Jean-Louis:

>Of course, you are free to decide. Unfortunately, I can't do the
>experiment myself, since I can eat cooked potatoes and carrots without
>noticeable side-effects.

Key word: "noticable". I doubt the cooked is doing you better than raw
would.

>Okay, but they didn't explain HOW the photography was taken, i.e. what
>the measured quantity was. Was it an electromagnetic radiation? Then,
>what was the wavelength/bandwidth, etc?

It was kirlian. Look into that subject area for specifics - I don't know
the details. You're missing the point, btw.

>It was just an example to show that you were saying a tautology. I
>agree that cooking is bad when it doesn't improve the nutritional
>value of the food: no one will dispute that fact! Then, you say that
>you shouldn't cook something that you can't eat raw. But the reason
>why one would do it is to increase the range of your staples, thereby
>increasing the variety of nutrients and helping to keep a correct
>balance. Some people are able to keep balance on 100% raw; others are
>not. That's why I find important to accept to include something
>cooked, instead of trying and trying forever, be unbalanced, perhaps
>even binge, feel guilty, etc.

Anyone is capable of having balance with 100% raw if they do what it takes.
Don't tell me we need cooked food for "balance". That's ridiculous.

You want variety? There are all kinds of tubers, roots, and grains, some
starchy nuts, etc. that can all be eaten raw. You can eat them as they are,
blend them up, make recipes, etc.

Being unbalanced, binging, and thus feeling guilty arises out of one simple
bottom line: If your body isn't getting what it biologically needs (i.e.
starch, then you will inevitably binge on it cooked. I eat it raw and have
absolutely no cravings. Many raw foodists don't eat raw starch foods, and
thus binge/detox/binge/detox/fail.

I had soaked oat groats and millet this morning. Delicious. I also had
some raw beet, carrots, and also had a potato and some sweet potato as
part of a blended smoothie.

>Corn: one year ago, I ate on average 1 raw (sweet)corn on the cob for
>3 months. Then, I found impossible to swallow more than 1/4 at a
>time. Beets: never liked them; impossible to eat more than a mouthful,
>without pleasure. Carrots: can eat about 2/week (that's less than 10
>grams starch). Yams: the only kind I found palatable was Jewel yams
>(dunno if I'll find them in France), but they made my digestion heavy
>and my stools were yellowish afterwards. And I chew well.

Your apparent dilemma: You need to variate your foods or do something
differently. Your excuses are running thin. Are you trying to tell me that
you would have no problem eating cooked corn frequently, but raw corn is
bad news? Beets: I love them. If you eat cooked food, you may still have
a hard time with raw foods, as cooked food is addictive. I used to hate
the taste of avocados when I first had them. Same with grapefruit and a few
other things. No longer. Yams: blend them up as part of a smoothie, or
don't eat them. Eat other roots, tubers, grains, etc.

Wes