Save money and the planet by not cooking?

[NaturallyCheap]

Has people ever wonder why we need to cook food at all?

[lucille]

Raw meat and eggs really are not something I want to eat. We do frequently do mostly non-cooked meals in the summer where we eat precooked ham or a salad dish that has meat in it as part with lots of veggies out of the garden.

It is just way too hot to cook much of anything mid-summer and veggies are usually in their peak then.

[NaturallyCheap]

Originally Posted by lucille

Raw meat and eggs really are not something I want to eat. We do frequently do mostly non-cooked meals in the summer where we eat precooked ham or a salad dish that has meat in it as part with lots of veggies out of the garden.
.

If you can't eat food in its natural state isn't that nature way of saying that is not your food.

Originally Posted by lucille

We do frequently do mostly non-cooked meals in the summer where we eat precooked ham or a salad dish that has meat in it as part with lots of veggies out of the garden.

precooked? Isn't that still cooking? One is still wasteing energy to cook the meal in the first place.

Image how much you can save on gas bill and water bill.

[Looby]

"If you can't eat food in its natural state isn't that nature way of saying that is not your food."

I think fire is natures way of saying "enjoy your barbecue!"

[NaturallyCheap]

Originally Posted by Looby

I think fire is natures way of saying "enjoy your barbecue!"

I never seen another animal sitting around a camp fire barbecueing! Well guess were the only exception?

[Looby]

I guess we are an exception, I don't see many other species manufacturing and wearing clothes, perhaps we should stop that too?
I personally enjoy raw fruit and veg but I also enjoy cooked veg and meat, I don't think I am going against nature.

[lilac]

The reason why we cook things is frankly, because we can. We as a species are much more equipped to eat a wider range of foods due to the many different types of teeth in our mouth and the fire starting skills we've acquired as a species.

We are the exception, and this gives us a great advantage in that we don't have to rely on one food source (like pandas have with bamboo) to require all of the nutrients we need to sustain ourselves. And, many foods do benefit from cooking because they become more palatable or release tasty or medicinal aromas. I'm sure as a species, we cook because this helps widen the range of foods we can eat, so that if one crop doesn't yield one year, we can adapt and replace it with something else.

I really admire and respect those who advocate cooking less, because in the case of fruits and veg you do really retain a lot more of the vitamins, but I can definitely understand why there is that primal urge to cook things as well.

[jdp]

There is a growing movement for Raw Foods.

Personally I'm not big into "movements" but I love being lazy and eating food as is vs. cooking. In summer we almost totally eat that way. I rarely cook. With no a/c in the house except an inefficient window unit I don't like to bother with the stove. Now I have the slow cooker maybe some simple things.

There are always extremes on any line, eating is no different. If you really want to be super eco - eat a raw and subsistence only level amount of food, don't have kids, why are you on a computer, etc.

[anitra]

This time of year, I would have a hard time completely staying away from hot foods, even if I wanted to do the Raw Food movement. How else are you going to warm up when it's below freezing outside and not very warm inside? Raw veggies won't cut it. At the very least, I want oatmeal or hot veggies.

Also, I like meat way too much to be a vegetarian or raw food adherent.

[CheapCanuck]

The reason we can't eat meat raw is because we are not eating it fresh. If we killed an animal and ate it immediately like a wolf or lion does it wouldn't be a problem. Thus, meat can be considered a food that nature intended us to eat. Being able to preserve it and cook it later just leads to less waste.