According to a recent study, has been found that eating vegetables might not help in preventing heart diseases. Raw vegetables but not cooked veggies, were found to be more beneficial for your heart in the study of around 400,000 British individuals' diets. Lifestyle factors including physical activity, smoking, drinking, fruits, red and processed meat, and the usage of vitamin and mineral supplements were also considered, but any heart-related benefit from vegetables was it seen, as per the study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition. Onlymyhealth editorial team spoke to three experts regarding the recent study which says 'Cooked vegetables may not be beneficial for your heart', and most of them disagreed to this claim. Read the article further to know details.
We talked to Dietician Arushi Gupta, Associate Dietician, Dayanand Medical College and hospital, Ludhiana, and she said, "According to me, it is neither correct nor incorrect. In most of the cases, this depends on cooking standards and methods of individuals."
She further added saying, "If we are boiling the vegetables for consumption, then there is no harm at all. It is a fibrous form and will help our body. On the other hand, if it is in sauteed form with an excess of oil/ghee/butter, then health problems like heart blockage can develop. Therefore, that cannot be considered good for health. According to standards of cooking, it varies whether the vegetable is healthy or not."
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Generally, vegetables are the most healthiest part for our heart, because they provide fiber that not only balanced our weight but heart as well. So, vegetables are not bad in itself, but if we talk about the cooking standards, then oil consumption should not be too much to keep them healthy. But, if the amount is in moderate amount such as one teaspoon per serving, then it can prove to be very beneficial.
Onlymyhealth also spoke to Head Dietician Shalini Garwin Bliss, Manipal hospital, Gurugram, and she said, "Raw vegetables are beneficial, as they are good sources of vitamins and minerals. If we cook them, many of the important nutrients present in the vegetables get distorted or leached out such as water-soluble vitamins, Vitamin-B and Vitamin C."
Adding to it, she said, "Another most important property of raw vegetables is that they have a good amount of fibers. When taken in raw amounts like in the form of salad they help to reduce the blood cholesterol levels and help to maintain a healthy heart. On the other hand, if we cook the vegetables, we put oils and salts as well to make them palatable, but adding excess of oil and sodium is not beneficial for heart health."
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It is best to incorporate more raw vegetables as well in your everyday diet in the form of salads, and atleast they will play the role of fibers. The daily fiber requirements are 25- 30 grams per day. Along with a healthy diet, exercise is also important to maintain your cardiac health, and definitely, the elimination of tobacco, alcohol, and stress from your life can help in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
We also approached another expert to know her viewpoint on 'Cooked vegetables may not benefit your heart', and she Dr. Anjali Phatak, Director Nutripulse and Senior Clinical Nutritionist, Nutripulse, Jaipur, said, "Cooked vegetables or raw veggies, both don't have much impact on the heart, as both contain a good amount of fiber. Raw salad has fiber content, and at the same time cooked veggies also contain rich amounts of fiber, in fact they are even more easily absorbing."
She also mentioned that raw foods just require more work and secretion of juices from the body. Cooking's effect on vegetables is that it can have a little effect on the nutritional value. However, in some heart patients, boiled or sauteed vegetables might be a good option as raw can give digestion problems. Vitamin C loss surely exists after cooking, but it is not a matter of worry for anyone.