Radishes are divided into two types, white radishes and carrots, and because they contain different nutritional components, their methods of consumption differ.
Radish, also known as Raphanus sativus, is a plant of the Cruciferae family, with different varieties such as white skin, red skin, green skin with red core, long shape, and round shape. Radish contains glucose, hydrogenated pectin, polysaccharides, adenine, arginine, choline, trigonelline, radish brain, vitamins B, C, etc., and is also rich in many biologically active substances such as amylase, glycosides, oxidase, and catalase.
Eating radishes "raw" is more scientific because the amylase in radishes is heat-sensitive and is destroyed at temperatures above 70°C; vitamin C is also sensitive to heat.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, raw radish is pungent and cold in nature, and has the effects of quenching thirst, clearing internal heat, resolving phlegm, calming asthma, and aiding digestion. When cooked, it becomes sweet, warm, and neutral, with the effects of promoting digestion and strengthening the spleen. It also has certain tonic effects.
In addition, radish contains highly active interferon inducers, but these inducers are not heat-resistant. Only by eating raw, chewing thoroughly, or juicing can they directly contact mucosal cells, stimulating the digestive tract to produce interferin and reducing the chance of digestive tract cancer. Radish is also rich in lignin and coarse fiber, which are easily destroyed by cooking.
Carrot, also known as yellow radish, is a plant of the Umbelliferae family. Its root is rich in vitamin A precursor (carotene).
It is more effective to eat carrots cooked than raw. Firstly, carotene, the vitamin A precursor, is a fat-soluble vitamin. It is insoluble in water but soluble in fat. If eaten raw, more than 70% of the carotene cannot be absorbed. However, through cooking with oil, its absorption and utilization rate can be greatly improved. Even when cooked with oil, different methods yield different results. Practice has shown that when carrot slices are stir-fried in oil, the retention rate of carotene is 79%; when sliced and deep-fried, it is 81%; and when stewed with meat in chunks, the utilization and retention rate of carotene is as high as 95%.
A study by Hugh Sorenson of the American Food Research Institute confirmed that eating cooked carrots is more effective than raw carrots in preventing heart disease and cancer.
If carrots are cooked and then mashed into a puree before consumption, the absorption rate of carotene is 4 to 5 times higher than when eaten raw. This is because carrots have hard-walled cells, and cooking and mashing help the vitamins to be released.