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Is Microwaving Food Healthy or Unhealthy? The Surprising Truth from Harvard Medical School #health #wellness
These days, it seems like everywhere we turn there is another article warning us about some new dietary threat to our health. From food coloring to ecoli to arsenic in chicken to GMO’s, there is no shortage of bad news out there. Imagine my smile upon reading some good food news for a change! My friend Linda Avey shared this on Facebook. Linda and I met while researching our shared ancestry (her husband is my very distant cousin). She also happens to be co-founder of an exciting new website called Curious, which explores data-relevant questions people have about their health. You might want to sign up for the beta, it’s a super cool concept! Whenever Linda shares an article, I take notice– because, well, she’s brilliant. This week, she turned my kitchen upside down with news that microwaves are not the enemy… in fact, a microwave may just be the healthiest and best way to cook your veggies!
For years now I’ve heard and read from various sources that microwaving our food is unhealthy and that, despite its undeniable convenience, it has the power to zap all of the nutrients from food. We have a microwave in our kitchen and while I do use it regularly, there’s usually a voice in the back of my head warning me that this might not be the best choice. At one point, I even considered replacing my microwave with a large, costly toaster-style oven in an effort to “clean up my act.” Imagine my surprise after reading Harvard Medical School’s article in favor of microwave cooking. According to their post, the speedy convenience of microwaving also helps to preserve nutrients in our food.
In other words, don’t believe the hype, no matter how believable it might sound!
In a microwave, food is cooked or reheated by waves of energy that are similar to radio waves. These selective waves affect “water and other molecules that are electrically asymmetrical – one end positively charged and the other negatively charged. Microwaves cause these molecules to vibrate and quickly build up thermal (heat) energy.” Some nutrients are going to break down when exposed to heat, no matter where it’s coming from – an oven or a microwave. This is where a microwave’s short cook time can actually be beneficial. Important nutrients like Vitamin C are diminished when foods are heated, but because vegetables spend a much shorter time in the microwave than they might in an oven, the nutrients have a greater chance of being preserved.
Harvard goes a step further and points out that vegetables can actually lose nutrients when cooked in water. For example, broccoli’s flavor and cancer-fighting properties come from glucosinolate, which is lost when broccoli is boiled. Shorter, faster cook times that don’t require much liquid are our best hope for preserving nutritional value, and microwaves offer exactly that. By steaming food from the inside out, more minerals and vitamins are preserved than with alternate cooking methods. So, it appears that microwaves aren’t the enemy! At least, Harvard Medical School seems to think so. And who am I to argue?
Does this mean that I’ll be microwaving all of my vegetables from here on out? Definitely not. I don’t think I could live without roasted carrots and broccoli. But this certainly does give us some food for thought, and it might just ease our collective conscience a bit when reheating leftovers for lunch the next day. Do you use a microwave on a regular basis?
Todd McDaniel says
if you use boiling bags in water that can prevent loss of nutrients.
Jules878 says
I us mine for reheating homemade soups and stews, to give potatoes a boost before oven baking, and as other suggest for softening butter, melting chocolate for cooking.
I generally steam most of my veg because I like em crunchy, but after recently investing in “fish steamer” for microwave (http://www.lakeland.co.uk/70478/Lakeland-Fish-Steamer ) I use this very regularly to steam veg of all sorts. It’s great for asparagus, broccoli spears, mange tout, etc. Seldom used for fish! It’s quick efficient, delivers crunchy veg and saves on washing up. This is one of my favourite kitchen gadgets!
Barbara Spear Prather says
I don’t cook in mine, I just use it to thaw out and to warm up food, like my dogs food that was in the fridge. I feed her brown rice and ground turkey or ground chicken.
Chris Avey says
Has anyone used a talking microwave? We used to have them at college when I was training as a chef. Imagine the din with 14 people all doing the same operation in their talking microwaves: “DOOR OPEN….DOOR CLOSED….10….20….30….SECONDS…FULL POWER….START….”
Chris Avey says
Hi Tori, nice to see a contribution on the net from yet another Avey. Microwaves are fine and have many uses for cooking if you’re clever: You can make a steamed sponge pudding in seconds, that would have taken hours conventionally, and you can temper chocolate without the need of a bain marie.
