With the fast-paced world that we have, instant has become one word that goes with almost everything that we do especially in eating. With this, most of the foods that are sold in markets today only require microwaves to heat or cook them. But microwaves have substantial effects to the foods that we eat and these effects are something that we should take note of because they can lower the vitamin content of the food, destroy enzymes or denature proteins. But the effects are often due to the heat that microwaves give off.
Microwave ovens or often called microwave is a kitchen appliance that is used for heating food by means of microwave radiation that excites polarized molecules in food. They are considered highly reliable appliances in the kitchen because it quickly and efficiently heats food especially now that we can find numerous foods in groceries that are “ready to heat”.
Effects of Microwaved Foods and Nutrients
Although we have heard of many negative effects that microwaved food has, experts say that if used the proper way, cooking foods using the microwave does not necessarily change the nutrient content of foods to a larger content compared to the conventional way of heating as well as the greater retention of most nutrients because of shorter preparation time. But there are really foods that are not recommended to be heated with the use of microwaves such as heating human milk because it has shown that there is decreased activity of the anti-infective factors found in it.
The truth is, any form of cooking will affect the nutrients found in food but there are several factors to determine this such as how much water is used during cooking, the length of time that the food is cooked and at what temperature. One way where nutrients are lost during cooking is when the nutrients leak into the cooking water making microwaved food become much healthier plus cooking time is much shorter. Another good thing about microwaving food is how microwave ovens convert the vitamin B12 turn from active to its inactive form making the vitamin B12 found in the food more usable for us.
A study was released showing that when microwaving broccoli actually loses 74% or even more of phenolic compounds whereas with boiling, 66% of flavonoids are lost. But health experts say that in order for the loss of phenols to be minimized such as potatoes, microwaving should be at 500 watts only. It is surprising to find out that bacons that are cooked with the use of microwaves actually have much lower levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines compared to bacon that is conventionally cooked. Steamed vegetables are able to retain more nutrients when they are microwaved compared to being cooked on a stovetop.
Microwaved Foods: How Microwave Ovens Destroy Food Nutrients
Perhaps one of the most convenient ways to heat food is using the microwave oven. Microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that makes use of electromagnetic energy that moves at a rapid rate. There are numerous factors that we must consider in order to not affect the nutrient content that the food has.
Length of Cooking Time
Microwaving food only takes a short amount of time because the energy that microwave ovens has penetrates into food at a very fast pace and just an inch below the surface of the food. Whereas with the conventional way of cooking, there is more cooking time needed because of the slower process it has and the heat moves slower towards the food. Because of this, there are nutrients, specifically water-soluble vitamins that are greatly affected by heat which shows microwaving food is much better when it comes to preservation of nutrients in food.
Amount of Water Used
When we cook, it is recommended that we use less amounts of water in order to maximize nutrient retention. Because of this, foods that are cooked with the use of microwave ovens are able to retain more micronutrients compared to foods that are boiled the conventional way because when food is boiled, the vitamins leach into the cooking water.
It’s Effect on Macronutrients
So far, there is not much report of non-heat related effects on the macronutrients (carbs, proteins and fat) of foods that are being cooked with the use of the microwave oven. Although there are reports that showed that the protein found in food has a much faster denaturation rate compared to the conventional way of cooking but health experts say that the differences are due to the length of cooking time and the temperature of the cooked food.
Phenols and Antioxidants
A study was done which tried to determine how microwaving can affect the phenols and antioxidants found in food. It used broccoli during the study and boiled it using the conventional and microwaved way. It demonstrated that there was great loss in its antioxidant components with the use of the two cooking methods.
The Positive Effects of Microwaved Foods
Most of us happen to have microwave ovens in our kitchens because they are such versatile appliances. You can use to not only cook or heat food but it may also be used to defrost, re-heat foods and beverages too. Microwave ovens make use of high frequency electromagnetic waves and these waves are the reason why the molecules of the liquid that is naturally found in food vibrates. The friction that happens here is the reason why there is heat and can cook the food. The reason why it takes shorter time to heat or cook food using the microwave is because it cooks food from the inside rather than conventional cooking which heats food from the outside going inwards causing more time to cook.
- For starters, we all know that microwave ovens only take little time to cook food and with this we are able to save energy and time compared to the conventional way of cooking. Plus, using microwave ovens are much easier. When using it, all we need to do is set the time to how long to cook the food and we can do other things while waiting for it to be finished.
- Reducing cooking time is perhaps the most obvious advantage we can get from using it. Foods that need to be thawed and cooked right away may be done with the use of the microwave oven.
- In contrast with the reports that microwaving food is unhealthy, food that is cooked using the microwave are able to retain much of its vitamins and minerals. An example is the vegetable broccoli which as has the vitamin C and potassium, these two nutrients are lost in liquid when they are boiled. When we cook broccoli in the microwave oven, we can prevent glucosinolate to leak out. Glucosinolate is actually a compound found in broccoli that is the cause why this vegetable has cancer-fighting properties.
Just make sure that the food in your microwave oven is evenly cooked as there is that tendency that some parts of it may be raw. A tip to avoid this is by cutting food in smaller pieces so that it cooks evenly. Allow your food to stay in the microwave for a few minutes before getting it out to let it continue cooking because the molecules inside the food are still vibrating meaning there is still heat passed on to the food.
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