Cooking Techniques

Uncooked vegetables, while nutritionally and esthetically desirable, are less easily digested. Cook all vegetables initially, preferably by steaming. Cooking has several important functions. There are heat sensitive and potentially troublesome substances in some vegetables and fruits that we want to alter by adequate cooking. Cooking denatures protein and reduces allergenic molecules. Cooking also softens food and liberates enzymes from ruptured plant cells, promoting easier digestion. All vegetables contain indigestible carbohydrate fiber as well as other indigestible molecules, some of which are toxic prior to cooking.

Well-cooked vegetables may lose a small fraction of their nutritive value, but the important advantages offered by cooking are worth the loss. Many people find that extra cooking significantly reduces digestive problems. More complete cooking is achieved by a pressure cooker, which raises the temperature higher than does steaming or boiling. If you are unlucky and find you have trouble eating phase 1 vegetables, try pressure-cooking. Purees aid digestion and are achieved by putting cooked vegetables or fruits into a blender or food processor and adding water as necessary to blend the mixture; soups, juices, and thick purees for use as spreads are easily made this way.

Treat the food you are preparing as you would a special friend. Use clean utensils for preparing and eating food. Rinse all your dishes, pots, and utensils very well to rid them of detergent. Wash all fruits and vegetables in hot water (to remove oily contaminants) and peel them whenever possible.