Repsol YPF

Raw vegetables are an ideal complement for a healthy, balanced diet. When it is not heated, food retains its nutritional value, but also keeps all of the pathogenic microorganisms which it has picked up during transport and handling. Raw foods provide nutrients with a specific chemical composition, which are significantly modified when they are cooked. Vegetables are a proven source of vitamins, fibre, trace elements and minerals. Vitamins and minerals, for example, are highly sensitive to heat, such that they are lost when foods containing them are cooked. The simple fact of leaving them to soak, washing or chopping them causes water-soluble vitamins such as B and C group vitamins to be lost. Vitamin E also deteriorates and up to 50% can be lost in frying, whilst canned and frozen foods can experience losses of up to 75% of some vitamins. Other elements, such as proteins and fats, are changed by the effect of heat in frying or when food is reheated and may even turn into elements which are harmful for our health. For their part, enzymes are chemical molecules which trigger all those functions which are performed during metabolic processes and this explains why people feel fuller of vitality and energy when they eat raw vegetables. They are found both in food and in the body itself, but disappear in the process of cooking, which obliges the body to produce more and can accelerate degenerative processes in the body. This extra work would not be necessary if we ate raw food. Precautions
It must also be borne in mind that there are only a few foods which may be eaten raw. Although vegetables and fruits are normally the most common, not even all of them may be eaten in their natural state. Cereal, pulses and potatoes, very high in starch, require some type of treatment to be applied, such as heat or germination, in order to become digestible. Some pulses such as soya, broad beans and chickpeas, contain a substance which prevents us from using the protein which is destroyed when they are cooked. Potatoes can be eaten raw, if we take care to remove the shoots, which are poisonous due to their solanine content. Green beans should not be eaten raw because they contain a poisonous substance which can cause severe stomach upsets. Cabbages, turnips and Brussels sprouts, contain another substance which, if consumed in large quantities, can lead to thyroid gland problems. However, raw foods contain a significant number of biologically active substances which maintain cellular health and are strong antioxidants which help to fight ageing. Raw vegetables are also often used as part of low-calorie diets to address obesity. Raw vegetables provide large amounts of potassium and small amounts of sodium, making them fundamental in the treatment of high blood pressure. In cases of diabetes and cholesterol, increased raw vegetable consumption is also recommended, since they contain low quantities of sugar and make controlling calorie and fat consumption easier. Likewise, they are recommended in cases of constipation, due to their high water and fibre content which help to regulate bowel movement. What they contain
Raw vegetables are a rich source of nutrients and each kind contains unique elements, some of which are very hard to find elsewhere. Vegetables and fresh fruit are high in vitamins A, C and folic acid, and it is almost impossible to find these vitamins by another route in the necessary quantities. Furthermore, fresh fruit and vegetables contain a large amount of minerals such as iron and magnesium, the presence of which is often lacking in todays diet. Some vegetables such as fermented cabbage (the famous choucroute), can provide an alternative to cooking with heat. Together with vegetables, olive oil is an essential dressing, which is much nicer when consumed raw, providing healthier elements than when it is used for frying. In this case, oleic acid and vitamin E, the main assets of this type of oil, largely disappear when it is heated.