Does microwave or cooking affect nutrition?

Since the 80s of the last century, microwave ovens have entered the homes of ordinary people, and the use of microwave ovens to cook or reheat food is convenient and fast, and has also become an indispensable tool
in daily eating and living.
However, with the improvement of people's health awareness, many people are worried that the microwave will not leak when using microwave ovens to cook and heat food, and will the nutrients in the food be affected?

As long as the appliance is not damaged, it will not cause microwave leakage

Microwave is a type of electromagnetic radiation similar to radio waves and infrared rays, and microwave ovens use microwaves
to achieve efficient cooking, thawing and heating food.

From the microwave oven product itself, the microwave leakage prevention technology and the product's own production process can limit microwave leakage to less than 10 watts / square meter, for qualified microwave oven products, microwave leakage
will not be caused if it is not damaged in use.

There is insufficient evidence that microwave cooking induces cancer

In 2013, the results released by the China Academy of Household Appliances at the research results of "The impact of microwave oven cooking on food safety and nutrition" showed that under the premise of reasonable cooking, as long as the temperature and heating time are controlled, the molecular structure of food changes are harmless
.

There is not enough evidence to support the claim
that microwave cooking may increase carcinogens in food or cause undesirable mutagenesis.
In the study of the biological effects of microwaves, there are no research results and evidence that microwaves can induce genetic mutations
in animals and plants.

Vegetables and fruits have less loss of vitamins and chlorophyll in the microwave

The China Institute of Household Electrical Appliances, together with a national food professional testing organization, compared the nutritional content of food after using microwave and using open flame, including vitamins, fats, proteins, minerals, etc.
, and the results showed that microwave cooking did not cause nutrient loss faster and more serious
than traditional cooking.

At the same time, in terms of the protection of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are sensitive to heating time, the effect of microwave oven heating is significantly stronger than that of open flame heating
.
Studies have proved that when vegetables and fruits are cooked in the microwave, because of the short heating time, when the same core temperature is reached, the loss of vitamin C, flavonoids and chlorophyll is small
.

The loss of water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C, vitamin B, etc.
, is related to the amount of water added in the cooking method, and microwave cooking can better retain water-soluble vitamins
in food because there is no need to add water or only a small amount of water.

n-3 unsaturated fatty acid foods are not recommended for microwave cooking

Specifically, some fish, meat, egg yolks and other foods containing n-3 unsaturated fatty acids, as well as yogurt and other foods containing live bacteria will be affected by microwaves, and the nutrients will be destroyed, so it is not recommended to heat
in the microwave.

Any form of cooking processing, including heating and cooling, causes changes
in the physical properties, chemical composition and nutritional profile of the food.
Therefore, it is necessary to rationally and scientifically choose the cooking method of food, and absorb more nutrients
in food while satisfying the color and aroma.

There are a few tips to keep in mind when using the microwave

1.
Read the instruction manual carefully, use the microwave oven scientifically and reasonably, and reasonably choose the heating time and microwave firepower, which should not be too long and too strong
.

2.
Rotate and stir food during cooking to evenly distribute the heat and avoid overcooking vegetables to reduce nutrient loss
.

3.
Do not cook directly on foods with hard shells or membranes, such as whole eggs with shells, quail eggs, crispy sausages, etc
.
Remove the shell or cut a few knives or poke a few holes in the membrane when heating to allow the vapor to escape to prevent bursting or even explosion
.

4.
Microwave heating itself does not have a sterilization effect, it is recommended not to microwave heating overnight or food stored for a relatively long time to avoid foodborne diseases
.

Text/Guo Wen (Dr.
Ma Health Group)