Do Uncooked Foods Have Any Advantages Over Cooked Foods?

　　Uncooked foods are usually higher in vitamins and fibre.  Most people don't eat enough fibre, so raw might sound like a good thing.  Some people, in spite of eating lots eat such a poor quality diet that they don't actually get enough vitamins or minerals.

　　BUT, uncooked foods are often harder to digest.  We humans have such small teeth and jaws because we have evolved to eat mostly cooked foods; we aren't cut out to live easily on a diet of all raw food.  It gives us tummy aches.

　　Moreover, there's such a thing as too much fibre in the diet, too.  Too much fibre makes digestion go too quick; young children shouldn't have much fibre or they won't absorb enough vitamins and minerals.

　　Moreover, many foods are downright unsafe to eat raw: flour, eggs, meat, fish...

　　The trick, then, is to eat a mix of raw and cooked foods.  And what food is cooked should be heated minimally.  Enough to break down some fibres, and to kill any lurking microbes.

　　Go for lightly browned toast or meat, not nearly charbroiled.  Cook vegetables, rice and pasta al dente (that means just soft enough for the teeth to sink into).  Conversely, try raw vegetables such as brocoli, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, etc.