Do Microwaves Destroy Nutrition?

My first taste into the world of microwave safety began back in 6th grade with my Home Economics teacher -- a quirky lady with wild hair like Ralphie's mother from  A Christmas Story.  She demonstrated in front of the class  that microwaves were perfectly save by sitting up close next to the device while running it on HIGH. She quipped:  "See... nothing happened. I'm still OK." But what really are the long term effects of microwaves? And do they really "zap" the nutrients out of our food?

 

There seems to be some debate on whether or not microwaves are harmful and if they actually diminish the nutrients in our food. According to Bob Barnett, a health journalist, if you cook your food right, the microwave is actually one of the best ways to retain the minerals and vitamins. Say what? So, if you use your microwave with a tiny amount of water to steam food, you’ll retain more nutritional value than with almost any other cooking method.

But what does registered dietician and certified food scientist Catherine Adams Hutt, RD, Ph.D, have to say about this?

“Whenever you cook food, you’ll have some loss of nutrients. The best cooking method for retaining nutrients is one that cooks quickly, exposes food to heat for the smallest amount of time and uses only a minimal amount of liquid."

For optimal success she added:  “When you cook food in a microwave, cover it tightly, creating an efficient steam environment.”
 
But be careful not to OVERCOOK because that will deplete the nutrients anyway like a zap machine.

So here's where it gets tricky. In this one study,  steamed broccoli cooked over the stove retained more of its cancer-fighting sulforaphane than broccoli microwaved. Also, another study showed that microwaved broccoli lost 97% of flavonoids, while only losing 11% steamed.

 But spinach seems to do the opposite. When boiled on the stove it lost 70% of its folic acid, but retained nearly most of its folic acid in the microwave cooked with a little water. And with bacon, cooking in the microwave created less nitrosamines -cancer-causing chemicals- than cooking in a griddle.
 
But overall as long as you use tightly covered microwave-safe containers with minimal water, you might even be able to enhance the nutritional value. For example, making the carotenoids in carrots and tomatoes more easily available to our bodies or allowing the biotin in eggs to be more digestible. And of course heat kills bad bacteria in food such as chicken. Nobody wants to eat raw chicken and get sick!

Amana Radarange microwave oven introduced in 1967

Now what does the Health Physics Society - a non-profit organization promoting radiation safety say about microwaves?

 "Microwaves are produced inside a microwave oven by an electron tube called a magnetron. The microwaves bounce back and forth within the interior until they are absorbed by food. Microwaves cause the water molecules in food to vibrate, producing heat that cooks the food-that's why foods high in water content, like fresh vegetables, can be cooked more quickly than other foods. The microwave energy is changed to heat as soon as it is absorbed by food."

 "Microwave cooking can be more energy efficient than conventional cooking because foods cook faster and the energy heats only the food, not the oven compartment. Microwave cooking does not reduce the nutritional value of foods any more than conventional cooking. In fact, foods cooked in a microwave oven may keep more of their vitamins and minerals because microwave ovens can cook more quickly and without added water."

"There is little cause for concern about excess microwaves leaking from ovens unless the door hinges, latch, or seals are damaged or if the oven was made before 1971. In FDA's experience, most ovens tested show little or no detectable microwave leakage."

Apparently, microwaves are a non-ionizing form of electromagnetic radiation with a frequency so low there isn't enough energy to damage the DNA within our cells. The computer screen you might be reading this on also is a form of non-ionizing radiation. Other examples include infrared food warming lamps, radios, and televisions.

 

 Hmmm, quite interesting indeed. In my opinion, eating as many raw fruits and vegetables is still the best bet. Everything in moderation! Also, if you are using the microwave to cook up a high fat processed meal such as a TV dinner that by itself isn't healthy. Maybe instead of blaming the microwave, we need to shape up our diets with colorful highly nutritious rainbow foods straight from Mother Nature's backyard into our bellies.



 Sources: [1]: Bob Barnett's article:  Do Microwaves Zap Nutrition? [2]:  Jane Lear's article: Everything You Know About Microwaves Is Wrong [3]: Health Physics Society's article by Kelly Classic: Microwave Ovens