Okay, I'm very new at this. As in I will actually be starting this lifestyle slowly starting over the weekend once I can get to the store, I don't own a car and it's hard to take my son on the bus so I usually just wait until a friend is going and tag along.

Anyhow, I've been discussing this lifestyle with my friend Kim and she asked a question and since I don't know the answer I thought I would ask you all who are more experienced!

Many of the recipes on this site speak of using a dehydrator. My friend asked if that would be considered 'cooking' since it does use heat. I told her that I think it isn't counted because it's not really cooking, it's just taking the moisture out of the item...

...is that the right answer? I haven't used a dehydrator before so I'm unsure.
Thanks in advance

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~Christi~
Natural Living Info
AP/NL mama to Jacob 10/25/2006

When you use a dehydrator at a low temperature (some are to high) it does not kill the enzymes. Some people consider dehydrated food raw "junk food". If you buy one make sure it has a temperature control. I don't set mine higher than 105 degrees. I am using mine less and less.

Thanks for the information! I probably won't use one at all because I'd hate to buy it and then end up phasing it out which I would probably end up doing. I guess I'll see if I have a friend locally who has one I can borrow instead to use from time to time.

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~Christi~
Natural Living Info
AP/NL mama to Jacob 10/25/2006

Here's another tip if you want to heat up your foods without cooking them. If you have a raw soup that you would like to warm up, use your fingers (or you hand) in the pot to stir the soup. As long as your fingers are not burning, neither is the soup. As soon as the soup is getting uncomfortable for your fingers, your food is starting to cook.

I have one more question, on another forum I'm on someone mentioned that they don't have a dehydrator so they put it in the stove on the lowest setting...would that work is that too close to cooking? I'd rather not use the stove, but since someone suggested it I was curious about if it would work.

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~Christi~
Natural Living Info
AP/NL mama to Jacob 10/25/2006