Microwave Ovens

Once upon a time, our fellow [censored] rambled on about "Microwave Ovens." Our champion De-Medicalizing
in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

I would like to know if there is any truth about microwave ovens being harmful and destroying the
nutrients in the foods that are cooked in them.

Microwaving zaps nutrients "United Press International

Friday, October 17, 2003

MURCIA, Spain, Oct 17, 2003 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Microwaving raw broccoli
drastically all but eliminates some natural health-promoting chemicals, a study reported in the
Globe and Mail said Friday.

Of particular note in the research was the post-microwaving disappearance of 97 percent of
flavonoids -- substances often found in many brightly colored fruits and vegetables that are linked
to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and lung cancer.

However, the study being released in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture -- conducted
by a group of Spanish government scientists in Murcia, Spain -- found boiling removed only 66
percent of flavonoids from fresh raw broccoli, and pressure cooking leached out only 47 percent."

------------------------
This Article Concluded:

"Of particular note in the research was the post-microwaving disappearance of 97 percent of
flavonoids -- substances often found in many brightly colored fruits and vegetables that are linked
to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and lung cancer.

However, the study being released in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture -- conducted
by a group of Spanish government scientists in Murcia, Spain -- found boiling removed only 66
percent of flavonoids from fresh raw broccoli, and pressure cooking leached out only 47 percent.

Microwaving reduced other similarly desirable chemicals in broccoli by anywhere from 74 to
87 percent.

By far the most healthful results were obtained by the staple of French cooking -- a simple and
quick steaming."

SOURCE: F Vallejo, FA Tomás-Barberán, C García-Viguera. Phenolic compound contents in edible parts
of broccoli inflorescences after domestic cooking
www3.interscience.wiley.comABSTRACTOpen ↗ Journal of the Science of
Food and Agriculture Volume 83, Issue 14, 2003. Pages 1511-1516

------------------------
Comment:

For healthy cooking with a microwave, I would advise the following.

1)Avoid high heat settings as much as possible.

2)Cook only with inert cook ware: Glass or ceramic, but never plastic. The Plastic in plastic wrap
and plastic containers can leach into both the food and water when food is microwaved.

3)Cook with a glass lid in order to form an enclosed steaming environment.

4)Cook your food as a complete meal. That way the flavonoids in the broccoli will move out of the
broccoli into the steam and water, which will in turn be absorbed by the brown rice or pasta in
your complete meal.
--
John Gohde, Achieving good Health is an Art, NOT a Science!

Health-with-Attitude is a support group for people trying to follow a Healthy Lifestyle.
groups.yahoo.comHealth with AttitudeOpen ↗

[email hidden] ([censored]) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I would like to know if there is any truth about microwave ovens being harmful and destroying the
nutrients in the foods that are cooked in them.

The test used to evaluate microwaves was to nuke 5 ounces of fresh broccoli in 2/3 cup of water for
5 minutes.

The test used to evaluate steaming was to steam 5 ounces of fresh broccoli for 3.5 minutes.

I performed both tests and asked a friend who did not know which was steamed and which was
microwaved for his opinion. He picked the steamed broccoli as tasting better and being less
waterlogged than the microwaved version.

The water used in cooking was decidedly green for the microwaved version and clear for the steamed
version. This clearly suggests to me that valuable nutrients were leached away with microwaving. I
have since begun to steam veggies more often and use the microwave less often.

censored said:

I would like to know if there is any truth about microwave ovens being harmful and destroying the
nutrients in the foods that are cooked in them.

I'm sure that it's similar to any other cooking method, if it items are "overcooked" they will have
fewer nutrients. For example, the recent study that had 150g (just over 5 oz) of broccoli and
microwaved it for 5 minutes found that it lost nutrients. I'll be honest and say that I don't know
what *volume* of broccoli this was (I don't have a good sense of that) but I cook 3 cups of broccoli
in the microwave with 1.5 tablespoons of water for 2.5 minutes. Five minutes for 150 grams seems
high to me. Anyway, YMMV.

