What does microwaving do to the nutritional value of vegetables?!
What does microwaving do to the nutritional value of vegetables?
Answers:
Well, really it depends on your methods. There was this one experiment called the: The Broccoli Microwave Study
When deciding the validity of research, it's important to know all the details. The broccoli study showed that microwave cooking destroyed more flavonoids than other methods.
Loss of flavonoids in Broccoli Study:
? Microwaved 97%
? Boiled 66%
? Pressure Cooked 47%
But there's more to this story. While heat from any cooking reduces the levels of certain nutrients, the length of cooking time and the amount of water used are major factors too.
When vegetables are cooked in water, nutrients get leached out and thrown away with the water. The broccoli in this study was cooked in 10 tablespoons of water. That’s a lot.
Plus the fact that flavonoids are water-soluble antioxidants. And, according to Dr Cristina García-Viguera, leader of the study, "During microwave heating they leach into the cooking water, removing their nutritional benefits from the foodstuff."
The broccoli was also cooked in the microwave way longer than necessary. The longer cooking time and the excess use of water caused greater loss of nutrients.
As Dr. García-Viguera points out in her research paper, other studies don't show a high loss of nutrients with microwave cooking. In fact, the following two studies indicate that microwave cooking helps retain flavonoids better than other methods.
Loss of Flavonoids from Potatoes:
? Microwaved 45%
? Boiled 60%
? Baked 100%
Loss of Flavonoids from Tomatoes:
? Microwaved 65%
? Boiled 82%
Weighing all the research available, microwave cooking measures up equally to most other cooking methods. It also has the advantage of being fast, easy and cost effective.
The Healthiest Way to Eat Vegetables
The absolutely best way to accomplish this is to grow your own vegetables organically, pick them fresh and eat them immediately, either raw or lightly steamed.
But who are we kidding here?
Frozen vegetables, cooked lightly in the microwave in a covered glass dish, such as corning ware, require no extra cooking water. They steam in their own juices.
Steaming veggies in the microwave can best preserve their nutrients, as well as their natural flavor, color and texture. Plus, steaming requires no added fat and is easy to do - once you get the knack of it.
Don't overcook. Steamed veggies should be a little crispy, but tender enough to eat. You can usually tell they're done by poking with a fork to see if they're chewable. Vegetables cut thin will only take a few minutes. Greens cook fastest, broccoli and green beans take a little longer and roots, like carrot chunks, may need 12-20 minutes or more.
A little reduced sodium soy sauce, lemon juice, herbs or onion and garlic added to the water can provide extra flavor. To avoid overcooking, use a timer so you can see how long it takes. When done, be sure to serve them right away.
Also:
MAKE sure to not use plastic containers as I read that they cause cancer and that sort