before eating also contributes to the destruction of viruses and bacteria. Because of this, people get warned about buffets where the food can neither be kept cold enough nor hot enough. The norovirus that causes winter vomiting disease is sometimes found on imported raspberries. Therefore, people at risk of getting extra ill are recommended to always boil the berries for one minute before eating.
In conclusion, heating food has several beneficial effects. Still, as certain nutrients are negatively affected by high heat, it is advantageous to vary the cooking methods and eat some food as raw food and some cooked.