"Based on the information available in the literature, nutrient content and retention of
microwave-cooked or reheated foods is equal to or better than the same product prepared
conventionally or held hot in a foodservice operation." ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.fcOpen ↗
gi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2775405&dopt=Abstract

"Overall, the nutritional effects of microwaves on protein, lipid, and minerals appear minimal.
There is no report on the effects of microwaves on carbohydrate fraction in foods. A large amount of
data is available on the effects of microwaves on vitamins. It is concluded that there are only
slight differences between microwave and conventional cooking on vitamin retention in foods. In
conclusion, no significant nutritional differences exist between foods prepared by conventional and
microwave methods. Any differences reported in the literature are minimal." ncbi.nlm.nih-ncbi.nlm.nih-Open ↗
.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7047080&dopt=Abstract
--
jmk in NC

censored said:

I would like to know if there is any truth about microwave ovens being harmful and destroying the
nutrients in the foods that are cooked in them.

They are no more harmful than conventional ovens. Heat always destroys something, but there are
many advantages to cooking as well. Heating with microwaves doesn't really change anything over
heating with conventional ovens, except that it tends to be faster and more convenient for some
types of cooking.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

"John 'the Man'" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Once upon a time, our fellow [censored] rambled on about "Microwave Ovens." Our champion De-Medicalizing
in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

I would like to know if there is any truth about microwave ovens being harmful and destroying the
nutrients in the foods that are cooked in them.

Microwaving zaps nutrients "United Press Internation

What about the enzym myrosinase(very important for the transformation of the glucosinates) in
broccoli. Cooked in the microwave by 540kw gives the best result. Better than eating broccoli raw or
by normal broccoli cooking or steaming.

"Peter" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:d4a28d0b.0311231746.38b7234e@posting

Quoted message said:

The water used in cooking was decidedly green for the microwaved version and clear for the steamed
version. This clearly suggests to me that valuable nutrients were leached away with microwaving. I
have since begun to steam veggies more often and use the microwave less often.

Or you could just make sure you consume the water as well...

M.

jmk said:

censored said:

I would like to know if there is any truth about microwave ovens being harmful and destroying the
nutrients in the foods that are cooked in them.

I'm sure that it's similar to any other cooking method, if it items are "overcooked" they will
have fewer nutrients. For example, the recent study that had 150g (just over 5 oz) of broccoli and
microwaved it for 5 minutes found that it lost nutrients. I'll be honest and say that I don't know
what *volume* of broccoli this was (I don't have a good sense of that) but I cook 3 cups of
broccoli in the microwave with 1.5 tablespoons of water for 2.5 minutes. Five minutes for 150
grams seems high to me. Anyway, YMMV.

"Based on the information available in the literature, nutrient content and retention of
microwave-cooked or reheated foods is equal to or better than the same product prepared
conventionally or held hot in a foodservice operation." ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.Open ↗
fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2775405&dopt=Abstract

"Overall, the nutritional effects of microwaves on protein, lipid, and minerals appear minimal.
There is no report on the effects of microwaves on carbohydrate fraction in foods. A large amount
of data is available on the effects of microwaves on vitamins. It is concluded that there are only
slight differences between microwave and conventional cooking on vitamin retention in foods. In
conclusion, no significant nutritional differences exist between foods prepared by conventional
and microwave methods. Any differences reported in the literature are minimal." ncbi.n-ncbi.n-Open ↗
lm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7047080&dopt=Abstract

"Microwave cooking without water better retains flavonoids and ascorbic acid" ncbi.nlm.n-ncbi.nlm.n-Open ↗
ih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11349895&dopt=Abstrac

Also, the amount of water used in cooking and the post harvest storing and packaging seem to
play a role.

