What physically/chemically happens to a vegetable when it is cooked?
I've discovered that if I eat raw vegetables, I can't digest them well if at all. If I steam, boil, nuke, bake, grill, or otherwise cook the vegetables, I feel fine.
What are the physical/chemical differences after cooking, especially those that assist in digestion?
Best Answer
The main difference is the degradation of cell walls. The human digestive system does indeed struggle to break down the cellulose in cell walls, meaning that we are far more efficient in getting nutrients from vegetables when they are cooked.
That doesn't mean however that cooked veggies are always more nutritious than raw ones. There is actually quite a bit of debate on that and some people even eat raw foods exclusively.
Your question is actually very similar to this earlier question on this site. You might find some useful insights there.
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Changes in phytochemicals upon cooking may result from two opposite phenomena: (1) thermal degradation, which reduces their concentration, and (2) a matrix softening effect, which increases the extractability of phytochemicals, resulting in a higher concentration with respect to the raw material.What happens to vegetable when cooked?
Cooking vegetables breaks down the plants' cell walls, releasing more of the nutrients bound to those cell walls. Cooked vegetables supply more antioxidants, including beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene, than they do when raw. Cooked vegetables also deliver more minerals.What happens chemically when you cook food?
The Maillard Reaction is essentially a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a sugar such as glucose, fructose or lactose. Usually, heat is required to start the reaction that causes a cascade of chemical changes, which, ultimately, result in the formation of a range of flavour and colour compounds.Is cooking of vegetables a chemical change?
Cooking of food is a chemical change because after cooking, the raw ingredients or the vegetables cannot be regained again.What happens to fruits and vegetables when cooked?
Natural mineral content is generally retained during cooking. Fiber content also changes little during cooking, unless peels or outer layers are removed. Research has shown that the loss of beneficial compounds have been found to be very minimal and is not significant in terms of human nutrition!How Does Cooking Affect Nutrients in Veggies?
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