cooking effects on food

Question
I study nutrition by reading in various books and I have still not found the answers I'm looking for. It is recommended to to stay away from bad carbs and fats and to eat whole grain products and whole fruits/vegetables and fish. But, it is already known that cooking destroys the vitamins and enzymes along with other nutrients. I've read,also, that cooking changes the chemical structure of fats/oils and proteins and even destroys individual amino acids. So, if it's recommended to eat grilled salmon then how can you get the benefits of the essential fatty acids? In addition, if I want to eat cooked egg white how can I be able to get the protein intact?  

Answer
Brian,

You may only be getting part of the story.  Cooking may destroy some vitamins, but certainly not all.  Cooked tomatoes will actually give you MORE lycopene than raw tomatoes.

Cooking some oils at high temperatures is not wise.  Olive oil should not be heated to high temperatures, but vegetable, corn and canola oils are OK.

By and far, cooking food is just fine.  There are plenty of vitamins, nutrients and proteins left in tact.  You are thinking of the 'extreme', not the 'rule'.

However, there is a whole movement that believes in eating all foods raw.  Look out for all those bacteria and other nasties that are left alive because you didn't cook the stuff.

Summary:  cooking = a little fewer vitamins and a lot fewer 'bugs'.  Take the good with the bad.

Happpy eating.

Todd

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