In commercial kitchens microwaves are often checked for leakage as well as electrical safety, but home microwaves are a lot less powerful. The main concern is not to put too small a portion in too long a cooking time… I know two people who have started fires in microwaves! As with all cooking appliances, do not leave unattended!
Carl Thornfeldt Akins says
I use mine to defrost meats when I have company coming on short notice. Its great for melting butter and chocolate, reheating things, etc.
Also, I use mine for steaming things, like veggies, rice, and fish. I cook for a living, and don’t want to touch a stove when I get home. My go-to late dinner after working second shift is a sandwich of cod steamed in the microwave. On a crusty ciabatta roll, with homemade aji Amarillo pepper mayo. Very little mess!
Viki Fehr says
Haven’t owned a microwave for 4 years and don’t miss it, regardless of health reasons, food just tastes better not nuked.
Miki Lanese says
Its okay for heating….not cooking
Ellen Bryant says
I tossed mine…. The food cooked in it, caused me to have horrid indigestion. .
Marie McClure says
I use mine all the time for things like softening butter, warming things, and for quick baked potatoes. I don’t like the texture of most things when cooked in the microwave, though.
Tori Avey says
Agreed Marie.
laura hall says
i forgot, i know, how cud i!!! i have a seriously handicapped daughter who could not possibly ever operate a conventional cooktop or oven but she CAN prepare food for herself in the microwave. inconcievable numbers of odd or different persons can now feed themselves hot, cooked meals which was heretofore impossible. maybe u guys don’t think about it cuz u don’t have to, but the microwave is a hugely powerful tool that grants a marked degree of independence for gazillions of folks.
am i banned yet? her name is olivia…. i spent much of my pregnancy in the olive garden. eating..
ciao, laura
Alejandra Michell-Martin says
I try to stay away from microwaving, I still don’t think it’s healthy even if Harvard university says it. Specially when it’s used to heat foods in restaurants, I think it’s gross!
laura hall says
i know i just posted, but then i re-read these previous posts. jeezlouiseandallthesaintsbothinventedandnot!!!!!!!!!!!???????? are u guys in a different time warp? i’m really curious, millions of persons use microwaves. particularly among the colonized poor, who have no money for conventional ovens but can afford microwaves. i think micro-waved food beats the heck out of no cooked food at al in millions of households. also, most persons who do have living incomes would scoff at the total waste of time trying to function without one. i really have much more interesting and slothful things to do than spend all my time in the kitchen, much as i love it…….get a grip! u gonna give up the phone cuz if there is an electrical storm and u’re on it u might get electricuted???
Grant Willsie says
Great article!! Thanks!!
laura hall says
howdy tori,
if i remember correctly, the initial distrust about micro-waving was not in the food prep per se but in the amount of leakage of micro waves on the early microwave ovens themselves. my mum’s generation was told that if they had any pre-menopausal women in the household microwave ovens were verbotten cuz wave leakage cud cause genetic aberrations, (nobody thought at all about the similar effect on the boyz, after all, this was the generation of women’s liberation). among the budding geekish sub cultures every one at m.i.t. had a version of the story that involved a couple of micro wave tower/dish technicians who had gone up to the surface of the huge concave dishes to perform maintenance when some idiot in the corresponding lab turned the tower back on. the unfortunate persons on the tower got their insides slightly cooked and later died horribly. this incident and other similar instances were enough to put a small hurdle in the path of home use microwave sales initially but not for long. they were just too useful in home kitchens.
sometime prior to the advent of home microwavery i do remember quite clearly a pair of visiting speakers at a university aerospace forum, (no-one called it “aerospace” or “astrophysics” then, it was just “physics”) that i was lucky enough to attend. these guys blew everybody away initially because of their side-curls, tfilin and wool hats and coats. they spoke about the methods of preparing foods for the then current nasa projects. they discussed, in particular, their discovery of preserving seemingly raw chickens that could last for years in the event of a nuclear holocaust or the necessities of space travels. they were both rabbi and had just demonstrated the very first successfully microwaved foodstuffs. everything,, they insisted,was kosher because that was their area of rabbinical discipline. blew the top off that conference, i must say. yeh, believe it. they were the very first to invent the microwaving of food due to the profound attempt to maintain kosher values across space and time.
ciao, laura
Tori Avey says
Interesting Laura!
