Microwaves - Rendering Food Useless

I recently did a project on the health aspects of the microwave. I though i'd share my conclusions and research with the community.

So you've been told microwaves are bad for your health? How bad exactly is anyone's quess. Rounding up the facts is staggering there is enough documentation out there to make one wonder why there not banned for good. The only reasons I can think are because its quick and easy to zap your food.

But whats the point in eating food thats nutrientless? according to many sources the nutrients are stripped from the food.

"What studies exist are all bad news for microwaving - they universally describe some type of damage. One study showed breakdown of vitamin B-12 to inactive degradation products in microwaved foods. There's also a problem with release of potentially toxic molecules into the food from packaging designed to help brown food during microwaving. This includes items such as pizza, French fries, waffles, popcorn and breaded fish."

A member named Brenda says that a source she trusts states that "microwaving food makes vitamins and minerals useless in every food tested and reduces the bioavalibility of many nutrients. It also renders meat proteins worthless."

www.newmediaexplorer.org...

Why is the public not educated on this subject more then we are? Infact microwave ovens are so bad that the Soviet Union completely banned them in 1976 after extensive research into the negative aspects. Thier results were mind blowing they are broken down as the following:

- Prepared meats: Formation the carcinogens d-nitrosodienthanolamine.
- Milk and cereal grains: Portion of amino acids converted to carcinogens.
- Thawing frozen fruit: portion of glucoside and galactoside fractions converted to carcinogens
- Short exposure of raw, cooked or frozen vegetables: Portion of plant alkaloids converted into carcinogens

These are only the carcinogens that were discovered. They also continue to list the stripping of vitamins B, C, E, essential minerals and lipotropic factors.

healbuildings.com...

A brief search on google will reinstate the obvious. I'd like to hear why you guys think microwaves are still in use today. Why hasn't thier been a better promoted and safer alternative? Can some of todays health issues be resolved by simply removing microwaves?

What would we do with all the microwavable food?

Seriously though.

Nice Research.
We really do need to pay more attention to how and what we are eating. All that processed food! We don't need it. That is why I do not use the microwave except to warm up some milk for an occasional decaf. So I could probably do without it.

holy crap ussr banned them 28 years ago? and we STILL use them? shouldnt scientist be checking this out? but i guess the medical companies would lose money because people would be healthier. id like to see someone do an experiment and eat nothing but microwaved food and see if they starve because it has no nutrients? they are still worth keeping around, if just for the fun you can have with them.microwave fun

carcinogens are in EVERYTHING we eat and drink, microwave or no.

they're all over the place, in every part of our existance.

and we all die eventually anyway. live it up while you can.

I know of the bad side efects of microwaves they are not very good for a health consious person but they are good for the fast life of people of today.

I am very fortunate to be able to do a meal and take my time because I am not working right now. But for people that has a busy life they are a good alternative. Abuot the cancer well you just have to be lucky no to be in one of the high risk groups.

Originally posted by fattytheking
holy crap ussr banned them 28 years ago? and we STILL use them? shouldnt scientist be checking this out? but i guess the medical companies would lose money because people would be healthier. id like to see someone do an experiment and eat nothing but microwaved food and see if they starve because it has no nutrients? they are still worth keeping around, if just for the fun you can have with them.microwave fun

You wouldn't starve, you're just taking in calories without any nutrients.
Personally i think microwaved food tastes like warm soaked cardboard.
We stopped using the microwave after i showed my parents all the bad stuff on them over a year ago so they got me a small oven. Now instead of microwaving food i put it into the oven or cook it. It taste's 200x better than eating some cardboard guck.

Originally posted by ThePrankMonkey
carcinogens are in EVERYTHING we eat and drink, microwave or no.

Yes thats true, but why directly and knowingly expose yourself to the radiation I guess is my question. Sure you could sit here debating all day long but people are beginning to look towards healthy and nutricious diets, stripping away the nutrients hardly begins to scratch the surface of these ticking timebombs. Don't be surprised if they become replaced with something a bit more healthy in the future.

[edit on 23-7-2004 by Linux]

Originally posted by crispexi
Now instead of microwaving food i put it into the oven or cook it. It taste's 200x better than eating some cardboard guck.

This is the kind of thinking my classroom was trying to establish and spread around. I myself am guilty of using the nuker every now and then but I try and steer away from it if I possibly can. Have you considered a convection oven?