Some foods can be eaten both raw and cooked, and both methods offer significant health benefits. So, how should you eat them to maximize their effects? Let me tell you the "health secrets" between "raw" and "cooked" below.
1. White Radish
Raw white radish aids digestion, while cooked it helps regulate qi. White radish is known as "ginseng of the soil" and is rich in Vitamin C, trace elements like zinc, and dietary fiber. It is cool in nature with a spicy-sweet taste, capable of relieving indigestion, reducing phlegm, and clearing heat. When eaten raw, its spicy components stimulate gastric juice secretion, regulate gastrointestinal function, and have anti-inflammatory effects. When cooked, it can tonify and regulate qi. It can be stewed with pork or mutton, or simmered in soups with crucian carp or kelp. White radish is quite cooling, so people with a weak spleen and stomach or stomach ulcers should not eat too much of it.
White Radish and Pork Rib Stew
2. Lotus Root
Raw lotus root clears heat, while cooked it strengthens the spleen. Autumn is when fresh lotus root is in season, and there's a saying: "Autumn lotus root is the most nourishing." Lotus root is rich in trace elements like calcium and phosphorus, and its iron content is the highest among root vegetables. It's also high in dietary fiber, which promotes intestinal peristalsis. Lotus root is cool in nature and sweet in taste, clearing heat and promoting body fluids, which can relieve symptoms like internal body heat and "fiery" blood. For postpartum women, consuming lotus root two weeks after delivery can help discharge lochia. When cooked, the lotus root's nature changes from cool to warm, benefiting the spleen and stimulating appetite. Cooked lotus root can be made into "Osmanthus Sticky Rice Lotus Root," or lotus root balls with glutinous rice and meat filling. It can also be stewed with Chinese yam or pork ribs. If you have a weak spleen and stomach, it's recommended to steam the lotus root before eating.
3. Chestnut
Raw chestnuts invigorate blood and resolve stasis, while cooked they tonify the kidneys. Chestnuts are sweet and warm in nature, rich in potassium, calcium, Vitamin C, and have a high starch content. Raw chestnuts can invigorate blood circulation and resolve stasis, helping to prevent arteriosclerosis to some extent. Cooked chestnuts can help tonify the kidneys. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" states: "Chestnuts can treat kidney deficiency. If the waist and feet are weak, eating ten a day and making a congee with pig's kidney will, over time, lead to strength." There are many ways to eat cooked chestnuts: they can be steamed or boiled with Chinese yam, walnuts, edamame, or peanuts, or eaten as a snack. A stew of chestnuts, soybeans, and pig's trotters is very helpful for relieving chapped feet and heel pain in the elderly during winter. However, eating too many chestnuts can easily lead to "heatiness," so people with a "hot" constitution should not consume too many.
Chestnut Chicken Soup
4. Apple
Raw apples help stimulate appetite, while cooked they can stop diarrhea. Apples are rich in various trace elements like potassium, iron, zinc, Vitamin A, B vitamins, and Vitamin C, earning them the title "all-around fruit." Eating apples raw can help stimulate appetite and promote saliva and moisten the lungs. Apples contain tannic acid and pectin; when boiled, these have an astringent effect, reducing water in the stool and thus stopping diarrhea. Cooked apples can be boiled into fruit preserves or simmered into a fruit porridge with rice. People with ulcerative colitis or a "cold" stomach should avoid eating raw apples.
5. Autumn Pear
Raw autumn pear clears heat, while cooked it moistens the lungs. Autumn pears are rich in B vitamins, pectin, and polysaccharides. They are cool in nature and sweet in taste. Raw autumn pear can be made into a rock sugar and snow pear juice, which promotes saliva, quenches thirst, and clears heat. Cooked autumn pear can relieve coughs, reduce phlegm, and moisten the lungs and dryness. Lightly steaming or boiling autumn pears is very suitable for people with a "cold" constitution. Stewing it with 10g of Fritillaria bulb, glutinous rice, and rock sugar can moisten the lungs and resolve phlegm. It should be noted that people with a deficient "cold" constitution and diabetics should not eat too many.
Autumn Pear Paste
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