I heard that cooked vegetables are better than raw ones when dieting. Why is that exactly?
Cooking vegetables improves digestibility and helps maintain core body temperature. Heat softens dietary fiber to reduce gastrointestinal strain and significantly increases nutrient absorption. In Traditional Korean Medicine, this approach addresses Spleen Qi Deficiency and promotes the smooth circulation of Qi and Blood by expelling 'cold' energy, which helps sustain a healthy basal metabolic rate.
Raw vegetables possess rigid cellulose walls that are difficult for human digestive enzymes to penetrate. Lightly cooking or roasting them softens these tissues, allowing the stomach to conserve energy while dramatically increasing the absorption of fat-soluble nutrients like beta-carotene. This essentially improves your body's metabolic fuel efficiency.
From a Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) perspective, this relates to Spleen Deficiency (Bi-heo). When the Spleen Qi is weak, the body cannot effectively transform food into energy, leading to the accumulation of 'Phlegm-Fluid' (Dam-eum), which refers to metabolic waste and water retention. Cold, raw vegetables can further lower the temperature of the digestive tract, obstructing the metabolic flow. In contrast, cooking gives vegetables a 'warm' property that facilitates the circulation of 'Blood Stasis' (Eo-hyeol) and maintains core body temperature. Since a warm body is necessary to sustain the metabolic 'fire' required for fat oxidation, choosing cooked vegetables over raw salads is a superior strategy for those looking to optimize their metabolism without taxing their digestive system.
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