Tired of raw?

[WinterSun]

The other night my husband and I sat down to dinner
him- wild salmon,brown rice, salad
me-marinated kale, creamed corn

He said,"Aren't you tired of the raw food yet?" I said,"No, there's too many good things to make" He said,"I haven't liked anything yet" So he tasted my corn again, he had tasted it the first time I made it and he said it needed to be hot (cooked food addict). Anyway, he liked the corn this time, maybe because it sat for 2 days and the flavors intensified.

I am prefering raw to cooked now, can't say I miss anything and it's been 1 1/2 months or so.

[SamuelWilson]

There is no doubt that allowing things to marinate does increase flavor, just as dehydrating fruits and vegetables does.

What I wonder about though is this; do the marinated or dehydrated raw foods still have all their enzymes?

I hydrated some stuffed mushrooms and they were good, I mean good as any sad stuff mushrooms I ever ate. It is hard for me to believe that dehydrating them for 5-6 hours did not destroy any enzymes. Dehydrating the stuffed mushrooms gives them a cooked appearance and they are soft like they were cooked. I use a thermometer to ensure they do not exceed 118 degrees.

I left a couple non-dehydrated, so I could taste test them side by side with the dehydreated ones. Hands down, the dehydrated mushrooms were way better. They just had flavor. Where as the raw mushrooms were just, I don't know the words. I mean, the non-dehydrated one were good, just not near as good as the dehydrated ones.

I really want to believe they are still good for you. I mean I could eat stuffed mushrooms everyday if they taste like these. The good taste and great flavor make me want to question whether they are even healthy after being dehydrated for 5-6 hours.

[Ariannah]

I'm in the "fresh is best" camp. However, I'd gladly take dehydrated or prepared food over cooked. I do believe that while dehydrating or marinating keeps most of the enzymes intact, it does de-nature it somewhat. It's still way better for you than cooked. It keeps more of the nutrients of the food. But then again I refrigerate and store food for days, which is also not nearly as fresh as the ideal.

[askcassyfirst]

From what I understand, the mild heat of the dehydrator, similar to what happens in a blender, or masticator (like our our teeth) will help break down the cellulose, and structure of the food. Some enzymes are destroyed, but no where near what would happen in one charbroiled them. Higher heat will no doubt destroy LOTS of enzymes. Enzymes can hybernate at certain temp. as well. Kind of how freezing will affect some but not all. There are a lot of factors.

I kind of imagine it like wringing the water out of some wet clothing. You are slightly breaking down the fibers as you wring it, and the water is removed, but the color and shape are pretty well still there. Put it in the drier, however, and you will find that the clothing will likely shrink, and the color fade.

Sorry for not stating it too scientifically, it just sounded right to me that way.

Cassy :)

[rawpriestess]

I do eat pesto stuffed mushrooms every day, well, almost every day, they help me to stay 100% raw.

I love the texture, the warmth, the taste, the melded flavors.

The enzymes are still in tact at this temp. so technically they are raw.

Are they natural, hardly. Where in nature, would I find minced garlic, nuts and basil leaves all smashed together in a mushrooms and warmed?

Probably no where.

So, I am eating raw and loving it. That is my goal.

I also eat some miso in recipes, which isn't raw but it is living. I eat chickpea miso, not soy. maybe 1 tsp to 1 T a month.

Now, I'm not saying I'm a naturist, who ONLY eats food as it falls from the tree, and never uses a knife or any utensil to get my food.

I think there are varying degrees of what raw, living, nature is.

If it works for you, then go for it.

If It doesn't "feel" right, then don't.

I personally just got off of eating nothing but fruit for about 2 to 3 weeks, I was really weak and tired, does this make me not want to eat fruit, not at all, I think I was detoxing and I loved the process, but I eat what I want as long as it is raw.

And I eat onions, garlic, nightshades, anything that I like.

My taste buds have changed drastically, and everyone's will too.

Now the pesto stuffed mushrooms are a little too much for me, I have to remove about 1/2 the pesto from them, because the flavors are just too intense.

So, although I've only been raw a short time, my taste buds continue to change, as I do.

How great is that?

[tracyinfo]

I am not tired of raw. I have been raw for close to a year now. (About once a month I eat a cooked meal and usually I don't feel as well as, after eating the cooked food.) I much prefer raw meals to cooked these days. My taste buds have really changed.

Blessings.

[Rawadventures]

It is great to read how other peoples tastes change. Sometimes it can be unnerving to like something one day and then not the next though! It sure is a lot of fun to make up new recipies and mixes. It is so much harder to "ruin" a raw dish than it used to be to ruin a cooked one!