Why your gut wants cooked veggies (hint: it’s not about parasites!)

Just as we’re getting into the bounty of summer produce, the news has been filled with headlines about cyclospora (and how to avoid it), a parasite that can cause diarrhea and other GI distress. Not what you want to be thinking about as you tuck into a beautiful salad on a warm summer night! This is just the latest food safety concern, pointing to a lack of government oversight, our increasingly global food systems, and the effects of poor working conditions for farm and factory workers. So what is the veggie lover to do?

Heat kills most food borne pathogens, so eating cooked vegetables is always a safer choice. But the benefits go way beyond that. Traditional Chinese Medicine almost always advises eating cooked vegetables for increased digestibility. We see this in the clinic all the time. Someone can have a diet packed to the gills with salads, kale smoothies and snacks of raw carrots, but they are bloated and gassy, run to the bathroom with diarrhea, struggle with reflux or generally feel lousy. Swapping out some or all of those raw veggies for cooked ones can make a huge difference.

Cooking cuts down on the energy our body needs to expend to digest food. So much so that anthropologists speculate that the extra energy we harnessed by learning to cook our food is what enabled humans to create civilization! Animals that eat mainly plants have digestive systems built for breaking down cell walls and enzymes to extract nutrients that cooking does for us - think of a cow’s four stomachs. You only have one.

Fine - but raw veggies offer the easiest grab and go options, and who wants piping hot vegetable soup during a heat wave? Here’s my fave suggestions for easy, fast and digestible cooked veggie options.

Cooked veggie salads: Blanch vegetables (lightly cook or steam and then plunge into ice water or run under the tap) and top with your favorite homemade or store bought salad dressing. This works great with roasted or air-fried vegetables too. Keep them in the fridge and throw them in a bowl when you’re ready to eat. Broccoli, carrots, summer squash, green beans, okra, beets -  pretty much any sturdy vegetable is great this way. Have a single veggie salad or mix them up for a delicious rainbow.

Cooked veggie smoothie: if you’re a smoothie fan, swap out raw spinach for cooked. Cooked summer squash, cooked greens like kale or chard, or pretty much any vegetable you like can go in a smoothie cooked as easily as raw.

Frozen Vegetables: Economical, fast and easy to keep on hand, frozen vegetables are a meal prep superstar. The trick is to keep them from being soggy and unappetizing. Thaw them in the air fryer or in a dry pan instead of the microwave, or dry them after thawing with a clean towel like you would washed greens to remove excess moisture. Then they’re ready to go under your favourite sauce or salad dressing. Frozen fruits and vegetables seem safe from cyclospora infection, although they can carry other microbes, so for extra caution be sure to heat them thoroughly when thawing.

Keep those veggies coming!
Kirsten Cowan, L.Ac, Clinic Manager