microwave: nutrients

[RobLL]

Below a quote from the NYT Wednesday Oct. 18, Health Section. The issue had been raised in a thread on steaming. Pretend it is in a pale blue background which I do not know how to do.



In studies at Cornell University, scientists looked at the effects of cooking on water-soluble vitamins in vegetables and found that spinach retained nearly all its folate when cooked in a microwave, but lost about 77 percent when cooked on a stove. They also found that bacon cooked by microwave has significantly lower levels of cancer-causing nitrosamines than conventionally cooked bacon.

When it comes to vegetables, adding water can greatly accelerate the loss of nutrients. One study published in The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture in 2003 found that broccoli cooked by microwave — and immersed in water — loses about 74 percent to 97 percent of its antioxidants. When steamed or cooked without water, the broccoli retained most of its nutrients.

THE BOTTOM LINE Microwave ovens generally do not destroy nutrients in food

[BFG]

thats pretty much common sense and basic biology as theres no where for the nutrients to either leech out to. The speed of cooking pretty much seals them in.

Whatever happened to the either unfounded or pure speculation that microwaived food in too great an amount was bad for you? I remember when they first came out the guidelines over here were once a week max. HAs microwaive technology improved or were the initial thoughts just scare mongering?

[Lisa~]

Thanks for the info Rob.

[BFG]

Anyone know the answer to this:

I remember reports last year that stated cooking of meats in the oven or even worse over a barbecue increased various cancer causing agents.

Im sure they were not suggesting we should eat it raw, but did anything ever come of this research or was it buried an the depths of time?