Consider an egg. When raw, the white is clear and runny. When cooked, the white is white, firm, and springy. That's an example of how cooking can restructure fo

Consider an egg. When raw, the white is clear and runny. When cooked, the white is white, firm, and springy. That's an example of how cooking can restructure foods. The egg has not been destroyed (it has just as many calories and protein) but the proteins have denatured (become unfolded). In the case of starchy foods, cooking changes the starches. It breaks down long complicated starch molecules into smaller molecules, making them easier for your body to digest. This is similar to the pre-digestion roles played by chewing and saliva, both of which break things down into smaller pieces for easier digestion. You might be interested to read this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3228431/pdf/pnas.201112128.pdf http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3228431/pdf/pnas...