Can we imagine our lives without microwavesIJ Seems difficult, but that’s the only way out if we want to lead a life free from cancerous diseases, says Mark Bunn
I recently received an email asking if I could explain whether eating ‘microwaved’ food is hazardous or not. The answer is not something you would like to hear. For good health, it makes sense that we cook our food in a natural way. It doesn’t take much intuition to realise that microwaving your food is as ‘unnatural’ a way to cook your food as you can get. Doesn’t the usage of the terms ‘zap’ it or ‘nuke’ it in the microwave, send a chill up your spine and suggest something is not quite right thereIJ
A critical point is that microwaves don’t actually cook your food. They just heat up the water content of the food and cause the food particles to resonate at very high frequencies. This heats up the food, which is very different from cooking it.
So, your food gets heated but still remains raw. It changes the chemical structure of the food (and in many cases deforms the food molecules), thus substantially reducing its nutritional value. Worse, however, is the fact that microwaves can (and usually do) create harmful compounds that can lead to serious problems and diseases (high cholesterol, cancer, etc).
Now, before you start cursing me for making you feel bad (as you love your microwave and think life would be difficult without it), remember its occasional usage won’t kill you; its regular use is the real problem.
Microwave ovens decay and change the structure of food through the process of ‘radiation’. So, why don’t we call them “radiation ovens”IJ For, that’s exactly what they are. Simply put, we are disturbing the natural intelligence of a food, which is by far the most important part of it.
This brings us to the obvious question: Why don’t we give up microwave ovensIJ Because most people don’t want to give up something that is so ‘convenient’! And as modern science doesn’t value the fact that there is more to cooking food than just heating it up, not enough research is being done. It’s just another case of modern society trying to use technology to save time — unfortunately at the expense of health and wellbeing.
The Way out
let’s find out immediate and long-term responses that can be followed:
> First, you must try to avoid using microwaves or eating microwaved food whenever and wherever possible.
Yes, I know you’re busy, you don’t have time to cook and it’s so easy to just zap it in the microwave. I also know that it’s all so easy to say “Don’t use microwaves”, but there really is no other way out. Either throw your microwave out the window or at least use it far more sparingly.
>Never heat your food in the microwave using plastic containers. While microwaving, carcinogenic toxins can be leached from the plastic and paper plates or covers and mix with food. This especially applies to fatty food. The combination of fat, high heat and plastic releases dioxin (which causes cancer, especially breast cancer) into the food and ultimately
into the cells of the body. Instead, you can use glass or ceramic containers for heating your food.
> Don’t heat your baby’s milk in the microwave (especially in plastic bottles). Most people know the enormous benefits of milk for infants. However, use of microwave wears down the essential disease-fighting ability of milk and causes ‘hot spots’ (which can burn an infant’s mouth).
>Whenever possible, decide in advance what you are going to have, so that if you need to thaw something, you can take it out of the freezer beforehand.
> Weigh up the health benefits of cooking naturally vis-à-vis microwaving. Is it really that much extra time/hassleIJ Instead of putting something on a plate, covering it and putting it in the microwave, you’re essentially doing the same in an oven/saucepan. Add a bit of extra time for cooking and washing saucepans, etc (if you don’t have a dishwasher), and you are not that much worse off time-wise.
> If you have a takeaway food and you need to heat it up, look for options other than microwaving; you can heat it on the oven, or may even have it cold. Cold is not ideal, but better than being ‘nuked’.
>If it has to be heated and microwave is the only way out, then go for as minimal use as possible.
Research data
More and more studies now suggest that people who regularly eat microwaved food have over a period of time greater risk of certain diseases. These can include:
>An increased rate of cancer cell formation in the blood.
> Increased rates of stomach and intestinal cancers.
>lymphatic disorders, leading to decreased ability to prevent certain types of cancers.
>Higher rates of digestive disorders and a gradual breakdown of the systems of elimination.
Dr Hans Ulrich Hertel was the first scientist to conduct quality clinical research on the effects of microwaved nutrients on the human body. His small but well-organised study showed the degenerative force produced in microwave ovens and the food processed in them. He found increased
cholesterol levels, decreased numbers of red blood cells, production of radiolytic compounds (compounds unknown in nature) and decreased hemoglobin levels (possible anemia problems).
Hertel’s conclusion: Microwave changes the nutrients in the food. Also, changes take place in the participants’ blood that can cause deterioration in the human body system.
The writer is a health expert based in Australia