- Raw vegetable salads are harder to digest due to cellulose in their walls
- Weak digestion can cause gas, bloating, and discomfort from raw salads
- Cooked vegetables improve digestion and increase mineral absorption
The lens with which we view foods and diets is often monolithic. If an influencer says a recipe, an ingredient, or a diet plan worked for them, we run after to incorporate in in our routine as if they have revealed the secret to immortality. Without taking a beat to understand what, why, and how, we modify what goes into our plate, hoping it will work its magic just like it did for a celebrity or an influencer.
More often than not, the opposite happens. For long, raw vegetable salads are considered a holy grail for boosting fibre intake and flatten stomach during the weight loss journey. But are they actually healthy? Neha Ranglani, an integrative nutritionist, took to Instagram to reveal that the raw salads aren't good for our bodies.
Her post read, "Everyone says raw salads are super healthy... but maybe they're doing more harm than good for you?"
How Raw Vegetables Can Be Harmful To You
The expert shared that raw vegetables, though rich in fibre and nutrients, are harder to digest. They have rigid walls made of cellulose, which is an insoluble fibre. It can pass through the digestive tract as is. Hence, your body's digestive system has to work harder to break these down in the stomach and intestine.
The nutritionist explained that if a person has a weaker digestive system, raw vegetables in a salad can contribute to gas, bloating, and discomfort.
Symptoms of your stomach not agreeing with a bowl of raw salad include
- Heaviness
- Bloating
- Gas
- Uncomfortable feeling after meals
It is a clear sign that your body is repelling raw vegetable salads. Neha Ranglani further added that people suffering from SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth), IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), sensitive digestion, and gut inflammation often experience issues after consuming uncooked vegetables. These issues further ferment the veggies inside the stomach and can contribute to more symptoms.
One would wonder if creamy and tasty dressings can help ease digestion. Not really. The nutritionist added that rich dressings can make it even harder to digest the vegetables if bile flow is sluggish. If the salad includes seeds, nuts, avocados, and olive oil dressings, you need s agood bile flow for digestion, else fibre and fats will lead to discomfort, heaviness, and bloating.
Why Cooked Vegetables Are Better
The nutritionist recommended consuming cooked veggies because the body can digest them easily. They also boost digestion, help to break down tough fibres, and increase mineral absorption. They act like a catalyst and help to make digestion easier.
According to the expert, you can make a few tweaks to your salad to make it easy to digest
- Add apple cider vinegar, lemon, or fermented food to support digestion
- Chop vegetables finely and chew them thoroughly
- Avoid raw salads at night
- Lightly blanch or steam your veggies
- Instead of raw veggies, stir-fry them and enjoy them with dressing
"This does not mean salads are bad. It simply means not every food suits every body at every stage of health. Your diet should support your digestion, not fight against it," the nutritionist concluded her post.
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