In a message dated 98-08-19 19:21:59 EDT, you write:

<< To convince me (or anyone), you should provide examples of people who kept
 eating the *exact same* foods as always, only they stopped cooking them. >>

That would be a good study.  It's been done with animals, I'm not sure about
humans, documented at least.  The animals suffered on the same foods what were
cooked.  That was what Pottenger's studies were all about.

<< Is it because the enzymes already in the food are destroyed
by cooking? But if there are enzymes in the food that facilitate digestion,
why doesn't food digest itself while sitting on the kitchen counter?>>

Yes, the enzymes in the food are destroyed by cooking, as research suggests
beginning at temperatures somewhere between 108 and 118 F.

Raw foods contain enzymes which begin self-digestion in the upper stomach.

A dog that buries a raw bone digs up a bone that decomposed under action of
its own enzymes.  It's still 'good for the dog'.   A dog that buries a cooked
bone, digs up a bone that's been decomposed by bacteria, unable to decompose
under it's own enzymes, posing a greater risk to the dog.

Even studies comparing compost made from cooked and raw fertilizer show that
the plants do better with raw fertilizer, though this does not point to
enzymes.

The point I'm trying to make, and it's not an easy one to accept at all
because it means such a HUGE life change dealing with a lifetime of culturally
ingrained habits which can be overwhelming to tackle, is that whether it's
enzymes or something else, or just plain natural law, there is a value to raw
foods that cannot be gained from cooked foods.  Man, through technology, has
found that heating foods creates certain properties: taste, easier to chew,
breaks down cellulose perhaps, kills parasites and bacteria, and this may be
why man first started cooking.

Trouble is man didn't know, especially as the effects can be subtle and
possibly ignored if taste sensation is improved, that he's overworking his
organs, unless he notices 'the fall'.

If you are cooking your foods, you might want to add an enzyme supplement,
like All-Zyme, and see how it affects your digestion and energy levels.  Or
not.

Do what you feel is best, you have to.  We have to find our own way.

<<This is definitely more like what I was hoping for. A good starting point
for
research, thanks.>>

I'm glad that helped.  If I come across anything else, I'll let you know. For
me it's really just my instinct to consume LIFE, as I am LIFE.

Aaron