Brought mainly by fruits and vegetables, fibers have many virtues: suppress hunger, facilitate intestinal transit in particular. But, is it better to eat them raw or cooked? Answers with Adélaïde d’Abboville, dietitian nutritionist.
The benefits of fiber for health no longer need to be demonstrated. They play an essential role for digestion, especially for good intestinal transit. In addition, they allow you to be more easily satiated. We recense two categories of fibers.
- The soluble fiber, which are found inside plants and act as fat and sugar sensors. This helps to regulate cholesterol levels.
- The insoluble fiber, they are located in the envelope of plants and are eliminated from the body. They have a proven interest in intestinal transit since they stimulate the movements of the digestive tract.
Raw or cooked vegetables: what difference does it make?
According to experts, it is advisable to consume about 30 g of fiber per day. It is found in large amounts in fruits and vegetables. But for the latter, is it more interesting to consume them raw or cooked to benefit from a maximum of fibers? “The consumption of raw vegetables allows you to fill up with fiber, but raw and therefore intact fiber. Which means they sometimes go irritate the lining of the intestinewhich can cause pain or diarrhea.warns Adélaïde d’Abboville, dietitian nutritionist.
In contrast, when vegetables are cooked, the fibers soften. “There is no more or less fiber in cooked than raw vegetables. They are just different because they are much softer, which means that they are much less irritating to the intestines”, says the dietitian.
The advantage, when you eat raw vegetables or fruits, is that you benefit from a maximum of vitamins and trace elements. In addition, this mode of consumption requires chew more, thus resulting in faster satiation. Eaten cooked, there may be a loss of nutrients. But again, repeats the nutritionist, “cooking is less harsh on the intestines”.
In conclusion : the solution is therefore to alternate the ways of tasting the vegetables, and above all to observe the reactions of your body to adjust the quantities and the frequencies. It is essential to vary the kinds of fruits and vegetables, to peel them and to mix the raw and the cooked without polarizing on one or the other.
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