Studies Show Microwaves Drastically Reduce Nutrients In Food

By Ed Bauman, PhD, originally published at GreenMedInfo.com

I can remember the days growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, when we prepared foods without a microwave oven. Water was boiled on the stove. Chicken was baked in an oven. Vegetables were steamed, baked, or sautéed. Food was whole and fresh. Even a TV dinner was baked in the oven, which took about 15 minutes to warm. And then, modern science and technology brought us the microwave oven that could heat food rapidly, from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes.

The industry has claimed that microwave cooking protects the nutrient content of foods. However, in tasting foods that came out of a microwave oven, the texture was changed, as was the flavor. Foods cooked or reheated in microwave ovens became rubbery and lacked the savory smells and layered flavors that come from cooking foods slower and longer.

Nevertheless, people bought the convenience aspect, the speed, the simplicity of heating and eating prepared foods. The science, which has been supported by the food industry, has continued to claim the health benefits of microwave cooking. Recently, published data from reliable sources questions the health benefits of microwaved food.

Does this mean an occasional microwaved meal will be harmful? Not likely. But what about a steady diet of eating foods cooked at such a high heat? Do the sensitive compounds in food, such as amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and phytonutrients change? It appears so. Read on to follow the scientific literature surrounding the depletion of our soil, foods, and health as a result of modern farming, food processing, microwave cooking, and not eating enough fresh, natural, uncooked, organic whole foods.

Three recent studies of historical food composition have shown 5-40% declines in some of the minerals in fresh produce, and another study found a similar decline in our protein sources (1).
A 1999 Scandinavian study of the cooking of asparagus spears found that microwaving caused a reduction in vitamins (3).
In a study of garlic, as little as 60 seconds of microwave heating was enough to inactivate its allinase, garlic’s principle active ingredient against cancer (5).
A study published in the November 2003 issue of The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that broccoli “zapped” in the microwave with a little water lost up to 97% of its beneficial antioxidants. By comparison, steamed broccoli lost 11% or fewer of its antioxidants. There were also reductions in phenolic compounds and glucosinolates, but mineral levels remained intact (6).
A recent Australian study showed that microwaves cause a higher degree of “protein unfolding” than conventional heating (2).
Microwaving can destroy the essential disease-fighting agents in breast milk that offer protection for your baby. In 1992, Quan found that microwaved breast milk lost lysozyme activity, antibodies, and fostered the growth of more potentially pathogenic bacteria (4).

Quan stated that more damage was done to the milk by microwaving than by other methods of heating, concluding: “Microwaving appears to be contraindicated at high-temperatures, and questions regarding its safety exist even at low temperatures.”

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Melania P.

9:00AM PST on Feb 28, 2013

thanks, sharing

February 28
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Past Member .

5:03PM PST on Feb 18, 2013

While I don't think we should make all/most of our meals using the microwave the whole thing with loosing nutrition and protein degradation happens with most forms of cooking. A study that tested the conventional cooking of pears and their remaining nutrients notices a decrease in nutrition the longer they cooked. And from what I remember of bio any protein will unfold and denature one a certain temp has been reached, which can occur in humans with high fevers so Im sure stovetop cooking can cause this too. Now, the heating food in plastic containers is just a bad idea. Plastic being heated to any degree will release VOCs that can be carcinogenic especially to the lungs.

http://lib3.dss.go.th/fulltext/Journal/J.Sci.Food%20and%20Agri/2005v85/no.1/2005v85no1p310-318.pdf

February 18
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Mari G.

7:11PM PDT on Oct 6, 2012

This doesn't surprise me one bit.

October 6
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Biby C.

3:19AM PDT on Oct 4, 2012

I was given a microwave oven as a housewarming gift. It's now gathering dust in a corner of my kitchen. I really didn't like it. Like Ed said, it changes the taste and texture of foods. Meat becomes tough, bread and pastry becomes rubbery. It was just awful!

October 4
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Angela J.

10:13AM PDT on Oct 1, 2012

I reheat stuff in the microwave and make the occasional bag of popcorn but I've never really liked the taste of food I've cooked in it. I have a friend who has cooked turkey in his microwave for years and it is sooooo tasty but I've never been able to get similar results..lol. I've never bought into the idea that microwaves protect nutrients....hard to believe anything could survive being zapped in the nuker!

October 1
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Mary D.

10:10PM PDT on Sep 26, 2012

I saw my first microwave oven about 1955 at the Antelope Valley Fair. I don't understand why I had to wait until the '80s to get one. Back then, we put 'butter' on steaks, everything was fried-where the roast chicken came from in the article, I don't know. All veges were covered with butter and artery clogging sauces. Veges were boiled to death so they couldn't run from the butter and sauces. Mashed potatoes with CREAM and BUTTER-then covered with GRAVY. Hot chocolate made with high fat milk-topped with a mountain of whipping cream. A big slice of pie or cake or fresh home made cookies with a glass of high fat milk. Pies made with lard-donuts fried in lard. Yes, lets go back to the good old days, when we ate real food- healthy food.