One of the most beautiful things about humanity is its incessant inner drive to make things better, faster, more convenient. What we often fail to understand, however, is that not all inventions are good for our health. Microwave ovens are one such invention that has been widely mistaken as a healthy convenience.
The first microwave oven was invented by Raytheon after World War II. It was an enormous machine and certainly wouldn’t fit in your kitchen! A few years later, microwave ovens gained a lot of popularity for reheating previously-cooked foods and cooking vegetables. Family cooks the world over were absolutely amazed that cooking a baked potato, for example–something that takes hours in a conventional oven–was fully cooked in a matter of minutes. Over the last couple of decades, microwave ovens have become a necessity, and now you will rarely find a kitchen without one!
It is so easy to use as it just takes a few minutes to get the meal on the table “ready to eat.” However, as you may already know, a microwave oven essentially uses microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules in food. Unfortunately, these microwave radiations have been found to distort the molecular structure of foods. As a result, microwave preparations lack healthy nutrients as most of them are destroyed during heating.
Did you know the Soviet Union banned household use of the microwave in 1976 and that it’s NOT a common household item in most European homes? Have you ever given any thought to why that could be and why you have not heard the truth about how dangerous the microwave oven is for you and your health!
Is Microwaved Food Safe & Healthy?
Here are a few studies that indicate why you want to stop using your microwave immediately.
1.Microwaved Food Causes Cancer
A food scientist, Dr. Hans Ulrich Hertel, worked with one of Switzerland’s major food companies where he carried out a research project that exposed shocking discoveries about cooking food in microwaves. Dr. Hertel was fired from his company for raising questions about how the food was prepared. His famous research with a Lausanne university professor showed that food cooked in microwaves has cancerous effects.
Dr. Hertel and Dr. Bernard H. Blanc collaborated on a clinical study at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the University Institute for Biochemistry. Determined to study the physiology of the human body, Dr. Hertel carried out experiments to find out the effects of “microwaved” nutrients on human blood. He showed that microwave radiation completely destroys the nutrients in the food and could cause very bad effects on the human body. He also found out that microwaved food decreased hemoglobin in our body and could increase cholesterol levels.
Conduct your own experiment: Water one houseplant with regular water for two weeks. Water another with water that has been heated in the microwave and then left to cool.
2.Microwaves Reduces Hemoglobin & Increases Cholesterol & Lowers Immunity
To understand why microwaves are dangerous for health, a study was carried out by Raum & Zelt in 1992 that showed some noticeable changes in human blood after consuming microwave heated milk and vegetables.
In this study, 8 volunteers ate different combinations of the same food cooked in different ways, which caused different changes in the blood of the volunteers. Hemoglobin, which is an important constituent of blood, decreased while white blood cells and cholesterol increased. Lymphocytes, which provide immunity to the body, also decreased which is quite an alarming sign. Bacteria levels also increased after eating the microwave heated food.
Remember: It’s Always Your Choice (& Responsibility)
The FDA, the U.S. government and even the manufacturers themselves may never tell you about these harmful effects of cooking food in microwaves. As it is evident, microwave ovens are not really the recommended method of cooking. You could either live in denial and keep on using it or give your life some value and start cooking food on stoves. Use the conventional and the safer way!
Dr. Ernst’s recommendation: Use the stove/oven to heat/reheat your food. When at the office, either eat your left overs cold or pack foods that do not need to be reheated. Your health will love you for it!