Why Heating Food in Microwaves Is a Bad Idea ?
Microwaves Are Bad For You: 5 Reasons Why Microwave Oven Cooking Is Harming Your Health
Here’s the rub: while your frozen meal may consist of Lean Cuisine-type products with healthy ingredients and low calories, the way you cook your food directly affects the amount of nutrients your body consumes. This common household appliance can significantly zap the nutritional value of your food and your health, leaving you susceptible to developing health complications due to continuous microwave use, and begging the question: is convenience worth sacrificing your health?
1. Microwaves Zap Food Nutrition
Though they are approved as safe by the FDA, this is not a 100 percent guarantee that they are actually safe. There are several examples with things that are FDA approved yet have been questioned for their quality and negative effects on the health and environment, for example, Asbestos, Glyphosate, etc.
Microwaves, unlike stove-cooking, deform the molecules in the food. By doing this, the food is completely depleted of its essential nutrients. Namely, a 2003 study showed that after being microwaved, broccolis lost up to 97 percent of their beneficial antioxidants whereas steaming contributed to only 11 percent lost antioxidants.
2. Microwaves Destroy Breast Milk And Vitamin B-12
The health benefits of vitamin B-12 are instantly negated once heated in a microwave. In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers decided to examine the effects of microwave heating on the loss of vitamin B-12 in foods like raw beef, pork, and milk. The results of the study show there was a 30 to 40 percent loss of the vitamin when the foods received microwave exposure. The shift of vitamin B-12 to an inactive form of the vitamin was found in foods during the microwave heating process.
Microwaves are also known to destroy the immunity-boosting properties of breast milk which are pivotal for the proper health and development of children. What’s more, in a Japanese study, it was discovered that 6 minutes of heating milk in the microwave caused the milk to lose 40 percent of its B12 and it was completely deprived of its nutrients.
3. Microwaves Create Carcinogens In Food
When you head foods that are wrapped in plastic in the microwave, you can create carcinogens in the food. Based on Russian research and German studies, the Russian government issued a warning about the health hazards microwave ovens can have on the human body and the environment. The assembling of microwavable foods are found to contain toxic chemicals such as BPA, polyethylene terpthalate (PET), benzene, toluene, and xylene says Foodbabe.com. The plastic containers used to heat these microwave meals have been found to release the carcinogens along with other harmful toxins into your food which is then absorbed by your body
4. Microwaves Can Change the Makeup of Your Blood
In a Swiss clinical study, researchers found that blood changes in individuals who consumed microwaved milk and vegetables. The eight participants in the study ate a series of food prepared in different ways, including food heated in the microwave. The results of the study showed red blood cells decreased while white cell levels increased, along with cholesterol levels. The non-ionizing radiation of the microwave can affect changes in your blood and your heart rate.
5. Microwaves Can Change Your Heart Rate
Microwaves can produce effects on your body instantly due to the 2.4 GHz radiation — the frequency of radiation emitted by microwave ovens. A study conducted by Dr. Magda Havas of Trent University found the levels of radiation emitted by a microwave affect both heart rate and heart rate variability. These levels are within federal safety guidelines but tend to cause immediate and dramatic changes in heart rate. If you experience irregular heart beat or any chest pain and regularly eat microwaved food, it might be best to discontinue use.
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