RAW FOOD better than COOKED FOOD

Chapter 23

COOKED FOOD

                 If raw food is called ‘living food’ then cooked food can be called ‘dead food’. How can we living beings expect good health from consuming dead food? The more living food we consume the more lively we can become. Living food or raw food makes us look young and beautiful. It increases energy, strengthens immunity to diseases and improves mental health.

Human being is the only animal that cooks the naturally available food items. All other animals eat the food items in the raw form as they are available in the nature. But with his intelligence, the human being discovered fire and learnt to cook food according to taste. But raw food is so much better than cooked food. Let us see how cooking destroys nutrients present in raw food. Many vitamins are sensitive to heat.   Naturally available fruits, vegetables, grains are pressure cooked, grilled, fried or roasted to get cooked food. The high temperatures destroy the vitamins (especially vitamin C), enzymes and nutrients found in raw food. The copper vessel used for cooking speed up the process of destruction of vitamins. Cooking changes the food chemically from substances we need for health into free radicals and poisons that are harmful to our health. Toxins are built up in the body leading to diseases. By increasing the amount of raw food in our diet we can eliminate these toxins.

                 It is easy to eat cooked food and hence we tend to eat more. This leads to obesity which is the main cause of so many of our health problems.

       Cooking destroys all the enzymes present in the food that are needed to digest the food.

Water used for cooking can wash away more of the vitamins and hence microwave cooking is a good way to preserve the nutrients present in the vegetables. Very little water is needed to cook food in an oven and the cooking is faster. Nutrients can also be saved by using large pieces of vegetables while cooking. Avoid over cooking. Always cook the vegetables with skin since many nutrients are found under in and just under the surface of the peel.

Some foods like beans are easy to digest if cooked. Niacin in corn can be used by the body only if the corn is boiled in water. Beta-carotene in carrot is useful to our body if it is steamed.

And yet raw food is miles better than cooked food. Raw food is full of life and the best food for our body which we want to remain full of life.