Microwave Ovens

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Experiment:
Problem Purpose Hypothesis Method Variables Observations Results Conclusions Bibliography Acknowledgments

Method

I made a menu of A. uncooked, B. stove cooked and C. microwaved foods for a 24 hour period, trying to keep the ingredients in the three test categories as similar as possible. (See menu for details).
I contacted 12 friends who I thought could participate in my experiment and explained to them the project, asking if they would agree to follow a specific diet for 24 hours.
I divided the 12 people into three groups.
I carefully explained to each participant how to follow the diet without eating or drinking anything else than specified. These directions were also written down below the menu.
I gave each participant a plastic cup labeled with their name, and 3 pieces of pH paper – 2 to repeat the test with and 1 as a spare piece. Each participant was given a form on which to record their results and a pH scale to translate the colours into a pH number.
I explained to each participant how to read the pH scale.
Each of these groups ate only what the menu was for their category for a period of one day.
The next morning before they ate anything, they tested the pH of their urine.
I calculated the average pH for each group

Part 2
The same directions were followed as in part 1, however with 12 people in each group, instead of 4. In this way, everyone ate the diet categories they didn't eat in part 1, by repeating the experiment for another two days with everyone switching groups. For example, those participants who ate the uncooked diet on day 1 (experiment part 1), ate the microwaved food on day 2 (experiment extended part 2), and ate the stove cooked food on day 3 (part 2).

Graph 1

Meal	Uncooked	Stove cooked	Microwaved
Breakfast:	Fresh oats and fresh milk and honey	Oats and boiled milk and honey	Warmed oats and milk and honey
Snack:	Fresh apple purée	Cooked applesauce	Microwaved applesauce
Lunch:	Raw nuts, *bulgur wheat salad, fresh broccoli, fresh carrot salad with olive oil	Steamed carrots and broccoli with lemon and olive oil, cooked 1 chicken and mashed potatoes**	*Microwaved chicken, mashed potatoes, microwaved carrots and broccoli with lemon and olive oil
Snack:	***Bananas and walnuts	***Banana bread with walnuts	Microwaved banana bread with walnuts*
Dinner:	Sprouted barley, carrot salad with parsley and lemon and olive oil	Barley soup containing carrots, parsley and lemon	Warmed barley soup containing carrots, parsley and lemon

Drinks: only tap water

Menu Variables:

I tried to make each diet as similar as possible so the results wouldn't be affected by variations in the menu.

* I had to replace meat with walnuts because you cannot eat raw meat.

** Instead of potatoes I substituted another carbohydrate. I chose cracked wheat instead of potatoes, which cannot be eaten raw.

*** I know that banana bread is not only made of bananas, but it does have walnuts, which I added to the uncooked diet.

Directions for each category

In order to achieve the correct results please eat only the food on the menu above. Please prepare your food according to your category. You can eat as much as you want but please eat only the food for your category.

On the morning after the day you follow the diet, before you eat anything, please test your morning urine with the pH paper we will supply you with and measure your pH with the scale we will give you. Please record your pH on a form we will give you