Raw pumpkin is rarely eaten daily. If you avoid cooked pumpkin or winter squash because it's unhealthy, reconsider. Pumpkin cooking releases beta-carotene.
Shaved raw asparagus is delightful, but cooking helps our systems absorb asparagus' A, C, E, and folate. Cooking asparagus releases antioxidants, particularly ferulic acid.
Cooking heirloom tomatoes produces antioxidant lycopene. Lycopene prevents cancer and heart attacks. Cooking tomato cell walls yields lycopene. Cooking reduces vitamin C content, yet it's consumed more than lycopene.
Cooked carrots have more beta-carotene. Carotenoids, including beta-carotene, give fruits and vegetables their red, yellow, and orange colors. Beta-carotene becomes vitamin A.
Uncooked mushrooms belong in salads and raw food diets, despite our preference for cooked mushrooms. They gain from firetime too.
Spinach has pros and cons.When spinach is cooked, it absorbs more vitamins A and E, protein, fiber, zinc, thiamin, calcium, and iron, and important carotenoids like beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.