Do fresh seeds lose their nutrition in the oven?

[primalclaws1974]

I have often heard that fresh food loses it's nutrition potential, and some healthy qualities if heated. It is supposedly best to eat everything (with the exception of meat) raw, for optimal health benefits. But some things like seeds really need to be cooked to be tasty enough for me to want to eat them. I know pumpkin seeds are very good for you, but I could never eat them raw. Does baking them kill the healthy qualities?

 

[Trellum]

It depends for how long you bake them, but I agree with you! The taste of raw seeds and nuts isn't that good! I personally prefer to eat cashew nuts after they are toasted, never raw. I only use raw ones when I am going to make my own coffee creamer. But let's be honest, baked seeds and nuts will never be as healthy as their raw counterparts, specially if you use some oil.

My advice? Don't worry so much about it! Just enjoy your seeds and don't over bake them.

 

[primalclaws1974]

I have to worry about it, as I am 41 years old and my family has a history of heart problems. A lot of nuts have heart benefits, so that is another reason I eat them. I would never cook them in oil, but I do think heat will affect them somewhat regardless if oil is used or not. There really isn't even an option for raw nuts around here. That is the only way the peanut is healthy (I know it's not a true nut). I suppose I could order them online, but that would probably be expensive.

 

[PattyCakes]

I have tried enduring raw seeds, but I just find it unpleasant. It's true that heat damages the nutritional make up of many foods, but that doesn't mean that the nutritional value is depleted - you just won't be getting the optimum amount. I toast my seeds lightly (no oil) and add them to bread dough, muffins, salads, and mueslis and granolas. Just make sure you get plenty of them.