Why are raw foods considered to be nutritionally superior to cooked foods?
Cooking destroys a food’s natural enzymes. Enzymes speed up chemical reactions and some of them are required to aid in the break down and digestion of food. Raw food contains its own enzymes. However, the enzymes in cooked foods have been destroyed, which results in our bodies having to produce enzymes for digestion. This causes a lot of extra work for our bodies to have to go through for normal daily processes. Eating foods without enzymes puts stress on our digestive organs, which can lead to impaired digestion and disease. In addition to destroying the precious enzymes contained in raw foods, cooking also destroys valuable vitamins, minerals, and Phytochemicals. Vitamins and minerals are required for daily biochemical processes, while Phytochemicals have been shown to aid in the prevention of cancer and other diseases. For example, a raw unpeeled apple is abundantly rich in important Phytochemicals called flavonoids. However, when the apple is cooked, these Phytochemicals are comple