Stephanie says
Hey Tori!
Actually microwaves have never bothered me. I have my degree in Biology and have done a lot of research involving microwaves mostly out of curiosity. The way food is cooked is not bad in any way and people who think that microwaves are bad are usually misinformed by older generations who are a bit suspicious of technology. Anyways, regardless of nutrient content, I always cook my broccoli in the microwave. I just put fresh broccoli in a glass bowl without any water and microwave for 4-5 minutes. YUMMY! I end up with firm but cooked broccoli that has an intensely green color and tastes delicious. Thank you for the info and the link! I appreciate it.
Tori Avey says
Agreed Stephanie! I consider myself a very “clean” living type of person, very health conscious, eating non-GMO and organic… and I’ve gotta say, this made me feel a heck of a lot better about microwave cooking.
Heather Menges says
I use mine to quick cook whole foods a lot and fine it works great for that!
Heather Menges says
I feel completely healthy and happy with microwaved foods.
Todd McDaniel says
heather, I do as well. microwaving food has been around over 50 years. I mostly use the microwave for thawing frozen meat and for making tea as well as reheating leftovers on real plates.
There is nothing inherently evil or unhealthy about using microwave technology to heat food. Unless you work in a restaurant. NO restaurant should ever have a microwave on the premises. They should cook the food to order when its ordered.
Donald Hecht says
A microwave is only good for heating packaged frozen food which I will not eat.
Viki Fehr says
Agreed,
Jacqueline Chiapa says
I think you may be misinformed, by the great misinformers. I would wonder why microwaves are banned in most countries except here. I use mine, but I do not think its a good idea.
Tori Avey says
You feel Harvard Medical School is a “great misinformer”? As far as I know, microwaves were only banned in Russia for a very brief period during the early 1990’s and it may have had more to do with politics than health. No other country currently bans their use. More interesting info here: http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/02/26/jane-says-everything-you-know-about-microwaves-wrong
Jacqueline Chiapa says
That was interesting. Not trying to be mean, I just read many things that say its not good. I like my microwave, how else are you gonna re-heat coffee? Thanks,.
Tori Avey says
Jacqueline I don’t use my microwave all the time, but it is super convenient for reheating certain items life coffee or leftovers, melting butter, etc. In this day and age, when we’re bombarded by negativity and food fear-mongering from every direction, this was a welcome bit of good news. I’m sure it won’t convince everybody, though. Polite discussion is good… keeps us all honest and informed!
Maureen Anderson says
Jacqueline, I don’t use mine because I have a big old one and can’t move it, but if you think about your statement that other countries don’t use them, these same countries have gas pollution from millions of cars and so do we which is unhealthy ( very ) we us crap in our fool to make things bigger ( also us ) we have in parts of Canada Big cities, brown water, water that has to be boiled, poison sprays to kill weeds ( a lot that are good to eat ). People still smoking, eating fast food cause it is cheaper then good food,, people getting pills by the car load that the fillers alone can do you damage, and you are worried about a micro-wave, Seems kind of funny,
Viki Fehr says
I make coffee and tea in a tea kettle so I just reheat it in the kettle, I soften butter on top of the toaster and if I need it melted, I put it in the toaster oven. Easy peasy. I don’t miss the microwave at all.
Tania Schjer Haurum says
There was some issues in the earliest microwaves, and they were long fixed. Thats 30 years ago. Microwaves are awesome.
Chris Avey says
Just want to add to this thread… Jaqueline… Reheat coffee? No! Make another one, why would you not drink the coffee in the first place? Spare the feelings of coffee lovers everywhere, please! Microwaves, good, reheated coffee, bad. have I made my point?
Laura ~ Raise Your Garden says
I struggle with this issue each and every time I use my microwave! It’s nice for once to see some research saying “it’s okay!” I use mine to steam veggies. I didn’t know that about broccoli! But I knew eating tomatoes slightly cooked releases more nutrients. It’s certainly food for thought, thanks for sharing.
Todd McDaniel says
as long as you dont rip the door off, its safe.