Please stop microwaving your food

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Replies

  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Yawn. Complete and utter myth. Amazing what some people will believe.
  • musiche
    musiche Posts: 214 Member
    Maybe your plant died because you put boiling water on it?

    Lol, my thought too
  • jewelsc1
    jewelsc1 Posts: 26
    OP, what are you basing your info on? Microwave ovens generally do not destroy nutrients in food. They cook faster and therefore actually retain more nutrients than cooking on the stove.
  • Preacher224
    Preacher224 Posts: 44 Member
    While I do believe that microwaving food does corrupt the molecular structure of foods as it cooks. The following link is to scopes.com. You will see an experiment done by the author of the article and also the original article. Two entirely different results. The author even used three each of three different plants and identical heating utensils(which may have made the difference) as I also believe that just using plastics is also harmful to your health. That being said, I still use the microwave and I have an assortment of plastic cookware and storage containers, which I am going to replace with glass and stainless steel and iron as soon as the funds are available. I stopped using aluminum and teflon a long time ago.

    http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave/plants.asp
  • ihateroses
    ihateroses Posts: 893 Member
    I don't buy this.

    That being said there's absolutely no argument that food tastes 10x better when its reheated in a toaster oven or stovetop, if you have the time to slow down and enjoy a meal its definitely a better way to go.
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    OK. So, now I'm confused. Which is it. Posts like these are Bullsh*t because no one just comes out with actual evidence as to the real truth and it's all just opinion.

    I haven't died yet, so I guess it's OK to reheat my food.
  • ambitious01
    ambitious01 Posts: 209 Member
    Maybe your plant died because you put boiling water on it?


    :laugh: I was wondering too.
  • rustythezippergirl
    rustythezippergirl Posts: 86
    you'd be better off tossing out your TV.

    lol
  • musiche
    musiche Posts: 214 Member
    Yawn. Complete and utter myth. Amazing what some people will believe.

    It's not a myth that microwaving vegetables breaks down the compounds/nutrients in your food.

    Cooking in general does that to your food. The less processed/cooked, the better. The most nutrient-void foods in our diets are the highly processed ones, I'm sure you've heard of this...

    The closer to 'alive' our food is, the better.

    Microwaves cook things faster, more and more thoroughly, which makes them less nutritious.

    "Yawn" to your ignorant and rude comment. Amazing what some people will say...
  • lusciousladie07
    lusciousladie07 Posts: 16 Member
    LOL... no I'm not trolling. And yes any heat denatures food. My point was the that microwaves heats up food so quickly to point that it becomes useless from nutritional standpoint. You get more nutrients out of food cooked slowly than microwaved food. And I said most nutrients not all.
    And if you can microwave food, why can't you microwave water?

    And the plant test.. we actually did this in H.S and I did it myself at home before I gave up microwaves and the water was cooled down before applying to the plant. I don't know anyone that would put hot water on a plant. Like everything in life.. to each their own and follow what you believe.

    I didn't start this thread to argue or anything like that by any means.
    I respect all your viewpoints as I hope you would respect mine.. even if you disagree.
  • drstevejenkins
    drstevejenkins Posts: 1 Member
    Not to be nagative but this is crazy talk the microwave excellerates water molecules to heat the food it does not alter vitamins, protein or anything else as that is scentifically impossible. Your plant will die if you boil the water also. With that said food will taste better if you warm it on the stove or in the oven. Good Luck
  • ouija86
    ouija86 Posts: 138 Member
    OK. So, now I'm confused. Which is it. Posts like these are Bullsh*t because no one just comes out with actual evidence as to the real truth and it's all just opinion.

    I haven't died yet, so I guess it's OK to reheat my food.

    ya, I love the anti plastic movement too. I think the plastic leaked outta the shampoo bottle and got into their brain in the shower.

    Seriously people, you're here to be healthy, not make excuses why you can't do it. The microwave ruined my food! Plastic made me fat. Get off the soapbox and do some work.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: To the OP, thanks, I needed a good laugh today.
  • teephil
    teephil Posts: 135 Member
    Do you have any science to back this up or is this just stuff you got from an email forward?
  • ZeroWoIf
    ZeroWoIf Posts: 588 Member
    I honestly don't know what to say. I wouldn't microwave meats because that is plain disgusting. I would microwave oatmeal for example.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Maybe your plant died because you put boiling water on it?
    I actually loled haha
  • Sox90716
    Sox90716 Posts: 976 Member
    The OP is trolling.
  • Briantime
    Briantime Posts: 175 Member
    Yawn. Complete and utter myth. Amazing what some people will believe.

    It's not a myth that microwaving vegetables breaks down the compounds/nutrients in your food.

    Cooking in general does that to your food. The less processed/cooked, the better. The most nutrient-void foods in our diets are the highly processed ones, I'm sure you've heard of this...

    The closer to 'alive' our food is, the better.

    Microwaves cook things faster, more and more thoroughly, which makes them less nutritious.

    "Yawn" to your ignorant and rude comment. Amazing what some people will say...


    Not wanting to start an argument, but love an honest debate. I have seen several links posted here in this thread which debunk this "microwave destroys food nutrients more than any other way of heating food" myth. Do you have evidence to support your position?
  • casperuk
    casperuk Posts: 195 Member
    I love how these types of posts always have such a serious tone, as though the OP knows exactly what they are talking about and not just regurgitating bad science or hogwash from around the internet.

    so all microwved food changes and your body wont recognise the molecules and treats it as waste?

    great diet stuff then, just 'nuke' anything you dont want to add to your diary.

