Raw foods?

Some people believe that to get the most nutrients from foods, especially fruits and vegetables, that uncooked is better than cooked - but think again. There is no scientific justification for the promotion and consumption of raw food diets. Cooking serves several useful purposes: it kills harmful bacteria; it makes food softer to chew; it improves the digestion of foods; it breaks down nutrients like proteins and improves their digestion; some nutrients are lost during cooking, but others (especially antioxidants) become more available to your body - for example more antioxidants are abosorbed into the blood stream from cooked carrots/ corn/ tomatoes/leafy greens than from their uncooked versions; cooking makes some nutrients (e.g proteins common in beans, seeds, sprouts) non-toxic. Apart from some vitamin losses, there is no other proven detriment of cooking food (as long as it is not charred/burnt in the process) and there are several benefits. It is also a myth that we need to eat raw food in order to obtain beneficial 'enzymes'. Most enzymes consumed are inactivated by acid in our stomach and enzymes in our intestine. Verdict: eat a variety of foods, in a variety of forms.

Last Updated: March 2004.