I wanted to convey a self imposed revelation that I recently had regarding microwave ovens. About six months ago I moved into a new place that did not have a microwave oven. At the time of my move, I looked at getting a microwave oven as a priority; after all, I had not been without a microwave for about 30 years. As time passed, I learned to live without the microwave. I noticed that I was eating healthier, planning my meals better and feeling physically better by cooking my food on the stove, the old fashioned way.
I have just recently started hearing about how the microwave destroys the nutritional value of the food as it cooks. I decided to do some research on this topic and found this interesting article. I hope that you enjoy it.
“Healthy eating is not just about choosing healthy foods to eat, but also relates to how they are prepared prior to eating. Vegetables, for instance, can suffer nutritional losses during cooking.
A study this week has found, for instance, that boiling broccoli in water for just 10 minutes reduced the content of plant chemicals known as glucosinolates by 40 percent. Within the body, glucosinolates are converted into other compounds called isothiocyanates that are believed to have cancer-protective properties.
This research, conducted at Warwick Medical School, found that shorter cooking times, as expected, led to less degradation of glucosinolates: Just five minutes of boiling led to losses of only 15 percent.
This recent research reminded me of a previous piece I wrote which summarized some of the research of the nutrient losses that can occur with different methods of cooking.
Microwaving is often recommended as a preferred cooking method because it can shorten the cooking time. However, the evidence suggests that this form of cooking can lead to considerable nutrient losses. In a study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, researchers assessed the effects of a variety of cooking methods on nutrient levels in broccoli.
While boiled broccoli was found to lose two-thirds of its original content of disease-protective nutrients known as flavonoids, this actually compared quite favorably with the whopping 97 percent loss induced by microwave cooking. Analysis of other nutrients revealed similarly dire depreciations. Contrary to what may be expected, it seems we can microwave goodbye to a good deal of the nutritional goodness vegetables have to offer.
In this study, steaming induced only 11 percent degradation in this type of flavonoids. In another study, boiling was found to reduce the level of folate (believed to protect against both heart disease and cancer) in spinach and broccoli by more than half. In comparison, steaming had minimal effects on the level of this vitamin.
What the research shows is that when it comes to cooking vegetables, steaming is generally best. And the shorter the cooking time, the better. For the best of health, it can help to develop a taste for vegetables done al dente.
Dr. John Briffa is a London-based doctor, author, and health writer with an interest in nutrition and natural medicine.
Dr. Briffa's website
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