I would like to clarify about the controversy cooked vs raw. Since this list is a raw food eating support list, some people might be surprised that we are still eating raw and demonstrating the advantages of cooking at the same time. First of all, one can't compare light cooking in the context of a predominantly raw food diet and SAD. To be more specific, my method of cooking is the following: vegetables are put in hot water (just below boiling temperature, no salt) for a few minutes; 3 minutes for broccoli and cauliflower, 1.5 minutes for spinach. In this way, most vitamins and minerals are still preserved. Despite the fact that raw food is generally more nutritious when raw, eating 100% raw results in a more restricted diet, and (mild) deficiencies might well eventually develop. I don't recommend to cook what you would eat raw, since obviously nothing is gained in the process; but if cooking extends the range of your diet, then your body probably gets more nutrients. Cooking can affect a food in two different areas: nutritive value and toxicity. 1) Nutritive value: the fact that cooking increases starch digestibility has already been mentioned. Another interesting example is beta-carotene (precursor of vitamin A) in vegetables which is more bioavailable if the food has been cooked lightly. Finally, anyone will admit that heating tenderizes foods such as fresh meat and tough vegetables. One the other hand, severe cooking results in the formation of Maillard molecules, whose main adverse effects are various anti-nutrient properties. In particular, proteins lose digestibility value (lysine is the most affected amino-acid). The higher the temperature, and the longer the processing time, the higher the proportion of unavailable lysine. Of course, heating also destroys vitamins. Coming back to our beta-carotenes, despite being more available after light cooking, further cooking results in the creation of unusable stereoisomers which might inhibit the absorption of the naturally occurring form. When cooking in boiling water, part of the minerals are released in the water. And finally, cooking destroys enzymes; however, I have been unable to evaluate the importance of enzymes in human health. Dr Edward Howell has published books on this topic, but references are rather old (from the '20s and the '30s), and some arguments subject to discussion. 2) Toxicity: Cooking often destroys some (but not all) anti-nutrients, like anti-trypsins in legumes, perhaps some natural toxins. On the other hand, some toxic compounds may be created, like: heterocyclic amines (mainly in meat and fish cooked at high temperatures, like grilled or fried meat); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, mainly in meat at grilling temperature (however, RAW vegetables cultivated in polluted areas ARE substantial sources of PAHs). These are mutagenic, and probably carcinogenic. It's not clear whether Maillard molecules are toxic or not. In particular, they may have some mutagenicity, and some anti-mutagenicity properties. Also, when searching in abstracts, one realizes that Maillard reactions occur naturally in the body (like on collagen proteins). They may play a role in aging. In addition, Maillard reactions occur at a faster rate in diabetics. I am unable to determine whether Maillard molecules from cooked food are absorbed or not, whether the quantity of such molecules is similar to those which are created naturally inside the body, and whether, once absorbed, they have any influence on human health. ------------- In summary: A- One gains nothing by cooking foods that we would eat raw (like fruits) B- By cooking lightly, availability of some nutrients may be enhanced, some anti-nutrients and may be destroyed; very little vitamins and minerals are destroyed; very little Maillard molecules are produced. None of the most toxic compounds (PAHs, etc) are created. In addition, cooking enables us to get some nutrients that we would find less easily in raw foods. C- Further cooking results in further losses and creation of toxic compounds, and nothing is gained in the process. Substantiated comments and additions are welcome. Best wishes, Jean-Louis [log in to unmask]