This article from Scientific American is from March, but it’s still quite timely… It provides a common sense answer to a recurring question: whether it’s best to eat vegetables cooked or raw.

The whole article is worth a read, although I’ll give you the conclusion up front:

Comparing the healthfulness of raw and cooked food is complicated, and there are still many mysteries surrounding how the different molecules in plants interact with the human body. The bottom line, says Liu, is to eat your veggies and fruits no matter how they’re prepared.

“We cook them so they taste better,” Liu says. “If they taste better, we’re more likely to eat them.” And that’s the whole idea.

Bingo.  The “raw vs. cooked” debate is one I’ve had to deal with on the forums I mod, too.  When people want to get healthy, it seems that “black/white” rules are innately appealing.  If it isn’t the bestest of the best ways to do something, then it’s just no damn good at all.  But in my humble opinion, a few compromises that make healthy living more palatable and enjoyable are infinitely worth it… health isn’t a religion, so there’s no need to be a martyr.  If you eat a wide variety of both raw and cooked veggies, you won’t be missing out on anything “real” as far as your health and vitality are concerned. ;-)