New to a vegan diet and not a big fan of raw veggies

I am very new to a vegan diet (chose to go vegan for ethical reasons - I cannot support the way animals are treated in the farming industry)…to me, going vegetarian wasn’t enough so I have eliminated all meat, fish, poultry, milk, eggs, cheese, etc. from my diet. The challenge I have is, I am not a big fan of raw veggies; I like them cooked, fried, etc., but not raw. I once heard somewhere that cooking depletes the nutritional value of the vegetables…is that true? And if so, any ideas on what I can do to get around having to eat raw vegetables?

I have stocked up on soya milk, beans, peas, lentils, whole wheat pasta, etc., but want to ensure I am getting the right nutritional mix.

Dawn
Ontario, Canada

Hi,
Congrats on choosing a vegan diet. I have not done much research into a raw food diet, but I would imagine that it is possible for some nutrients to degrade at a certain temperature. I would also guess that the majority of nutrients do not disappear so I wouldn’t be too concerned about cooking your veggies. I also think there was an article I read somewhere that said tomatoes only release a certain nutrient when they are cooked, so there may be some advantages to cooking some vegetables. I always cook my broccoli because for some reason when I eat it raw it make my tongue numb. To make sure you are getting all of your nutritional needs, keep a food journal and then adjust accordingly.

Cooking vegetables is fine.
Boiling them isn’t as good as a lot of the nutrients can end up in the water you drain, but if you use the water no problem there.
I suggest you make vegetables soups and curries if you’re struggling to get enough veg.
Also try to eat:
beans (great in curries)
chickpeas
nuts
lentils
seeds
dried fruit (especially figs for calcium)
bananas and berries.

Are you worried about any particular nutrients you think you may be lacking?
Always have a varied diet.
Always have lots of green leafy vegetables in your diet.

This site should be of use:
vegansociety.com/lifestyle/nutrition/

Things you may wish to look into:
B vitamin supplements.
D vitamin supplements (D2 is vegan D3 is not)
Veg 1 (from the vegan soc and contains both of those, chew them into powder then swallow, it’s nicer than it sounds).

Protein (if you’re not working out about 1 gram per kg of body weight a day, if working out 1.5, if you’re REALLY working out 1.75-2).
Always use lots of protein sources to get the best effect as we need different amino acids to make protein.

Iron and calcium.
Vitamin’s A and E.
Zinc, magnesium, potassium, trace elements in general and essential fatty acids (avocados are good, as are olive, rapeseed and flaxseed oils).

Most of this you should hopefully already find in your everyday diet. Always keep well hydrated, and always keep well exercised.

If you do have any specific quires drop me a pm and I’ll try to help.

Steaming will be a great advice… The nutrients will remain as well as you won’t eat it raw. Soup will be so much enjoying. You will have a taste of mixed veggies…Try to have some ensalada, that’s what we call it here. You will just slice some radish or cucumber put some vinegar, salt, pepper… That will also be great with tomatoes and onions… Happy eating :smiley:

You could eat fruit to get in raw food, and, too, raw nuts, as well as avocado. But cooking veg lightly makes them more tasty, and does release certain vitamins. I microwave broccoli for 2-3 minutes with 1 tsp of water. I steam bok choy for a few minutes, then drink the boil water. Bok choy is a top cancer preventive. It’s great raw in salads, too.

That’s really very informative Aoas!!! Thanks for the link.

I guess is true, boiled vegetables are less nutritive, is like tea leafs, their release all theirs vitamins on hot water.

Maybe if you drink or re-use that water you can save the vitamins.