Effect of postharvest storage and processing on the antioxidant constituents (flavonoids and vitamin
C) of fresh-cut spinach. ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.fcgiOpen ↗
uids=10794612&dopt=Abstract

Influence of cooking process on phenolic marker compounds of vegetables. ncbi.nlm.nih.go-ncbi.nlm.nih.go-Open ↗
v/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12747223&dopt=Abstract

--
jmk in NC

herbalhealer.commicrowave.htmlOpen ↗ I'm skeptical on this, as yet, but, as my microwave gets
used mainly for defrosting and for melting butter, both of which can be done other ways about as
easily, I am opting in favor of increasing my miniscule counter space. I certainly would recommend
that anything being prepared for medicinal value NOT be microwaved.

Quoted message said:

censored said:

I would like to know if there is any truth about microwave ovens being harmful and destroying the
nutrients in the foods that are cooked in them.

I'm sure that it's similar to any other cooking method, if it items are "overcooked" they will
have fewer nutrients. For example, the recent study that had 150g (just over 5 oz) of broccoli and
microwaved it for 5 minutes found that it lost nutrients. I'll be honest and say that I don't know
what *volume* of broccoli this was (I don't have a good sense of that) but I cook 3 cups of
broccoli in the microwave with 1.5 tablespoons of water for 2.5 minutes. Five minutes for 150
grams seems high to me. Anyway, YMMV.

"Based on the information available in the literature, nutrient content and retention of
microwave-cooked or reheated foods is equal to or better than the same product prepared
conventionally or held hot in a

For consideration. I'm a bit skeptical on this, as yet, but, as my microwave takes up extremely
limited counterspace, and generally gets used for melting butter and defrosting meat, both of which
there are other options for, I'm opting for the increased counter space.
herbalhealer.commicrowave.htmlOpen ↗

Peter said:

The test used to evaluate microwaves was to nuke 5 ounces of fresh broccoli in 2/3 cup of water
for 5 minutes.

The test used to evaluate steaming was to steam 5 ounces of fresh broccoli for 3.5 minutes.

The big difference was in soaking the broccoli rather than steaming it, not in the method used to
provide the heat.

Quoted message said:

He picked the steamed broccoli as tasting better and being less waterlogged than the microwaved
version.

No surprise there; but you can steam broccoli with any type of heat.

Quoted message said:

The water used in cooking was decidedly green for the microwaved version and clear for the steamed
version. This clearly suggests to me that valuable nutrients were leached away with microwaving.

Not by microwaving; by immersion in water.

You can get the leached nutrients back by drinking the water.

--
Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

Once upon a time, our fellow Peter rambled on about "Re: Microwave Ovens." Our champion
De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

The test used to evaluate microwaves was to nuke 5 ounces of fresh broccoli in 2/3 cup of water for
5 minutes.

That is *not* how you cook broccoli in a microwave oven!

Just thought that you might want to know. 🙂

Half of the problems with microwave ovens are due to total idiots who do not know to cook with a
microwave oven. 🙁

Hark! My private health newsgroup beckons!
--
John Gohde, Achieving good Nutrition is an Art, NOT a Science!

The nutrition of eating a healthy diet is the foundation of the biopsychosocial model of natural
health. Weighing in at 17 webpages, Nutrition (food.naturalhealthperspective.comfood.naturalhealthperspective.comOpen ↗) is now
with more documentation and sharper terminology than ever before.

It seems to me that prolonged cooking,at high heat, using any method,is going to destroy nutrients
and create toxic chemicals. "Gentle" microwaving,where the food never gets very hot, shouldn't do a
lot of damage. Suppose you use the microwave to thaw out frozen food, merely bringing it up to room
temperature. Suppose you make foods warm instead of hot. Should'nt this produce minimal damage?

jmk <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

censored said:

I would like to know if there is any truth about microwave ovens being harmful and destroying
the nutrients in the foods that are cooked in them.

I'm sure that it's similar to any other cooking method, if it items are "overcooked" they will
have fewer nutrients. For example, the recent study that had 150g (just over 5 oz) of broccoli and
microwaved it for 5 minutes found that it lost nutrients. I'll be honest and say that I don't know
what *volume* of broccoli this was (I don't have a good sense of that) but I cook 3 cups of
broccoli in the microwave with 1.5 tablespoons of water for 2.5 minutes. Five minutes for 150
grams seems high to me. Anyway, YMMV.

