4 Vegetables You Should Never Eat Raw — They Could Do More Harm Than Good!

Raw vegetables is a general term for vegetables and leaves that can be eaten fresh, without cooking.

Eating raw or cooking vegetables is closely related to the nutrients in vegetables. For example, some vitamins that are easily lost when dissolved in water, such as vitamin C, can be retained if eaten raw. However, there are some foods that cannot absorb nutrients if eaten raw, and can even cause poisoning, typically the following 4 types of vegetables:

Type 1: Cruciferous vegetables

Crucculent vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, etc. contain many antioxidants and are also a rich source of fiber. However, when eaten raw, these vegetables can easily cause bloating, stomach pain, diarrhea or indigestion, increasing the burden on the stomach, leading to more serious stomach pain.

In addition, these vegetables also contain a small amount of goitrin, which has antioxidant effects but hinders the ability to absorb iodine, causing goiter. Therefore, they should be cooked before eating to eliminate harmful substances for the body.

4 types of vegetables that should absolutely not be eaten raw, not only do not absorb nutrients but also easily cause poisoning - Photo 2.
Cruciferous vegetables need to be cooked to eliminate harmful substances.

Type 2: Vegetables containing a lot of oxalic acid

Spinach, asparagus, celery, amaranth, okra ... all contain very high levels of oxalic acid. This amount of oxalic acid, when entering the intestines, will combine with calcium in the intestines to form calcium oxalate salt, affecting the absorption of calcium in the body. Therefore, it is best to cook these vegetables to eliminate the source of acid in them.

Spinach, asparagus, celery, amaranth, okra... all contain very high levels of oxalic acid.

Third type: Root vegetables

Do not eat raw root vegetables such as potatoes, cassava... Potatoes contain a large amount of starch, if eaten raw it will be difficult to absorb, causing bloating and indigestion, over time it will lead to digestive diseases, headaches, nausea...

Raw cassava contains cyanogenic glycoside - a substance that releases cyanide when eaten, which can cause death. Therefore, you should wash it thoroughly, peel it and cook it before eating.

Using potatoes as a raw dish will make the starch in the potatoes difficult to absorb, affecting digestion.

In addition, cassava is also a type of root vegetable that should be peeled, washed and then processed with boiling water before eating. This way, you can ensure food hygiene and safety while still retaining its nutritional source.

Type 4: Some aquatic vegetables



Aquatic vegetables such as water spinach, water caltrop, water chestnut, and water chestnut are often grown in swampy areas and are often infected with a large intestinal fluke parasite scientifically known as Fasciolopsis buski. Therefore, if you eat them raw, you are very susceptible to this type of fluke.

When they enter our bodies, they will parasitize and reproduce, causing you to feel abdominal pain, diarrhea, and even hepatitis, pneumonia, or cirrhosis when they attack these organs. In particular, if vegetables are grown in areas with polluted water or air, they will be poisoned and when eaten raw, you will easily get serious food poisoning.

In addition to the above notes, you also need to balance the types of vegetables in your daily diet. Many people like to eat a lot of vegetables and often only eat a few types of vegetables that they especially like, without eating other types of vegetables. In fact, this is an extremely unhealthy habit because each type of vegetable contains a different type of nutrition. Eat a variety of vegetables to achieve the best health benefits.