Hi Ellie,

> Cells have small strutures called lysosomes, which contain hydrolytic
> enzymes that digest the proteins, carbohydrates and lipids in the cell
> when the cell is injured.


Yes, I'm familiar with lysosomes. They break down (digest)
macromolecules into subunits which can then either be utilized, stored,
or excreted. The hydrolytic enzymes in the lysosome break down molecules
from foods, as well as molecules from the cell's own metabolic waste
products (autodigestion), and also molecules from exogenous toxins,
bacteria (which are engulfed by a white blood cell and carried to the
lysosome in the interior of the cell by means of a portion of the cell
wall's wrapping around the bacteria and forming a structure called a
"vesicle"), in addition to many other products in the body.


>When foods are not cooked so that the
>enzymes
> are destroyed, these enzymes digest the food.

As I've tried to point out above, the hydrolytic enzymes in the lysosome
are able to digest many other things in addition to the macro-molecules
from raw foods. The molecules from cooked foods, for instance, are also
digested by the lysosome (as well as by other organelles within the cell
that contain enzymes to break down specific molecules).


>And the raw food does not
> have the harmful substances formed during cooking, substances the body
> can't use and therefore make the body toxic when the food is overly
> cooked.

A really stupendous article on the relative pros and cons of raw versus
cooked foods will soon be available at this site:

http://www.beyondveg.com


Another totally great article on the question of cooked versus raw, and
our evolutionary adaptation to this, is found at this same site:

http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb/hb-interview2a.shtml

Lots of Love,  Liza

[log in to unmask] (Liza May)