    Except you arent nuking anything are you. The only thing that nuking something and microwaving something have in common is that they are both not fire. Nothing is chaged in the molecular structure when something is microwaved. They heat by agitating water molecules.

    And for the record, historically, no food is meant to be heated up. Its not that long ago we discovered cooked meat was tastier than uncooked.
  • Briantime
    Briantime Posts: 175 Member
    LOL... no I'm not trolling. And yes any heat denatures food. My point was the that microwaves heats up food so quickly to point that it becomes useless from nutritional standpoint. You get more nutrients out of food cooked slowly than microwaved food. And I said most nutrients not all.
    And if you can microwave food, why can't you microwave water?

    And the plant test.. we actually did this in H.S and I did it myself at home before I gave up microwaves and the water was cooled down before applying to the plant. I don't know anyone that would put hot water on a plant. Like everything in life.. to each their own and follow what you believe.

    I didn't start this thread to argue or anything like that by any means.
    I respect all your viewpoints as I hope you would respect mine.. even if you disagree.


    It's really not a question of viewpoint. It's a question of facts. One view is right and the other is wrong. I am curious to know which is which...
  • ModoVincere
    ModoVincere Posts: 530 Member
    Since microwave ovens work by exciting the water molecules in the food, and not the proteins or fat, I'm not buying into the hoopla they are bad or destroy the nutrient content of your food.
    As to the changing the shape of the proteins in food....that's what cooking does. It's that very denaturing of proteins that cause eggs to become solid whether you boil them, fry them, or poach them. As for the vitamins being destroyed, I don't think it will destroy any more than any other form of cooking.
    Now, the plastic containers the food is in.....there may be some concern. But I don't think that's necessarily related to microwaves, just that plastics are known to leach chemicals, and some of them aren't very good for you.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/health/17real.html
    oh wait
    that's right, shorter cooking times in microwaves means you
    RETAIN more micronutrients!
    http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1453972&show=abstract

    I always cook my fish and veggies in the microwave because it retains nutrients better from faster cooking. If anyone doesn't want to use the microwave more power to them. I also have a toaster oven for cooking meats.
  • magj0y
    magj0y Posts: 1,911 Member
    The microwaved water and plants thing is a total urban legend.

    Also, please don't microwave straight water. Unless you like boiling water to explode in your face.


    ANY type of heating destroys nutrients. Freezing destroys nutrients.

    I've been microwaving water for.... years. never an issue. maybe your microwave is on crack? Maybe you misread the directions? Nuked it too long? Never had anything blow up in my face.... weird.
  • lusciousladie07
    lusciousladie07 Posts: 16 Member
    You can pick up any science textbook and look up the effects of temperature on protein structures. Even if it has nothing to do with food. Your body temperature has an effect of the protein structures of cells if you have a really high temperature.
    Obviously.. my post is not for everyone. People will have dissenting viewpoints on everything. Again to each their own.
  • Killing_Perfection
    Killing_Perfection Posts: 79 Member
    Nonsense.

    Heating it in an oven or microwaving it - you basically just blast your food with electromagnetic radiation one way or another, only that microwaves send a somewhat specific wavelength to heat it up and your oven throws a whole lot of them at said food. One uses a magnetron, the other uses black body radiation.

    You can destroy nutrients either way, and microwaving water doesn't change anything but heat it up due to friction on a molecular/atomic scale, as has been said alread.

    btw. I water my plants with destilled water - completely free of nutrients (as you should with carnivourous plants). They only die when I forget to do so. Your plant probably died because of something else.
  • timbeck1986
    timbeck1986 Posts: 17
    how will i cook my steak :-D
  • Bunnybeesweet
    Bunnybeesweet Posts: 165 Member
    I'm on your side OP! I haven't used a microwave in years, and don't miss it at all. But I've learned that people don't like being told what to do....especially when they are cranky from not meeting their nutritional needs.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    FWIW, I tend to have an aversion to my microwave. I always have. I still have not fully accepted it as a cooking tool. I think of it more for just re-heating. But, not for actual cooking. Even within this past year, I use it less as I reheat in my traditional oven, toaster oven, or on the stove. I have thought of getting rid of the microwave, but I'm scared. Lol. It just seems like I need one. Lol. I didn't know there was any science behind its evil-ness. Hmmmm. Something to think about.

    I can't think of a single thing I have cooked in it. I even heat up canned soup on the stove. I did buy microwaveable frozen brown rice. Had it the other night, it was ok, but not as good as the real thing. I'll probably not buy that anymore.

    I have to admit though, that this sounds a bit like bro-science, or maybe wives tale stuff, or like the poodle in the microwave story. I don't know. I don't feel like killing any of my plants, so I'm not going to test the theory.

    We never got a microwave when we moved. Don't miss it a bit. We have a kick *kitten* 50 year old oven and a toaster oven. My hubby complains a little bit because he has to bake his pre-made burritos but I was trying to avoid those anyway! lol We don't have a dishwasher or cable either. The horror!
  • rhonniema
    rhonniema Posts: 522 Member
    It's summertime.
    You couldn't pay me to use my oven & lord knows what's living in our toaster oven.
    That thing hasn't been used in YEARS.
  • Briantime
    Briantime Posts: 175 Member
    You can pick up any science textbook and look up the effects of temperature on protein structures. Even if it has nothing to do with food.

    Do these textbooks test the effects of heating proteins in the microwave and compare those results to heating to identical temperatures via other methods? Please share your data.

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