Mihaela Bilic on raw vs cooked vegetables: best choices for nutrition

Nutritionist Mihaela Bilic explains that whether a vegetable should be eaten raw or cooked depends on the type of vitamins and antioxidants it contains. Raw consumption preserves heat‑sensitive nutrients such as vitamin C and certain polyphenols. She lists carrots, celery, beetroot, asparagus, broccoli, avocado, onion, garlic and leafy greens as vegetables that retain the most benefit when eaten fresh, especially for vitamin C and other heat‑labile compounds.

Cooking can degrade some nutrients but also makes others more bioavailable. Bilic notes that onion and garlic lose valuable sulfur compounds with prolonged heating, so she recommends including a portion of them raw in salads or as toppings. Broccoli, in particular, keeps most of its nutritional value when consumed raw or lightly cooked. Adding healthy fats, such as olive oil, can improve the absorption of fat‑soluble vitamins from vegetables.