I've heard different things about the different style of veggies... Maybe you all can help me clear these up. I've heard that fresh veggies are often picked before they are ripe, so they are not as nutritious as they could be. I also heard frozen are best because they are picked at the right ripeness then flash frozen to preserve the nutrients. Is this true?

I also know that eating veggies raw is the best way, but as far as cooking them, steaming is the best, right? It doesn't cook out as much of the nutrients?

If you buy fresh veggies and fruits commercially grown than they are picked too soon. If you buy from a local health food store, co-op, or grower's market and buy organic, that is the absolute best.

If you are talking frozen organic than it is better than commercial fresh IMO because pesticides and synthetic fertilizers destroy the nutritious value. If you are talking organic produce against organic frozen than the fresh is better. Frozen foods do hold in a lot of nutrition (esp. compared to the past frozen methods), but fresh is still better (any raw fooders who can answer that with more detail?)

I haven't taken the food preperation course yet through my school, but looking ahead in it anyways (cause I can't wait), it talks about stir frying, steaming and baking in ways that do not damage the "liveness" (enzymes) in the food. Found some info in my book, Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens, M.D. on food prep. It talks about heating not any higher than 115-118 degrees F for more 2-3 minutes for raw soups, grain dishes and veggies in a reg sauce pan (pp. 665). He notes that if it is warm to the touch, it is approx. 115 degrees. Must be the book I don't have yet that talks more about the different methods, but from my experience, when I steam for only about 3 minutes, I get more energy out of the food than when I steam longer.


Hope this helps you.

Jennifer

Actually, you have helped me a lot, thank you. I have just begun shopping at a new Whole Foods that just opened up in our area, but I do notice that they do not have the organic always available for some produce. I'm guessing probably because it isn't in season.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_3_10.gif

do you guys live in warm climates? because i have heard that raw food is not always best for people that live in temperate or changing places. like - in summer more raw food is best, but the rest of the time its best to lightly cook food for better digestion.

??? just thought i'd throw that out, i know it wasn't your ?, sorry

We live in the Ohio valley so temps are always changing, and can do so rather rapidly.