# ...and Meat.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-meat/343910>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 10, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-meat/343910 "2006-02-10T20:25:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-meat/343910/1 "2006-02-10T20:25:24Z")

</div>

Does cooking meat (and eggs) reduce or otherwise alter nutritional value?

Is there an effective method of eliminating prions from meat that doesn’t call for the complete destruction of the food?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\
**Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-meat/343910/2 "2006-02-10T20:47:00Z")

</div>

Cooking foods alters their nutritional value, but not always in a predictable way. Food values are approximate anyway as they vary from person to person and portion to portion. Heat breaks bonds in sugars and proteins, melts fats, etc. This may break down vitamins etc. but also make it easier to digest some foods.

My understanding is that cooking does not destroy prions, however.  
[http://www.newstarget.com/001567.html](http://www.newstarget.com/001567.html)