From creamy mashed potato and sweetcorn smothered in butter to rich tomato soup and miso-glazed aubergine, cooked veggies can be incredibly tasty. But did you know that, in some cases, munching raw vegetables can be better for your health? “When veggies are cooked, some of the heat-sensitive nutrients, such as vitamin C, can become depleted,” says functional nutritionist Pauline Cox, author of Hungry Woman: Eating For Good Health, Happiness And Hormones. “Beneficial enzymes within raw veg can also be lost to roasting and cooking.” Fresh veg can be especially appealing in summer when you’re craving filling salads and crunchy snacks. “Adding more raw to your daily dish will liven up your palate and upgrade your dinner plate,” Cox says. As with any raw ingredient, it’s important to prepare veg properly. “Whether you’re eating vegetables raw or cooked, always wash them well before consuming to help reduce pesticide residue or harmful bacteria,” suggests Maz Packham, nutritional therapist and founder of Nourishful Nutrition. Here, experts talk through eight vegetables that are delicious raw… 1. Sweet potato “Sweet potato, often associated with oven baked, roasted or mashed, can actually be consumed raw,” says Cox. But you’ll want to grate the flesh first to make it more palatable: “Grated into a slaw, sweet potatoes are a super source of beta carotene, vitamin C and fibre.” 2. Kale Baked kale chips have become very trendy in recent years as health-conscious individuals look for new ways to consume the vitamin-rich leaves. “Many individuals find it easier to digest kale once it’s been sauteed or steamed,” says registered nutritionist Jenna Hope. “However, massaging raw kale with olive oil instead can also help to aid digestion whilst preserving the vitamin C. “Additionally, adding olive oil can help to increase the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin K, which is also present in kale.” 3. Sugar snap peas Unlike some types of peas, there’s no need to shell sugar snaps, which are high in vitamins C and K. “Vitamin C is a powerhouse antioxidant we need to consume through foods for collagen production, to support iron absorption, and for a healthy functioning immune system,” says Packham. “Sugar snap peas are also a good source of vitamin K and folate which are abundant in green vegetables, and they’re a great source of fibre helping to support beneficial bacteria in the gut and good digestive health.” They make a delicious snack on their own or dipped in hummus. “You may want to break off the ends and remove the outer string that runs along the side; you may not even notice it,” Packham continues. “Cut the pods into smaller segments and mix into salads for extra texture and crunch.” 4. Celeriac “Rich in vitamin K, celeriac may have bone-health boosting properties, as higher intake of vitamin K is associated with a lower risk of fractures,” suggests Cox. Cut off the tough outer peel before grating, slicing ribbons with a vegetable peeler or chopping into small pieces. “Delicate in flavour but packed with goodness, celeriac makes a great addition to any salad,” Cox. “Thinly sliced into matchstick-sized strips and tossed with a dollop of olive oil, mayonnaise and a little mustard, celeriac can liven up any meal as a side dish.” 5. Cauliflower Cauliflower cheese may be a culinary classic, but you don’t have to bake this cruciferous veg to reap the health rewards. “Cauli is bursting with vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fibre,” says Cox. She recommends: “Raw cauliflower makes a great dunker for a delicious guacamole or hummus.” However, if you have any digestive health issues you should be cautious with cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower. “They can cause excess gas as they contain an indigestible fibre called raffinose,” says Rob Hobson, registered consultant nutritionist at Healthspan. “Bacteria try and break this down in the large intestine and in the process produce gas. This could be an issue for people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as it can exacerbate symptoms.” 6. Baby corn While full-size corn cobs are way too tough to consume whole, baby corn (harvested before the stalks mature) is soft enough to munch whole. “Despite its size, baby corn is nutritionally rich containing vitamins A and C as well as folate and potassium,” says Packham. “The high fibre content helps support a healthy gut while also helping you to feel fuller for longer.” You can slice the stalks to add to salads or serve them as crudites, Packham suggests: “Baby corn is a great snack option and can be left whole – it tastes delicious dipped into hummus or guacamole.” 7. Courgette “Courgettes are rich in vitamin C and B6, which can also be degraded by high heat,” says Hope, and because it’s got a semi-firm texture it’s easy to adapt for raw dishes. Hope adds: “Try slicing up your courgettes and using them as an alternative to cucumber in salads, or sliced up and dipped into hummus or guacamole.” 8. Brussels sprouts Not a fan of the classic Christmas dinner side dish? “Trying them raw might just see you developing a newfound love for the humble Brussels sprout,” says Cox, recommending the brassica as a rich source of vitamins C and K. “Thinly sliced and treated like shredded lettuce, glug on a generous dose of avocado oil or olive oil and a few chopped pecans or walnuts and finish with some fresh, grilled goat’s cheese – this combo may well win you over!” As Brussels sprouts are cruciferous, the same warning applies to cauliflower for people with IBS. Hobson adds: “They contain compounds called glucosinolates which can reduce the absorption of iodine which could interfere with thyroid function. “People with underactive thyroid may want to limit their intake of these compounds. Cooking them lowers the levels of glucosinolates.” Read More Brain’s appetite control centre different in overweight or obese people – study Study reveals how muscle cells deteriorate with age, hampering injury recovery Is it heat exhaustion or are you just tired? Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Lewis Hamilton expects Red Bull to return to their imperious form of 2023 this weekend in Japan - insisting “something’s up” if that doesn’t prove to be the case. Red Bull had won 14 from 14 races prior to last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix but struggled in the twists and turns of the city-state, with both cars failing to qualify for Q3 and Max Verstappen finishing only fifth in Sunday’s race. However, a return to a more traditional track at Suzuka this weekend is expected to coincide with business as usual for Christian Horner’s team. Max Verstappen cannot secure his third-straight world title in Japan this weekend but is the favourite once again, with seven-time world champion Hamilton expecting Red Bull to be back on top by some margin. “I would think that if they’re [Red Bull] not 30 seconds ahead, like they have done in the past, then something’s up,” Hamilton said. “It was obviously a difficult weekend the last one but their car should be phenomenal here. They’ve been phenomenal all year long, their pace at pretty much every circuit. “It’s going to be great to watch that car in general. Normally, you’d come here and it’s beautiful to watch the laps that they do because the whole team and the drivers are doing an amazing job with the package they have. So it’ll be interesting to see how the weekend goes. “I hope we’ll be closer and I hope they’re not as fast as that 30-second gap they’ve had in the past.” Verstappen secured his second world title in Japan last year after a chaotic, wet race in Japan. The Dutchman, who has a 151-point lead in the drivers’ championship, emphasised he wasn’t overly bothered at his own record-breaking win-streak of 10 coming to an end in Singapore. “I have no emotion,” Verstappen said. “We stopped winning for one race. S*** happens! We won 10 in a row before that. “Of course I would have liked to win there as well. But I also know that there is always going to be a day where you have done that weekend where then you’re not winning or things go wrong. And yeah, unfortunately, it was that weekend. “We just move on and try again.” Read More Lando Norris calls for ‘harsher penalties’ after Max Verstappen incident Ferrari finally find their chief strategist – and it’s Carlos Sainz Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to miss Japanese Grand Prix Lando Norris calls for ‘harsher penalties’ after Max Verstappen incident Rising F1 star Oscar Piastri makes decision on McLaren future Carlos Sainz would be a ‘good fit’ for Audi seat in 2026, says Johnny Herbert

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Cindy Crawford has explained why she posed nude for Playboy magazine in 1988, even after her agents told her not to. The supermodel, 57, reflected on the early days of her career in the new Apple TV+ docuseries, The Super Models, which she appears in alongside fashion icons Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington. During the second episode of the show, Crawford noted that, after becoming the face of Revlon in the 80s, “things started really happening,” as she was “doing the right campaigns”. However, she claimed that when she was asked to appear on the cover of Playboy in 1988, some of her peers and agents advised her against it. “Everyone in my life at the time thought I shouldn’t do Playboy,” she said. “My modelling agency didn’t feel that that fit into the types of jobs I should be doing. I think the brand still had a connotation to it that maybe scared some people off.” Crawford said she knew why her agency was hesitant about on the gig, given how different it was from jobs she’d had before. “I understood the platform of Playboy and what that symbolised,” she explained. “It was definitely outside the normal trajectory for a Vogue model at the time.” She went on to specify that a famous fashion photographer, the late Herb Ritts, was the one who reached out to her about the project. After she recalled that she and Ritts were “really good friends” and that she “worked with” him a lot and previously “stayed at his house,” she shared another reason why she wanted to pose for Playboy. “I don’t know, there was just something about it that intrigued me. So against the advice of my agents, I said ‘yes,’” Crawford said, before describing the conditions she brought up to the maagazine when taking on the job. “But I said: ‘You don’t need to pay me a lot of money. As long as I can have control of the images, and I wanted the right to kill the story if I don’t like it,’” she recalled telling the publication. Crawford noted that when she did the photoshoot for Playboy, she and Ritts “combined it with another trip that [they] were doing for French Vogue to Hawaii”. And, according to the supermodel, the two photoshoots weren’t all that different from each other. “We’d shoot a picture for French Vogue and then we’d shoot a picture for Playboy,” she said. “I mean, you almost couldn’t tell which pictures were for French Vogue and which pictures were for Playboy, it was very organic and I loved them.” The actor concluded by noting that, despite what other people may think, it was ultimately her decision to pose for Playboy, and she did not feel pressured into it. “That’s the whole thing for me is, even if I make choices that other people disagree with or don’t like, if they’re my decisions and I have control of it, that’s empowering to me,” she said. “Even if it’s doing Playboy. I never felt like a victim of that decision.” This isn’t Crawford’s first time opening up about posing for the magazine. During an interview with Net-a-Porter’s PorterEdit in 2019, she acknowledged that she didn’t have any regrets about being photographed nude for the publication twice, as she also appeared in a 1998 Playboy spread. “I look back at some of my old Playboy pictures and I think: ‘Why wasn’t I walking around naked all the time?’” she said. “I’m not getting younger. So I want to celebrate who I am today.” She also opened up about posing nude in her fifties, and shared the candid reason why she did so in photographer Russell James’ book, Angels. “Part of the reason I wanted to do it was that I thought, at what age is being naked not beautiful anymore? Is there a sell-by date on us?” the model said. “I don’t look the same as I did at 20, 30 or even 40. If we take care of ourselves, why not? Am I frolicking on the beach in a string bikini? No.” Crawford continued to explain how, to her, posing nude showcases a type of beauty that isn’t typically shown in her other photoshoots. “But there is a place where I want to feel beautiful naked, in my private life, with my husband. [Russell] was tapping into that real place – not high heels, not a lot of makeup, not coy, just a real woman who doesn’t have clothes on,” she said. Read More Cindy Crawford candidly speaks about her marriage to Richard Gere 30 years later Voguewashing London Fashion Week won’t pay the wages of Britain’s young fashion designers Groping, abuse and racism: 10 of the most shocking revelations from The Super Models TV show

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