does steamed count as raw??

Comments

• osoniye

  Hi odearyme- Far as I know steaming is a form of cooking- it changes the composition of the matter that makes up the produce. Some people do steam some veggies they find hard to digest, like broccoli, but that makes it just vegan, not raw.
• putiger78

  It's not raw, but, if steaming some of your veggies helps you in the transition phase, there are many worse choices you can make. I would recommend adding more completely raw vegetables and phase out steaming slowly, again if its something that you think will aid the transition. That being said, if you eat some raw salads for a few night I would almost guarantee you will feel the difference (in a very positive way).
• KarinaFirebreather

  Steaming vegetables heats the food above 118 degrees and that is usually the threshold for truly "Raw" food. Above that temperature (I've heard 130 degrees, 120 degrees, etc. - something in the neighborhood) at least half of the nutrients are destroyed. Up to 80% can be gone with just a little cooking, according to one authority (Dr. Gabriel Cousens).

  On the other hand, putiger is right -- steaming is not the worst thing you could do. Lightly steaming vegetables (just until they brighten a bit in color) at least, retains more vitamins and minerals than boiling -- when you cook your veggies in boiling water, more nutrients are leached into the water (and then thrown out, of course! unless you are having soups, and then you do consume the water).

  Try having lightly steamed vegetables (or vegetable soups) at night for your evening meal if you want them for a transition. (I'm not 100% raw so I still eat very lightly steamed broccoli or artichokes, for instance, at dinner on occasion.) But during the day, I find it slows me down to eat cooked veggies -- try salad for lunch, with a little avocado or seeds for energy.