To Nuke, Or Not To Nuke?
By Fitsmi March 30


One misconception about cooking healthy food at home is that it takes a lot of work–preheating the oven, boiling water, mixing ingredients, seasoning to taste… You get the idea. But there are lots of meals and snacks you can pop in the microwave that actually taste good. Some microwavable foods can even be nutritious!

“I always keep giant bags of various frozen vegetables in my freezer so I can toss them in a bowl and heat them in the microwave in under five minutes,” writes ThatsFit.com blogger Fitz K., “Is it gourmet? Not really. Do I care? Hell no! What matters most is that we choose fruits, veggies, lean meats and whole grains.”

We did some research to find out which microwavable foods are good for you, which you should be wary of, and which are downright bad news.

Healthy foods you can nuke:

• Steamed vegetables. Yep, you can steam veggies in the microwave. Some brands sell individually-packaged servings you can heat up in the pouch. Or, steam your veggies from scratch. Just throw them into a glass or ceramic bowl, add a little water, cover, and microwave. About.com has a list of vegetables that taste delicious when steamed (broccoli, carrots, green beans and more) plus guides for how long to steam each type of veggie.
• Potato chips. No, we’re not suggesting that you to nuke a bag of Herrs (We’re pretty sure your microwave would explode). Making your own potato chips in the microwave is much healthier than chowing down on a bag of greasy, fat-loaded chips. For a fun alternative, try this sweet potato chip recipe.
• Yams. Yams are packed with potassium, magnesium, and complex carbs (the stuff that gives you energy). The bloggers at FitSugar recommend poking a small yam with a fork (so it doesn’t explode), microwaving until soft, then slicing it open for a warm, healthy snack.
• Popcorn. Even though it’s sold in the snack aisle, don’t lump popcorn in with its unhealthy peers. This whole grain snack is a good source of fiber and antioxidants, plus it’s low in calories. Adding gobs of butter and piling on the salt will get you into trouble, though. Instead, experiment by adding flavor enhancers like cayenne pepper, rosemary or lime to your popcorn. You can also make your own microwavable popcorn with this recipe from Glamour.

Choose these microwavable foods wisely:

• Pre-packaged meals. These are risky, not only when it comes to taste, but nutrition too. Even some pre-packaged meals that claim to be healthy can have misleading serving sizes, questionable preservatives, and high levels of sodium. Consumer Reports tested 24 different pre-packaged microwavable meals and rated them based on nutritional value and taste, so you don’t have to try everything in the entire frozen food aisle personally. These eight microwavable meals scored best nutritionally and were rated “very good” for taste: Kashi Chicken Florentine, Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers Roasted Beef Merlot, Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics Steak Tips Portabello, Lean Cuisine One Dish Favorites Santa Fe-Style Rice & Beans, Kashi Black Bean Mango, Kashi Garden Vegetable Pasta, Healthy Choice All Natural Entrees Portabella Spinach Parmesan, and Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics Shrimp Alfredo.
• Condensed soups. Soup can be a great source of meat and vegetables, but many canned soups are loaded with sodium, so check the label before digging in. SparkPeople recommends choosing a soup that contains at least 3 grams of fiber to help you feel full and no more than 250 calories, 3 grams of fat and 600 mg of sodium. Check out the original post for a list of healthy canned soups and ingredients you can add if you’re feeling creative.
• Instant Oatmeal. “While steel-cut oatmeal will give you one more gram of fiber per serving, the instant packets contain the same disease-fighting whole grains–just in smaller pieces for quick cooking time,” Connie Diekman, RD, director of university nutrition at Washington University in St. Louis tells Fitness Magazine. To avoid high levels of sugar, go with plain oatmeal or flavors with low-sugar.

Microwavable foods to avoid:

• Hot dogs. These tubes of mystery meat are packed with fat, calories, sodium and even sugar. Add toppings like mayo, chili, or cheese, and you’re putting even more bad stuff into your body. Instead, try hot dogs made with turkey, chicken, or tofu.
• Ramen noodles. Did you know one Cup Of Noodles contains 20% of your daily recommended fat intake and 60% of the daily recommended amount of sodium? The salty flavoring isn’t entirely to blame, either; A block of plain ramen noodles has 1440 mg of sodium which is roughly the same as 2/3 a tablespoon of salt.
• Frozen fried snacks like mozzarella sticks, french fries, onion rings and potato skins. These foods are loaded with trans fat and calories, so try to avoid them.
• Anything that was unhealthy before you nuked it, like leftover junk food, will be just as unhealthy afterward. Reheating that greasy slice of pizza won’t magically infuse nutrients into the cheese–it’s still a bad idea. Instead, save only healthy leftovers. There are lots of healthy dishes that still taste delicious when you reheat them (especially pasta!). Cheap Healthy Good has a rundown of some quick, healthy meals that make for great leftovers.

Here’s another idea for you and your new buddy, the microwave: Next time you’re bored, try out some healthy recipes you can freeze and save for later. Cook your favorite meals in bulk so you can microwave them next time you have to eat a quick meal.

What do you usually cook in the microwave?

Photo by: Robert S. Donovan