Prolly a stupid question about soup - Raw Food Chat

pomegranatebliss · 09-03-2006

I've been high-raw for 90 days now. I have a genuinely curious question about the statement that foods lose nutrients when they are cooked. Not trying to advocate eating cooked...

This week, I had a large bowl of vegetable soup I made from fresh, raw vegetables and two vegetarian boullion cubes. I used two medium sized red potatoes that I steamed, plus two ears of raw corn cut from the cob, eight baby carrots sliced small, and a lot of little white pearl onions. Those just simmered in the broth for 15 minutes.

Here's my question - let's say that we know 100% without a doubt that the vegetables lose nutrients when cooked. Well, if I cook them in a soup and I also drink the broth, am I not still getting the nutrients from all the raw food I put in the pot?

I was just thinking that in a case like this, there should be no nutrients lost, unless they actually evaporate somehow. If the vegetables release them, they would be in the broth.

Hope someone else knows! Thank you!

greenbunny · 09-23-2006

Hey Bliss,

The problem is that when you cook food over 115 degrees it destroys something in the food called enzymes. The body needs enzymes in order to do most things - especially to digest. Each living food has exactly the enzymes in them to digest it.... so when it goes in your tummy the enzymes go to work digesting it. If the food is cooked, your body has to steal enzymes from it's other processes, convert them into digestive enzymes and use them to digest the food. You are only born with a certain number of enzymes if my understand is correct... and when you run out.... so does your precious life. That's why it's so important to eat raw! As far as cooking goes, keeping the vegetables in the water and drinking the water keeps more nutrients than other methods because when cooking much of the vitamins go out in the steam - so if you have to cook, soups are one of the best - but make sure that you take digestive enzymes in a pill. The thing is that you will never get exactly the right combo of enzymes in a pill - but better than nothing. Another thing is that you don't get the life force inherent in the vegetables when they are cooked. Many people equate enzymes with life force. If you take a picture of a vegetable that is raw and one cooked with kirilian photography you will see the difference. The one that is raw is alive with energy - the one that is cooked is dead. The difference in putting one or another into your body is all the difference in the world. You are what you eat. If you eat live food - you are more alive!

Hope that helps to explain,
greenbunny