4 min readNew DelhiAug 18, 2023 09:10 AM IST
First published on: Aug 18, 2023 at 09:10 AM IST
Fruits and vegetables, as we know, are essential to any diet and should be consumed regularly for optimum health. While people typically enjoy them raw or cooked based on taste, there are certain fruits and vegetables that should not be eaten in their raw state. But why? “They are home to parasites and bacteria like E coli or even tapeworms and tapeworm eggs,” explained Dr Dimple Jangda, an Ayurveda expert.
In an Instagram post, she elucidated that they enter our gut, bloodstream, and even our brain. “They can cause serious diseases like cysticercosis, seizures, headaches, damage to the liver and even cysts in the muscles,” she said.
The expert listed the following food items that shouldn’t be consumed raw.
Colocasia leaves
Also known as ‘arbi ka patta’, it is recommended to blanch them in hot water before using them in your diet. “The same rule applies to spinach and kale. Blanche them in hot water because they’re linked to high oxalate level, which reduces when you blanch it,” she said.
Additionally, they also contain oxalate compounds which can cause severe irritation in the throat, among other harmful effects, said functional nutritionist Mugdha Pradhan, CEO and founder, iThrive. “It must be cooked with something acidic to eliminate the oxalates.”
Cabbage
A common vegetable, cabbage is notorious for harbouring tapeworms and tapeworm eggs, which are invisible to the naked eye. “Some of these tapeworms have survived some of the harshest insecticides and pesticides, so your vegetable washes are too mild for them,” Dr Jangda said, advising to blanch your cabbage in hot water before cooking it well.
Pradhan added that it contains goitrogens, which can be harmful to the thyroid and must be avoided by thyroid patients.
Capsicum
It is suggested to remove the crown, deseed the capsicum, and run it under water. This is because “the seeds can also be home to tapeworm eggs, which survive inside the fruit”.
Pradhan, however, stated that capsicum can be consumed raw.
Brinjal
The seeds of brinjal are also home to tapeworm eggs, Dr Jangda said. “Remember to cook it really well to kill these parasites, tapeworms and tapeworm eggs from entering our bloodstream. In fact, aubergine is such a complex vegetable that many households in India don’t bring this vegetable at home,” she said.
Pradhan explained that brinjal must never be consumed raw since being nightshade, it contains alkaloids, “which can lead to digestive issues and joint pains”.
Further, vegetables contain a high amount of antinutrients and plant defence chemicals, said Pradhan. “Cooking helps to reduce them and is thus recommended to do for vegetables. It varies from case to case though- certain vegetables are okay to consume raw. Removing certain parts of plants known to contain a higher concentration of antinutrients like seeds and peels also helps avoid them.”
Pradhan added that cooking these vegetables help kill pathogens. “Our produce often contains pathogenic organisms- bacteria like E. Coli and Salmonella, tapeworm eggs, and parasites. Soaking it in a solution of grapeseed oil and/or vinegar solution helps kill pathogens and is a must if eating vegetables raw. Blanching it alone is not enough,” she said.
She added that non-organically produced vegetables also contain pesticides and other chemical residues from chemical farming. “Washing with activate charcoal helps remove them,” she said.
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Don't consume raw cabbage! (Source: Pixabay) 
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