Microwaving
Veggies Not so Negative for Nutrients
Based on the article “Does
Microwaving Veggies Kill Nutrients?”, on
SportsGeezer.com
Edited (with Introduction) by Dr. Don Rose, Writer,
Life Alert
--
Many people believe that microwaving tends
to be bad for certain foods, such as vegetables, because it may kill vital nutrients
in the food. However, this article cites sources that seem to reverse some of these
negative beliefs – and point to a different cooking culprit. --Don Rose
--
Anahad O'Connor, writing in his "The
Claim"
column, takes on the widely-held conviction that cooking vegetables in the microwave
destroys valuable nutrients. The truth, O'Connor tells us, is that microwaving destroys
far fewer nutrients than other means of cooking, largely because microwaving uses
less of two things that destroy nutrients during cooking: heat and water.
O'Connor directs our attention to studies at
Cornell University,
which looked at the effects of cooking on water-soluble vitamins in vegetables.
That research found that
spinach retained nearly all its folate when cooked in a microwave, but lost about
77 percent when cooked on a stove. It also found
that bacon
cooked by microwave has significantly lower levels of cancer-causing nitrosamines than conventionally cooked bacon.
O'Connor also points to a
study
published in The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture in 2003 that found
that broccoli cooked by microwave — and
immersed
in water — loses about 74 percent to 97 percent of its antioxidants.
However, when steamed or cooked without water, the broccoli
retained most of its nutrients.
The moral of the story: cooking in water seems
to be more of a negative than cooking in a microwave, at least as far as preserving
nutrients in vegetables is concerned.
The information provided here is, to the
best of our knowledge, reliable and accurate. However, while we strive to provide
true, precise and consistent information, we cannot guarantee 100 percent accuracy.
Readers are encouraged to review the original article and gather more information
before drawing conclusions and making decisions.
This article and the content it is based on are covered
by a Creative Commons License.
Dr. Don Rose writes books, papers and articles
on many topics, including computers, the Internet, AI, science and technology, and
issues related to seniors.
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