|
|
| Author |
Message |
A Lurker
Total Newbie
Joined: 21 Oct 2003
Posts: 15
|
 Posted: 11/24/03 - 21:35 Post subject: Microwaving Food: Loss of Nutrition?
|
|
|
|
Does anybody know if microwaving food causes denaturing of nutrients in food?
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
 |
WheresNWS
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 19 Nov 2002
Posts: 6448
|
|
Posted: 11/24/03 - 21:42 Post subject: Re: Microwaving Food: Loss of Nutrition?
|
|
|
| A Lurker wrote: | | Does anybody know if microwaving food causes denaturing of nutrients in food? |
yes it does.
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
WheresNWS
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 19 Nov 2002
Posts: 6448
|
|
Posted: 11/24/03 - 21:43 Post subject: Re: Microwaving Food: Loss of Nutrition?
|
|
|
| A Lurker wrote: | | Does anybody know if microwaving food causes denaturing of nutrients in food? |
no, it doesn't.
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
Rennol
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 3741
Location: Charleston, IL
|
|
Posted: 11/24/03 - 21:46 Post subject:
|
|
|
Don't put saran-wrap on top of your food when you microwave it.
Also never put styrofoam in the microwave.
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
WheresNWS
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 19 Nov 2002
Posts: 6448
|
|
Posted: 11/24/03 - 21:47 Post subject:
|
|
|
|
putting cats in the microwave is a-ok, though!
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
Mugaaz
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 16 Oct 2002
Posts: 3576
|
|
Posted: 11/24/03 - 21:48 Post subject:
|
|
|
|
some yes, but concern yourself with more important things, like what type of food you're microwaving. If you're nuking a hot dog, does it really matter?
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
Rennol
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 3741
Location: Charleston, IL
|
|
Posted: 11/24/03 - 21:50 Post subject:
|
|
|
|
Ever hear about the lady who put her cat into the microwave to dry it out when it came in wet from outside?
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
Yabden
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 13 Oct 2002
Posts: 2485
Location: Ohio
|
|
Posted: 11/24/03 - 22:41 Post subject:
|
|
|
|
no, never.
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
Rennol
RealPoor Guru
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 3741
Location: Charleston, IL
|
|
Posted: 11/24/03 - 22:51 Post subject:
|
|
|
Well, needless to say, the cat's exploding intestines and internal organs made quite a mess out of her microwave.
I'd wager she either bought a new one or had a lot of paper towels on hand.
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
Kurel
RealPoor Sensei
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 1877
Location: Cali
|
|
Posted: 11/24/03 - 23:34 Post subject:
|
|
|
Microwaves operate on a simple principle of bombarding the water molecules in your food with micowaves and vibrating them to the point that heat is exerted. There is no actual "heating" comming from the microwave itself, the cooking effect is a by-product of the vibration and friction.
As far as I have read from studies done on the subject, microwaving your food does not take the nutrients out of it. However, food that you would normally heat in a microwave do lack alot of nutrients that your body needs (TV dinners for example, and hot pockets, and all the pre-packeged foods).
My general rule of thumb- Warming stuff up in the microwave that has already been cooked via other means = ok
Cooking food in the microwave= Bad. Just because of how they cook. Nothing that's cooked in the microwave will come out crispy, it's always soggy, and soggyness disguests me.
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
Haphasto
RealPoor Sensei
Joined: 10 Nov 2002
Posts: 1800
Location: St. Louis, MO
|
|
Posted: 11/24/03 - 23:35 Post subject:
|
|
|
since when did people on RP start caring about nutrition 
hamburgers and pizza 4 life yo!
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
Jakanden
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 11 Nov 2003
Posts: 5334
Location: Fuck if I know - I am always lost
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
sinrakin
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 7044
|
|
Posted: 11/25/03 - 08:35 Post subject:
|
|
|
They just published a study on this last month: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3188558.stm
| Quote: | Vegetables cooked in the microwave may lose ingredients that could help fight cancer.
Broccoli "zapped" in the microwave with a little water lost up to 97% of some of the antioxidant chemicals it contains, say Portuguese researchers.
By comparison, steamed broccoli lost 11% or fewer of its antioxidants.
Writing in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, experts said that many nutrients simply dissolved away during the cooking process.
The researchers examined the levels of three major antioxidant groups in broccoli after cooking.
These chemicals are thought to protect cells against damage which could in theory increase the change of cancerous changes.
Washed out
Microwaved broccoli lost between 97% and 74% of the three compounds.
One antioxidant was not removed at all during steaming .
Dr Cristina Garcia-Viguera, from the University of Porto in Portugal, said: "Most of the bioactive compounds are water soluble - during heating they leach in a high percentage to the cooking water, reducing their nutritional benefits in the foodstuff.
Dr Anne Nugent, British Nutrition Foundation
"Because of this it is recommended to cook vegetables in the minimum amount of water in order to retain their nutritional benefits."
Separate research from Finnish researchers suggested many antioxidants are removed before the produce even left the supermarket shelf.
Blanching of vegetables - momentarily dipping them in boiling liquid - prior to freezing caused losses of up to a third of their antioxidant content.
Dr Anne Nugent, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said it was the presence of water rather than the cooking process in itself which was the problem.
She said: "It is not the microwaving per se that is causing the antioxidant loss but the presence of water, and boiling.
"In other words, the antioxidants would also be lost upon boiling rather than steaming.
"I think the important thing to take from this article is that when boiling or microwaving broccoli, it is important not to over-cook or over-boil it as this will result in excess antioxidant loss. "
Steaming is a good option - however, there will always be losses of vitamins and antioxidants during the storage and processing of all fruits and vegetables, so it is also important to store the broccoli in a dark airy cupboard rather than in direct sunlight as this will help protect the antioxidants."
|
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
ATM Banana
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 02 Jan 2003
Posts: 8575
|
|
Posted: 11/25/03 - 20:00 Post subject:
|
|
|
|
you may think nuking a cat is bad, when i was 4 i dropped a gerbil into the garbage disposal, and it was like bleder-riffic.
|
|
|
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
