HomeHealth articlesjunk foodWhat Is the Difference Between Raw, Cooked and Processed Food?

Difference Between Raw, Cooked, and Processed Food

Verified dataVerified data
0
Difference Between Raw, Cooked, and Processed Food

3 min read

Share

This article explores the distinctions between raw, cooked, and processed foods, highlighting their nutritional variations and implications for health.

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Preetha. J

Published At February 1, 2018
Reviewed AtOctober 3, 2023

What Is the Impact of Food on Health?

The food industry is growing by leaps and bounds. Processed material, food intermediates, snack foods, ready-to-cook, ready-to-eat foods, fast foods, food delivery companies, and mobile applications have emerged everywhere.

Over the last two decades, with increasing industrialization, people have seen the availability of all those foods in the marketplace that were earlier prepared solely at home. Foods that can be cooked at home can also be ordered with just a phone call or a click away now. This has improved convenience and reduced the time and effort people put in. But, over-dependence on ready foods with changing lifestyles has wreaked great damage on people’s health. Lifestyle-related diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart problems, hypertension, arthritis, depression, and anxiety are very common nowadays in every household. All these disorders are directly linked to the food people eat, and somehow people cannot see this link.

What Is the Role of Enzymes in the Food Eaten?

Enzymes are made up of chains of proteins (amino acids), and they play a massive role in the bioavailability of nutrients. Since they are made up of proteins, they cannot withstand high temperatures. When the enzymes are destroyed by heat, they will have a more challenging time digesting the food. They help the body absorb nutrients so that the body can use them properly for different roles. Without the help of digestive enzymes, the body cannot break down food properly or absorb nutrients from them. The enzymes in the raw food will often be enough to help the body digest the raw food you eat.

How Does the State of Food Affect Health?

Taking a look at the stages of food, it starts with raw food, which grows in fields. It is then harvested and sold either in a raw form or used to produce processed food in factories. However, the quality of the same food varies distinctly as it passes through several stages. Let us look at each stage.

What Are Raw Foods?

When a food crop is harvested, what it gets is its raw form, which is the best form of food for human health. It contains all the vital nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes intact. When it was the agrarian society, people used to eat a good quantity of raw food, as it was grown in the fields. But slowly, with the urbanization and commercialization of food, raw food consumption has gone down. Raw foods are stored and transported in cold chains and made available to distant areas many days after their harvest, which leads to deterioration in their quality and depletion of nutrients.

When it reaches people in its raw form, it has a good quantity of nutrients still left in it. Eating these foods works as a medicine and can prevent all kinds of lifestyle diseases.

What Are Cooked Foods?

The raw food is being cooked to make it soft and tasty. People heat and boil the food during cooking while also adding oil and spices. Plenty of nutrition is lost during this cooking process. But still, people judge its quality by its taste, color, and presentation. This food is right to satisfy hunger and does not do harm. But its medicinal properties will be lost, and it is only good for satiety and gratification. But cooking certain vegetables will make their antioxidants more available to the human body than they are in raw foods. Therefore, these foods should be cooked because they may contain harmful bacteria in their raw versions. Cooking food will kill bacteria that may cause food-borne diseases.

What Are Processed Foods?

Processed food is the readymade food that people purchase from shops and eat as it is. Most snack foods are in this category. Intermediaries like oils, sugar, salt, dressings, pastes, etc., are also in the processed category. Even fresh food like milk and milk products are available today in processed and packed forms.

Although these foods are tasty, not only is their nutritious value lost, but they also impact people's health adversely. Industrial processing changes the biochemistry of nutrition so much that the human body system no longer recognizes them as food, and considers them a foreign entity, just like microorganisms, pollutants, allergens, etc., that enter the body. While consuming this processed food, the human body’s defense mechanism (immune system) will become active and generate an immune response against these foods to get rid of them. Since the body does not accept these foods, these immune responses over a long period of time can lead to autoimmune disorders. While removing these foreign bodies from the body, the body cells and tissues will also get destroyed as collateral damage. Most modern-day diseases are the outcome of autoimmune disorders.

What Are the Benefits of Avoiding Processed Foods?

Lack of time is the main reason for eating readymade foods. But, not much time and cooking skills are required to consume raw foods like fruits, salads, green leaves, sprouts, nuts, and seeds. It is good to consume 40 % raw food, 40 % cooked food with minimally processed ingredients, and less than 20 % processed food. If done, it can prevent and reduce the incidence of many modern-day diseases like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver, disorders related to hormonal imbalance like hypo or hyperthyroidism, PCOD (polycystic ovarian disease), etc.

Initially, taste buds may feel some difficulty with this change. But, after a few days of practice, people can alter their taste perception and start enjoying natural tastes. If the reward is better health, it is worth doing this little change.

Conclusion:

Understanding the differences between raw, cooked, and processed foods is crucial for making informed dietary choices. Striking a balance between these food categories is key. Opting for a predominantly whole food-based diet, incorporating raw and cooked items while minimizing processed foods, can promote optimal nutrition and health. Prioritizing fresh, unprocessed ingredients and adopting cooking methods that preserve nutrients can help maximize the benefits of our food choices. Ultimately, a mindful approach to food selection and preparation can contribute to a well-rounded and nourishing diet.

Source Article IclonSourcesSource Article Arrow
Vishal Kumar Wadi
Vishal Kumar Wadi

Nutritionist

Tags:

nutrition deficiencyjunk foodfermented foodshigh fibre diet
Community Banner Mobile
By subscribing, I agree to iCliniq's Terms & Privacy Policy.

Source Article ArrowMost popular articles

Do you have a question on

junk food

Ask a Wellness Expert online

*guaranteed answer within 4 hours

Disclaimer: Wellness medicine is not aimed to replace the services of your treating physician or allopathy medicines. Our site's information is to those who are willing to take responsibility for their health, being fully aware that the content published herein would not qualify as a prescription or specific medical advice. If users use the information and stop prescribed medication without their physician's consent, they bear full responsibility for their actions, and iCliniq-Wellness bears no responsibility for the same. Information on Wellness medicine should not be misinterpreted as a cure for any illness, as our body is complex and everyone reacts differently.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. iCliniq privacy policy