Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: ItsYaBoiGaryOak on 02/03/2021 15:44:50
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I'm aware that humans evolved to cook in order to get more energy out of food, but while cooking frees up proteins and starches to be more digestible, it reduces concentrations of vitamins and minerals. Are there any vitamins and minerals that become more bioavailable after cooking or nutrients other than protein and carbs?
It seems like if cooking destroys nutrients but makes energy more available, that cooking my carbs and proteins but eating my vegetables and fruits raw is the best way to maximize intake.
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One big point in favour of cooking is that it kills bacteria/ viruses.
Cooking won't destroy minerals, though it may was some out.
It does destroy some vitamins, but a healthy varied diet should contain plenty of vitamins so the loss of some won't matter much.
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One big point in favour of cooking is that it kills bacteria/ viruses.
Cooking won't destroy minerals, though it may was some out.
It does destroy some vitamins, but a healthy varied diet should contain plenty of vitamins so the loss of some won't matter much.
Would it be possible to give up cooking altogether, and just eat raw stuff.
How many foods could we eat raw? I can think of these (just putting them down at random as they occur)
1.Lettuce
2.Apples, pears, oranges, bananas, grapes and a whole host of other assorted fruits.
3.Eggs.
4.Milk.
5.Cheese - doesn't have to be cooked - just milk left to coagulate and ripen.
6.Oats, Barley and other grains - not cooked, just left to soak in water and soften.
7.Meats such as beef and lamb, cut into very thin strips, then left to dry out in the sun.
Doesn't that look like a complete, healthy, nutritious menu of uncooked food.
Or could it be added to?
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Eggs often have Salmonella hitch-hikers, which is why cooking is recommended.
In countries which have snowy seasons, food can be hard to obtain for 3-6 months of the year, so it needs to be preserved.
- Meat is often salted, to discourage bacteria. But you can extract more protein if it is cooked.
Fermenting is another way to preserve foods, and make them more digestible - beer, wine, pickles, vinegar, kombucha, yoghurt, cheese, kimchi, etc.
- but there is a risk that unwanted bacteria will take over a brew
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fermented_foods
I heard a speculation that humans may have developed beer-making first, which drove agriculture, which made bread-baking feasible...
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I heard a speculation that humans may have developed beer-making first, which drove agriculture, which made bread-baking feasible...
Yes, I find that entirely plausible. It might account not just for bread-making, but for the making of human civilisation in its entirety.
Consider, all the buildings that we erect. The Pyramids, Colosseums, Eiffel Towers, Empire State buildings, and all other modern skyscrapers..
Plus the endless writing of books, the composition of music, especially operas. And the military campaigns.
Do you think we'd've done any of this, if we hadn't been able to get off our faces, by drinking beer, wine and spirits.
Without these alcoholic inputs, wouldn't we be just running round soberly in the woods, foraging for fruit and berries?
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Eggs often have Salmonella hitch-hikers, which is why cooking is recommended.
With no runny yoke Evan.
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Do you think we'd've done any of this, if we hadn't been able to get off our faces, by drinking beer, wine and spirits.
I'm pretty sure we could have built the pyramids without spirits.
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Would the Pyramids have got built without drink? I mean, who could possibly think exerting immense efforts to pile up huge heaps of lime-stone in the desert was a good idea, without these alcohol-derived pre-conditions:
1. The Pharoahs who ordered such absurd constructions were off their face,
2. The Labourers who carried out the construction were kept drunk by daily beer rations supplied by the Pharoah
I am of course aware of the more subtle implications in your post. About "spirits" raising the Pyramids. This is an obvious reference to Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs. And has some validity. But too complicated to discuss here.
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2. The Labourers who carried out the construction were kept drunk by daily beer rations supplied by the Pharoah
Do you have any evidence of that?
Be careful of making ridiculous posts or you could find your posting rights limited.
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I am of course aware of the more subtle implications in your post
I wasn't being subtle.
You were just plain wrong.
The still had not been invented so they could not have had spirits.
(Ditto Ancient Rome, but not all colosseums are ancient.)
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Hi,
even if cooking does 'kill' some vitamines you shouldn't be too concerned about it and if you naturally have less vitamins you should consider taking nutritional supplements. A few days ago I did a research for my German class about this topic and came across this interesting article: https://www.multivitaminratgeber.de/vitamintabletten-sinnvoll/ (https://www.multivitaminratgeber.de/vitamintabletten-sinnvoll/)
Let a program translate it for you if you are interested.
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Would it be possible to give up cooking altogether, and just eat raw stuff.
How many foods could we eat raw? I can think of these (just putting them down at random as they occur)
1.Lettuce
2.Apples, pears, oranges, bananas, grapes and a whole host of other assorted fruits.
3.Eggs.
4.Milk.
5.Cheese - doesn't have to be cooked - just milk left to coagulate and ripen.
6.Oats, Barley and other grains - not cooked, just left to soak in water and soften.
7.Meats such as beef and lamb, cut into very thin strips, then left to dry out in the sun.
Doesn't that look like a complete, healthy, nutritious menu of uncooked food.
Or could it be added to?
As well as most salad greens eg Rocket, you could certainly add tomatoes, peppers, carrots & cabbage (coleslaw), broccoli, cauliflower. However, there are advantages in cooking these (lightly) as it breaks down cell walls to release more nutrients, far more than is lost in the water. A variety of raw and cooked is probably best.
Grains are also better cooked than just soaked, most grain stores have rats & mice! Rolled oats are heated when crushed so generally ok to just soak. There are some claims that overnight soaking allows fermentation which aids digestion.
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you could certainly add tomatoes, peppers,
He did.
a whole host of other assorted fruits
cabbage (coleslaw), broccoli, cauliflower.
In moderation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goitrin