"Based on the information available in the literature, nutrient content and retention of
microwave-cooked or reheated foods is equal to or better than the same product prepared
conventionally or held hot in a foodservice operation." ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.Open ↗
fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2775405&dopt=Abstract

"Overall, the nutritional effects of microwaves on protein, lipid, and minerals appear minimal.
There is no report on the effects of microwaves on carbohydrate fraction in foods. A large amount
of data is available on the effects of microwaves on vitamins. It is concluded that there are only
slight differences between microwave and conventional cooking on vitamin retention in foods. In
conclusion, no significant nutritional differences exist between foods prepared by conventional
and microwave methods. Any differences reported in the literature are minimal." ncbi.n-ncbi.n-Open ↗
lm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7047080&dopt=Abstract

Once upon a time, our fellow merlijn spinnewijn rambled on about "Re: Microwave Ovens." Our champion
De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Microwaving zaps nutrients "United Press Internation

What about the enzym myrosinase

What about what?

I quoted a news story. Don't you read, or get out much?

Once upon a time, our fellow Mark D. rambled on about "Re: Microwave Ovens." Our champion
De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

Or you could just make sure you consume the water as well...

Or, you could follow my cooking recommendations provided in my first post.

Once upon a time, our fellow Heather James rambled on about "Re: Microwave Ovens." Our champion
De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

for melting butter

Now, that has got to be real healthy.

Ha, ... Hah, Ha!-- John Gohde, Achieving good Health is an Art, NOT a Science!
naturalhealthperspective.comnaturalhealthperspective.comOpen ↗ The ONLY Frauds in Health are those who couldn't care less
about prevention. Beware of anybody who brags about eating a lousy diet, eating crispbread,
non-dairy coffee creamer, being overweight, or about smoking!

"John 'the Man'" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Once upon a time, our fellow merlijn spinnewijn rambled on about "Re: Microwave Ovens." Our
champion De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Microwaving zaps nutrients "United Press Internation

What about the enzym myrosinase

What about what?

I quoted a news story. Don't you read, or get out much

Many thanks for the news story. What do you think of the more recent stories about myrosinase,
glucosinolates ,broccoli , the microwave and their relationship to each other concerning a healthy
food preparation? Mvrgrvm

John 'the Man' <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Once upon a time, our fellow merlijn spinnewijn rambled on about "Re: Microwave Ovens." Our
champion De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Microwaving zaps nutrients "United Press Internation

What about the enzym myrosinase

What about what?

I quoted a news story. Don't you read, or get out much?

So I guess that we should all go back to the way grandma used to cook. Remember the iron skillets?
Grandpa would even pick the vegtables right out of the ground, brush off the dirt and eat, when he
was plowing. I swear we are killing ourselves with things like microwave ovens, teflon skillets,
frozen foods wrapped in plastic etc.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Once upon a time, our fellow Mark D. rambled on about "Re: Microwave Ovens." Our champion
De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

Or you could just make sure you consume the water as well...

Or, you could follow my cooking recommendations provided in my first post.

Just thought you might want to know. =)

Once upon a time, our fellow [censored] rambled on about "Re: Microwave Ovens." Our champion
De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

So I guess that we should all go back to the way grandma used to cook. Remember the iron skillets?

--
Mental illness happens to be real, live and well on these ngs.

Or, is it just a case of TOTALLY STUPID PEOPLE? redflagsweekly.comregushpeople.htmlOpen ↗

The more I try to believe that callers here are not stupid, the more callers try to prove over and
over again, just how stupid that they really are. 🙁

Once upon a time, our fellow Kramer rambled on about "Re: Microwave Ovens." Our champion
De-Medicalizing in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...

Quoted message said:

Just thought you might want to know. =)

No, ... I do *not* think so. 🙂

Just my opinion. But, I am *right* as usual!