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(Looking at the Science on Raw vs. Cooked Foods--continued, Part 3C)


How diversifying the diet with animal foods can affect nutrient balance

Now, let's have a look at vitamin content for the same plant foods outlined just previously, plus the following animal foods: pork (fresh, loin, top loin [chops], boneless, separable lean and fat, cooked, broiled), beef (composite of trimmed retail cuts, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 1/4" fat, all grades, cooked), mung sprouts, beef liver (raw).

Note these abbreviations in the charts below: B1 = thiamine, B2 = riboflavin, B3 = niacin, B5 = pantothenic acid, B6 = pyridoxine, B9 = folate, B12 = cobalamin. "A" below refers (in animal food) to actual vitamin A (retinol), or in plant food to beta-carotene, which, assuming it is extractable, can be converted by the body into vitamin A. (As discussed earlier in this paper, the extractability of beta-carotene is usually very low in plant food unless cooked to release it from the fibrous plant matrix; or high-speed mechanical juicing may also serve the same function.)

SAMPLE FOODS IN A MOSTLY-RAW
DIET THAT INCLUDES MEAT

(nutrient values per 100g portion)


The measurement units for vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and E are milligrams.
B9 and B12 are in micrograms, and A is in IUs (International Units).

FOOD

Vitamins (per 100 grams)

C

B1

B2

B3

B5

B6

B9

B12

A

E

Grapes

4

.09

.06

.30

.024

.11

3.9

0

100

.34

Avocado

7.9

.11

.12

1.9

.97

.28

62

0

612

1.3

Dates

?

.09

.1

2.2

.78

.19

13

0

50

.1

Broccoli

75

.05

.11

.57

.51

.14

50

0

1,388

1.7

Romaine

24

.10

.10

.5

.17

.05

136

0

2,600

.44

Potato

7.4

.10

.02

1.3

.51

.27

8.9

0

?

.05

Pork

.3

.85

.31

5.0

.70

.38

8

.69

6

?

Beef

0

.08

.21

3.6

.35

.33

7

2.44

?

.2

Mung beans

13

.08

.12

.75

.38

.09

61

0

21

.01

Beef liver

22

.26

2.78

13

7.6

.94

248

69

35,346

.67

...and for 100-calorie portions:

FOOD

Vitamins (per 100 calories)

C

B1

B2

B3

B5

B6

B9

B12

A

E

Grapes

6

.10

.09

.4

.04

.17

5.9

0

150

.51

Avocado

4.9

.07

.07

1.2

.60

.17

38

0

380

.81

Dates

?

.03

.04

.8

.28

.07

4.7

0

18

.04

Broccoli

270

.20

.40

2.1

1.8

.50

180

0

5,000

6.1

Romaine

170

.71

.71

3.6

1.2

.33

990

0

18,000

3.1

Potato

8.9

1.2

.02

1.6

.61

.32

11

0

?

.06

Pork

.13

.37

.14

2.2

.31

.17

3.5

.30

3

?

Beef

0

.03

.07

1.2

.12

.11

2.3

.79

?

.07

Mung beans

43

.28

.40

2.5

1.3

.29

200

0

69

.03

Beef liver

15

.18

2.0

9.1

5.3

.66

180

48

25,000

.47

Again, we note that potato fares pretty well compared to dates and avocados. Next, we comment one by one on each vitamin:

Moral of the story: Diversity in nutrient sources is at least as important as raw vs. cooked considerations, if not more. The conclusion of the above is that no food is rich in all vitamins, except perhaps liver (some people may argue that it also has a "superior" content in toxins--but that's an issue for another discussion), and that a diversified diet is important--probably more important than preserving every milligram of vitamin by eating 100% raw.

GO TO NEXT PART OF ARTICLE

(Improving Raw-Food Diets with Carefully Chosen Cooked Foods)

Return to beginning of article

SEE REFERENCE LIST


SEE TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR: PART 1 PART 2 PART 3

GO TO PART 1 - Is Cooked Food "Toxic"?

GO TO PART 2 - Does Cooked Food Contain Less Nutrition?

GO TO PART 3 - Discussion: 100% Raw vs. Predominantly Raw

Back to Research-Based Appraisals of Alternative Diet Lore

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