@rl_dane

That sounds like a raw thing; the process of cooking improves your body's ability extract nutrients from food, so it follows naturally that when your body is extracting less value, it produces more waste.

I, at least, when eating vegan (non-raw) have not had this issue.

@OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane

Most vitamins and minerals don't seem to be significantly affected, but I guess if you have a deficiency of folic acid? https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/retn/retn06.pdf

Just judging that from a brief look over the data; I'd have to do more in-depth analysis to be sure.

@OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane

Sure, very likely. RL's currently eating only raw food, though.

@OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane

This feels relevant, by the way: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/reality-check-5-risks-of/

@OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane

"But cooking breaks apart fibers and cellular walls to release nutrients that otherwise would be unavailable from the same raw food. Cooking tomatoes, for example, increases by five-fold the bioavailability of the antioxidant lycopene. Similarly, cooking carrots makes the beta-carotene they contain more available for the body to absorb."

@OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane

The conclusion of the article in terms of the nutritious value of vegetables appears to be that you should be mixing cooked/uncooked to get everything you need.

@OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane

Heh, indeed.

As for the idea of raw food as "detoxing"—that seems to be very unfounded, at least in the way of actual toxins.

Now, what I have seen evidence for in my exploration of the research is related to the gut-brain axis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut%E2%80%93brain_axis

Put very simply, the bacteria in your gut is able to tell your brain what you're hungry for (Pavlov won a Nobel prize, discovering this). But which bacteria are present in your gut is dependent on your diet; if you eat a lot of junk food, bacteria that feeds on junk food flourishes in your gut and gets a bigger say in your cravings. So I could see a vegan diet (not necessarily raw) helping to foster a different set of bacteria, which in turn retrains your cravings to make you hungry for healthy food instead of unhealthy food, creating an overall positive effect on your body.

I don't think that raw veganism, specifically, would have any greater effect on that, though. Eating healthy should be enough, whatever the form that takes.

@OpenComputeDesign @rl_dane

Dangit, RL, you got me researching food while fasting again. XD

@amin @OpenComputeDesign

OH NOEEEEES!!! XD

Wait, what was it last time? XD

@rl_dane @OpenComputeDesign

It's not your fault, I was actually already spending this morning thinking through how to record a podcast while cooking. (Yes, I have an awesome new idea for how to continue Verbose Guacamole in an actually interesting and sustainable way.)

@amin @OpenComputeDesign

Dear God, please make an episode of #VerboseGuacamole while MAKING GUAC. XD XD XD

Ok, I'll stop talking about food now, I'm sorry. XD

@rl_dane @OpenComputeDesign

That will likely happen, yes, though I haven't experimented with making guac yet. ;)

(the biggest barrier being that I have no clue how to tell the ripeness of avocados while in the grocery store)

The basic idea of the new format would be to record a podcast while cooking. To some degree it would be about cooking, but it's also just a way of capturing "mealtime prep conversation" and publishing it.

This would address both my concerns about having time to record and having unique ideas that don't steal from my other projects/blogs.

(I'm also tickled by the idea of making an audio show about food, when food is typically seen as involving every sense except hearing.)