cooked food is bad for you?

Question

Hi.. one of my friends recently went vegan, and now she is a raw-foodist. She read this article saying how cooked food is bad for you because it cooks all the enzymes out. Personally I think she does not know enough about what she is talking about, but unfortunatly I myself dont know much about this either. Do any of you guys know anything?

Answer 1

This is not exactly true, as yes, sometimes vegetables eaten raw is good for you as some of it's vitamins or minerals are still there and not destroyed by cooking, some foods such as tomatoes have extra nutrients which are extracted when cooked. Meat is generally not good eaten raw as they might still have bacteria living on them.

Answer 2

I have been looking into this subject for a few months now. I am thinking about trying it for health reasons, as I have a deliberating health issue that has not been helped by drugs. In fact, the drugs made me sicker than the disease did in the first place!

I have done some internet research, read some books, been to a couple of Raw Food events and spoken to Raw Food enthusiasts. From the people I met, this is definitely a lifestyle that they are committed to and not just a passing fad. Those people would have to be the healthiest people I have ever met.

The first things I noticed about them was their amazing energy levels and their flawless complexions, they were literally vibrantly glowing with health. Everyone I spoke to said, since starting to eat raw, they never got colds or flu.

Given I can barely drag myself out of bed and often have to sleep in the afternoon, and given I have been absent from work so much this year, these two benefits interest me greatly.

I have not committed myself to trying it yet, as I love chicken and dairy (even though both negatively contribute to my health issue) and to be honest, I doubted I would have enough willpower to stick with a vegan type lifestyle in winter.

However, given summer is on the way and my health situation has got worse, I am certainly prepared to learn more about it and “give it a go”.

Note: From reading the other posts, there does seem to be a little bit of confusion regarding the word raw. When I told my friend I was thinking of trying the raw lifestyle, she thought it meant eating raw meat too. To eat raw does NOT mean eating raw chicken or raw fish or raw steak or raw potatoes. According to the raw websites I have been visiting, both here and in the USA, being raw means following a vegan based diet mainly consisting of whole (preferably certified organic) plant ingredients, such as, land vegetables, sea vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouted pulses, grains and legumes, heated to no more than 44 Celsius.

Answer 3

If u tend to cook your food to almost petrified then yes u are losing the enzymes and vitamins but if u cook it till done and not past that point u are keeping the vitamins and all the good stuff. dont listen to her she is a new vegan and thinks she knows everything but she will learn the right things soon enough. just smile and go along with her but dont listen to it till shes been doing it for about 10 yrs or so.

Answer 4

Raw foodists claim that eating cooked food is eating dead food- the cooking process destroys natural enzymes in fruits and veggies. While this is true, someone who eats raw foods AND cooked foods still gets the benefits of live enzymes and can eat much broader variety of foods. Eating only raw foods is silly and extreme and probably just another passing fad.

Answer 5

That's actually a rather hot topic and lots of arguments. The Japanese, traditionally, don't cook much of their food, and eat Sushi (raw fish) and they are well known to be very health people who live a long time.

The innuits in the arctic never cook meat and always eat it raw, they don't have the same health problems like the rest of us.

But I have worked with a nurtitionalist, and I can say it's about balance above all else. Eating nothing but raw food can be just as harmful to your health as eating nothing but cooked food. You need an equal amount of both.

Answer 6

Through out the years people have gone through all kinds of diets thinking that (Ah! I have finally found something that is healthy.) No, I'm not saying that fruits and Veg, are bad for a person, But , most of them aren't as organic as they're touted to be , and your body needs a variety of foods to built and maintain it strength and stability, but reality is that if you are pe-disposed to , cancer, diabetes , etc. that eating properly goes a long way to having half a chance, the rest is left up to heredity. And any one who has lived on this earth an observed will see that in the those who think they are going to beat the system and eat only foods that they think are good for them, are statistically no better , health wise then a person who ate junk food most of their life and wasted their money on man made vitamins and minerals.
Moderation and common sense is apt , to give a person more pleasure and with that, a person feels better . When they feel better the health reflect that.

Answer 7

There are lots of ways to cook food without it hurting you. Steaming works nicely. And some foods are more dangerous raw than cooked.

Answer 8

I know for sure that cooked carrots and potatoes are better for you. You can digest them better cooked and get more nutrients from them. A lot of people with pollen allergies are allergic to those raw food enzymes. It is called oral allergy syndrome.

Answer 9

Some things are better for your body uncooked, like some vegetables and most fruits. Meat is better for your body when it is cooked, but like a medium rare steak, or something. Uncooked meat can lead to many problems, such as trichonosis( I probably didn't spell that right), tapeworms, etc.
Raw eggs can give you salmonella, but like I said before, some things are better for your body when raw.

Answer 10

How does she like her raw chicken? I heard even pulling the feathers off before you eat it destroys all of the enzymes too.
There is no evidence to show that vegetarians or vegans live longer or healthier than the omnivores.