We all have microwaves in our homes. They are basically a 21st century convenience, and some may even say microwaves are the best invention since sliced bread. And don’t get me wrong, I agree. Microwaves are truly an amazing invention, and I really do love a good microwave. I may not love microwaves as much as my husband, who doesn’t know how to cook anything that doesn’t allow for microwave cooking, but I do think they are helpful and necessary on very busy days.
However, with added convenience comes added consequences. Basically, the way you cook your food directly affects the amount of nutrients you consume and what toxins you consume with it. Microwaves can significantly annihilate the nutritional value of your food, and for that matter, microwaves can leave you susceptible to developing certain health conditions from overuse of the microwave. I am not even getting into the fact that most foods “cooked” in a microwave are frozen pre-made meals latent with salt, preservatives, and other unfortunate ingredients (if that’s what we want to call them).
Microwaves heat our food by using dielectric heating, which bounces around inside our microwave, and while our food is being heated in this way, these waves are absorbing some of the nutrients of our food. It’s almost like why bother eating at all. Because of this, I try to not use my microwave that often. Sometimes, though, it is hard for me to resist warming up leftovers in the microwave. It’s a pain to warm things in a pan or oven, so I understand. However, the more you do that, the better off you will be.
But I know there are many instances where there is not time to not use the microwave. So, my goal is to help give you all the tools you need to limit the bad effects that microwaves may have on your health and food.
- First, it is important what you wrap or cover your food in when you microwave it. Plastic should not be used in a microwave, because when you heat your food wrapped in plastic, you can create carcinogens in the food being heated. Most plastics contain BPA, polyethylene terpthalate, benzene, toluene, and/or xylene. These plastics, when heated, release carcinogens, and these carcinogens will directly seep into your food, which can cause infertility, diabesity, obesity and cancer. So, when heating your foods, you should always try to use glass, and if you need to cover what you are heating, use unbleached parchment paper. This will at least prevent you from consuming carcinogens from the container and wrapping around your food when using a microwave.
- If you didn’t know, unbleached parchment paper is untreated and free of chlorine free, and it is moisture and heat resistant. It is perfect for the microwave (or really any cooking) because it isn’t going to burn. Using a paper towel or napkin to cover your food when microwaving can literally cause a fire; those paper products are flammable. Obviously, we all know not to put aluminum in the microwave, because it is a heavy metal, but paper products can do the same thing.
- Second, like I noted before microwaves are a form of magnetic energy, which emit radiation, and when you are around this type of energy, certain things happen to your body. It can increase red blood cell levels, and it can affect your heart rate to the point where you can have chest pain. So, it is important to not be that close to your microwave when it is being used.
- Third, microwaving your food can strip the food of its nutrient value. It can create dead food after it is heated in the microwave. This is especially true for breast milk; breast milk should never be microwaved. When microwaved, it removes all of the powerful and important bacteria fighting enzymes in breast milk. It, additionally, wipes breast milk of many of its antibodies that are critical for the health and development of babies. So, certain foods you should know to never microwave, and when you are microwaving your food, you are more likely to preserve the nutrients if you warm things in short spurts of time and remove the food from the microwave and stir the food in between warming the food in spurts. It helps the food heat more evenly, so the food isn’t scorched and stripped of its value in certain spots.
All in all, microwaves are definitely a necessary convenience, but they need to be used properly. Also, it is probably best to not use your microwave all the time but instead in moderation.
Here’s to being well preserved.
Always,
Taylor
