Steve McBride asked two questions which I can help answer: 1. Can anyone point me to data that disputes protein as an aggravator of renal disease in man? My understanding of this issue is that dietary protein does not CAUSE renal disease but that in the presence of renal disfunction (as often occurs as a complication of diabetes), some experts believe that high protein diets will aggravate it. However, when put to the test, there is conflicting evidence. A point of difference is the definition of high vs low protein diets. I'm sorry I don't have time at present to give you the references. It is a regular subject in the Diabetes journals. 2. Does such long exposure to heat and moisture not cause a significant decay in nutritional value? How does it compare to other forms of cooking? Long exposure to heat and water will adversely affect the heat labile vitamins such as vitamin C and thiamin. There is not much vitamin C left if you cook any chopped vegetable for a long time. A high proportion of the water-soluble vitamins, even if stable to heat, end up in the cooking water (which may be thrown away). On the other hand, heat will increase the bioavailability of some nutrients such as starch, the carotenoids and niacin. I think it's arguable that hunter-gatherers always used slow methods of cooking. Australian Aborigines used hot ashes and cooking times could be very short. The cooking time depended on the size of the animal. They rarely boiled anything in water. Best wishes Jennie Jennie Brand Miller PhD Associate Professor in Human Nutrition Department of Biochemistry G08 University of Sydney NSW 2006 Australia Phone: (61 2) 9351 3759 Fax: (61 2) 9351 6022