Microwaving food

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calimom00
calimom00 Posts: 26 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Question, especially for those who meal plan: Do you reheat/microwave your meals? Are there certain foods you won't reheat, regardless of the method? I'm starting to not want to reheat foods because of nutrient loss, especially in the microwave; any suggestions for foods that are still good when not reheated (other than raw, of course)?

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  • mattkdawson
    mattkdawson Posts: 53 Member
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    are you cooking meals in the microwave or just reheating them? I don't think you'll get much nutrient loss if you're just warming up meals.

    Also, I've heard (but can't confirm) that cooking vegetables in the microwave causes less nutrient loss than on a stove or steamer.

    I wouldn't worry about it too much if microwaving is helping you prep and plan meals
  • firefly171717
    firefly171717 Posts: 226 Member
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    I agree Matt! I try not to microwave, but left overs and pre-prepped meals that I have on the go seem to be a much better option than eating out. I have heard that you can lose some nutritional value, but when its the only option, go for it!
  • calimom00
    calimom00 Posts: 26 Member
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    @mattkdawson I've never heard that! Off to research... :)
  • mattkdawson
    mattkdawson Posts: 53 Member
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    calimom00 wrote: »
    @mattkdawson I've never heard that! Off to research... :)

    http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/diet-tips/ask-diet-doctor-does-microwaving-vegetables-really-kill-nutrients
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
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    Total woo-woo BS, don't worry about it.
  • Strawblackcat
    Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
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    I microwave my food to warm it up, although I don't cook anything in it. My microwave doesn't cook food well -- it dried the hell out of it. I don't microwave in plastic dishes, though, since it ruins the dishes and I worry about chemicals from the plastics seeping into the food.
  • QueenofHearts023
    QueenofHearts023 Posts: 421 Member
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    I love my microwave. I don't just use it to warm things up, I also use it to cook my dinners. I love making single serve things. Or those mug-recipes. :)
  • calimom00
    calimom00 Posts: 26 Member
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    Maybe I won't buy that convection oven lol.

    And I LOVE mug cakes! Ahhh so good :)
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    Nutrient loss via different methods of cooking is really, really, really not something to worry about.

    In fact, you're probably losing more nutrients thinking about it.

    In fact, I've lost several just typing this.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    bake in oven at 320 degrees.
  • MarkL1983
    MarkL1983 Posts: 7 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Yeah apparently it's better to drink the water you boil veggies in than to eat the actual veggies! Microwaves are great, I steam most of the veggies I eat in a microwave as someone pointed out its the healthiest way to cook them.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    edited January 2016
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    calimom00 wrote: »
    Question, especially for those who meal plan: Do you reheat/microwave your meals? Are there certain foods you won't reheat, regardless of the method? I'm starting to not want to reheat foods because of nutrient loss, especially in the microwave; any suggestions for foods that are still good when not reheated (other than raw, of course)?

    I batch cook meals at the start of the week, divide into portions in pots and stick in the fridge.

    Everything gets a blast in the microwave come chow time - the trick is to reheat stuff only once. So if something's already been reheated once but not eaten for some reason, then it's getting sketchy reheating it again. Other than that, you're fine.

    The microwave heats up food by getting water molecules to vibrate and rotate in an alternating electromagnetic field - kinetic energy increases from this vibration/rotation lead to your food heating up. A regular oven bombards the molecules with infrared radiation and vibrates them that way. It all leads to the same thing - I wouldn't worry about it.

  • mean_and_lean
    mean_and_lean Posts: 164 Member
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    calimom00 wrote: »
    Question, especially for those who meal plan: Do you reheat/microwave your meals? Are there certain foods you won't reheat, regardless of the method? I'm starting to not want to reheat foods because of nutrient loss, especially in the microwave; any suggestions for foods that are still good when not reheated (other than raw, of course)?

    Chances are good the food you are reheating already lost some of the nutrients in the previous cooking.
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
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    I reheat most of my batch cooked meals in the microwave, except for lasagne. That's just personal preference though, as I prefer the texture when I reheat lasagne in the oven. I cook veg in the microwave unless I'm roasting it.
  • llbrixon
    llbrixon Posts: 964 Member
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    I find myself microwaving my cold foods just to the point of just getting them hot and nothing more. I do not want to cook the foods, just rewarm them. So, I am taking the foods out earlier so the foods to do cook more in the microwave. I am finding leftover pizza tastes great if not over microwaved. So...watch those times on your microwave when reheating foods.
  • kazminchu
    kazminchu Posts: 250 Member
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    This is based entirely on my personal opinion, with absolutely no research into how factual it may be - but I strongly feel that, in this day and age of fortified foods and variety, it is fairly difficult to be deficient in many nutrients, unless you have a very restricted diet. So, I don't worry about the small amount that may or may not be lost in reheating food.

    Also, I'll microwave anything. Rice, chicken, all the things people swear you should never reheat. I haven't had a sickness bug in YEARS.

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