Raw veggies have fewer calories than cooked veggies, due to their higher water content, Coufal explained. Cooking evaporates the water, making cooked veggies more calorically dense, meaning they have more calories per pound. However, the differences are not that significant. “At the end of the day, consume vegetables in whatever form you prefer,” Coufal said.
And while raw vegetables do contain more B and C vitamins compared to cooked, and some of these water-soluble nutrients may be lost during the cooking process, it’s not enough to make the food valueless. Overall, the differences in cooked vs. raw vegetables don’t hold much value in terms of weight loss. The most important thing is to eat your veggies! So focus on eating the veggies you like, prepared in a way you’ll actually eat them.
