Reaching for a frozen entrée from your freezer,
reading the simple directions on the back, and popping it into the microwave
oven can lead to a meal that took a total of three minutes. And it’s a modern
convenience utilized in many households.
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
Heating your food in the microwave can strip away
its original nutrients. What may have started as a nutritious plate of food has
now evolved into “dead food” due to the dielectric heating of microwaves. “They
bounce around the inside of your [microwave] oven and are absorbed by the food
you put in it. The water molecules rotate rapidly in the microwave and in
the food in high frequencies which creates molecular friction and heats up your
food. This causes the molecular structure in your food to change, and as a
result diminishes the nutrient content in the food.
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.
The powerful bacteria-fighting agents in breast milk
are also destroyed by microwave heating. Findings published
in the journal Pediatrics examined the common practice of
using a microwave to heat frozen human milk for convenience in intensive care
nurseries. Researchers tested 22 freshly frozen human milk samples to test them
for lysozyme activity and antibodies by heating the samples for 30 seconds on
either a low or high power setting. Breast milk microwaved at high temperatures
was found to have greater E coli growth — 18 more times than
the control (unmicrowaved) breast milk. Microwaving at low temperatures also
dramatically decreased lysozyme activity and also promoted the growth of
harmful bacteria for babies.
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.
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