More Evidence That Cooking Destroys Nutrients

By Roger Haeske

I’ve discovered more evidence that cooking destroys nutrients, including
cooked vegetables. Although some nutrient levels may be increased,
others are decreased. This information also indicates a very strong
correlation with decreased cancer rates as the consumption of raw fruits
and vegetables goes up.

One of the main points of the Optimal Raw Food Diet is that it be 100%
raw. Cooking does too much damage to the foods to be helpful in any way.
There is overwhelming evidence that eating cooked food will eventually
lead you to a life of disease, overweight, and unhappiness.

Here are a couple of quotes from Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book, “Eat to Live,”
explaining the health-protective benefits of raw fruits and vegetables
and explaining the damage that cooking does.

Pg 43:
“When vegetables are cooked, or eaten with fat, some nutrients are more
efficiently absorbed and other heat-sensitive nutrients are lost or
rendered less absorbable. Many studies (Over 250: My added comment) show
that raw fruits and vegetables offer the highest blood levels of
cancer-protective nutrients and the most protection against cancer of
any other foods, including cooked vegetation. Any advice not recognizing
that raw vegetables and fresh fruits are the two most powerful
anti-cancer categories of foods is off the mark.

Paul Talalay, M.D., of the Brassica Chemoprotection Laboratory at the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is involved with researching the effect
of cooking on phytochemicals. He reports “widely different effects on
the compounds in vegetables that protect against cancer.” These
compounds are both activated and destroyed by various cooking methods.”

Pg 43 as well:
“These heat-sensitive elements may offer significant nutritional
advantages to protect against disease, according to investigators from
the Department of Biochemistry at Wright State University School of
Medicine. These researchers concluded that “most foods undergo a
decrease in nutritive value in addition to the well-known loss of
vitamins when cooked and/or processed.” Most vitamins are
heat-sensitive, for example, 20-60 percent of vitamin C is lost,
depending on the cooking method. Thirty to forty percent of minerals are
lost in cooking vegetables as well. Consuming a significant quantity of
raw foods is essential for superior health.”

** Vegetables, fruit, and cancer prevention: A review

“Abstract
In this review of the scientific literature on the relationship between
vegetable and fruit consumption and risk of cancer, results from 206
human epidemiologic studies and 22 animal studies are summarized. The
evidence for a protective effect of greater vegetable and fruit
consumption is consistent for cancers of the stomach, esophagus, lung,
oral cavity and pharynx, endometrium, pancreas, and colon.”

Here’s the link to the whole study.

http://www.mi-cancergenetics.org/articles/veg-fruit.html

** Digestive Leukocytosis **

Here is another problem caused by the cooking and processing of foods,
an increased white blood cell count or leukocytosis. This is considered
normal since all people who eat cooked food get it.

From what I understand, raw foodists often have a lower white blood cell
count than what is considered, so-called normal. But that is only
because we don’t need so many white blood cells circulating in our blood
because our diet is pure and doesn’t trigger our defense mechanisms.

Notice that vinegar creates a severe increase in the white blood cell
count as well. Cooked animal proteins where the worst offenders.

To see the whole story please follow the link below the quote.

** A quick note: I believe the author overstates the importance of
enzymes in this article, there is much more than enzymes destroyed by
cooking.

The enzymes in raw foods are of minor concern, since most of them don’t
make it through the digestive process. Also the majority of the enzymes
needed to digest a food come from our own body and not the raw food.

Most of the enzymes in fruit are gone once the fruit has ripened anyway.
However, the basic information on the leukocytosis is good.

“Leukocytosis was first discovered in 1846. At first, it was considered
normal because everyone who was tested had it. Paul Kautchakoff, M.D.(4)
later found that leukocytosis was not normal. In fact, the major cause
of leukocytosis was discovered to be the eating of cooked food. An
entire category of leukocytosis was classified as "digestive
leukocytosis," that is, the elevation of the white blood cell level in
response to the lack of enzymes in the cooked food in the intestine. It
is pathological because the pancreas was never intended to provide 100%
of the digestive enzymes needed.

Dr. Kautchakoff divided his findings into four classifications according
to the severity of the pathological reaction in the blood:

1. Raw food produced no increase in the white blood cell count.
2. Commonly cooked food caused leukocytosis.
3. Pressure cooked food caused even greater leukocytosis.
4. Man-made, processed and refined foods, such as carbonated beverages,
alcohol, vinegar, white sugar, flour, and other foods, caused severe
leukocytosis. Cooked, smoked and salted animal flesh brought on violent
leukocytosis consistent with ingesting poison.

http://www.naturalhealthway.com/articles/raw/raw.html

I hope this information further convinces you of the dangers of cooking
your foods and of the amazing health benefits of raw fruits and
vegetables.

To Your Radiant Health, Happiness and Fitness, Roger Haeske

P.S. Experience the radiant health and happiness benefits of an optimal
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- posted by Roger Haeske @ 3:03 PM