Editing Talk:Make plants digestible

==Preliminary outline==
more nutritious when raw:
* fruits
* bell peppers
* onions
more nutritious when cooked:
* carrots
* beans
* lentils
* potatoes
* grains
technical explanation:
* cooking breaks down cell walls (unleashes nutrients) but also damages some nutrients (especially vitamin c, some b vitamins, and some misc antioxidants).
* btw, chewing also breaks down cell walls without damaging nutrients. So if your food is easy to chew and high in heat-{{t2|labile|ppl arent familiar w this word, so define it here too}} nutrients, then eat it raw. Else cook it{{x|because for example with carrots, you gotta really chew the crap out of them to ensure maximum digestion/absorption}}.
freeze-thaw-blend method:
* breaks down cell walls without heat. "best of both worlds" basically
* i haven't actually tried it very much yet
** need to gather more empirical data on how many freeze-thaw cycles for each food
** also, how to measure whether it's effective or not? is the texture of the food an accurate indicator, or do we need a science lab to measure digestibility?
* this level of optimization probably isn't necessary for most foods
** which foods ''is'' it worthwhile for?
** carrots for example: it preserves antioxidants. But compare to "blended cooked carrots plus multivitamin"; good enough either way
** green coffee bean drink idea i.e. "raw coffee"
* in some cases it's not viable; for example, beans need to be cooked
** in the case of soybeans, you can tell that blending it is better for high absorbability that doesn't require a lot of chewing. But for softer-type beans, does blending really make much difference (or is it diminishing returns - is digestibility already good enough if well cooked anyway)?
[[User:Elie|Elie]] ([[User talk:Elie|talk]]) 12:12, 28 March 2025 (EDT)


== older version of preliminary outline, i wrote awhile back ==
[page titles i was thinking of at the time: "vegetable puree" or "boil and blend"]
* Why: Absorbability, convenience, getting enough vegetables into your stomach
* What: Carrots, cabbage, ginger, garlic, onions, soybeans, beans, chickpeas, peas, lentils, boiled peanuts/almonds, add spices and salt. No fixed recipe required. Pictures.
** things not recommended: potatoes or anything starchy
* How: Clean up the veg (cut of any bad bits if there are) (soak, if beans or nuts) (optional freeze-thaw) (chop probably) and then most importantly: Boil and blend
** idea for a machine that can do some of this automatically. probably can't do the cleaning part but can do the boil/blend part more efficiently, can produce a lot without having to juggle so many containers
** or, just get big pots and containers (so then put in the 'see also' - [[second-hand kitchenware]], which btw should mention about [[home waste]])
* Mention: For beans, keep the cooking water and maybe even the soaking water. Common myth about flatulance from that water - not true; flatulance comes from undercooked beans. You digest beans a lot better when they're overcooked and mushy - and at that point, most of the nutrients are in the cooking water. Don't let looks deceive you - the water might seem unappealing at first, but after you add vegetables and turn it into a soup, it's really good.
[[User:Elie|Elie]] ([[User talk:Elie|talk]]) 14:17, 29 March 2025 (EDT)