Experiments have shown that fatty food when eaten cooked added more calories than if they were eaten uncooked. It is interesting to know how calories are added by cooking fatty foods.
The case of the nut—Why cooking it leads to release of more fat
This is a very recent study conducted on mice. They were given raw and cooked peanuts to relish and feast. It was discovered that the mice gained more weight when fed on cooked peanuts. Further study revealed that on cooking, the fat inside the cell walls of the peanuts was released and available for digestion.
This fat is responsible for increasing the weight of the mice. When the peanuts weren’t cooked, this fat inside the cell walls couldn’t reach the digestive system of the mice. These findings were published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
Fatty foods that can be eaten raw—Avocado and salmon for instance!
If you are conscious of the calories that you consume, there are a lot of fatty foods that can be eaten raw for health benefits. In a similar study back in 2012, it was discovered that almonds too have less calories when consumed raw. Roasted nuts will add more calories to your body.
Now you know the fact and can look forward to buy raw nuts from the store near you. As a word of caution, baking is also cooking and it too will facilitate the release of the fat from the cells of the foodstuff. Some common food items that we usually consume cooked are salmon, avocado, olives, seeds. Eating these raw will add comparatively less calories than eating them cooked. The reason why these add calories to your body is the same as mentioned earlier.
Cooking fats that you can use often
Studies have shown that saturated fats (SFA) and monounsaturated fats (MFA) are beneficial for health. Coconut oil is one such cooking media that has 90% saturated fat. The body easily absorbs this because it is a medium chain triglyceride.
The digestion of this fat is processed without the need of bile acids. An anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral substance called lauric acid is found in coconut. Duck fat and butter are other options that contain MFA and PUFA (Polyunsaturated fatty acids) that are beneficial for health. Duck fat has Long- chained SFA and butter has SFA.
You should avoid cooking the fatty foods that can be eaten raw, if not always then whenever possible.
