What your precious microwave is stealing from you

WHAT THE RUSSIANS UNCOVERED ABOUT MICROWAVES

Microwave ovens were initially banned in Russia in 1976, but that didn’t stop Russian researchers from trying to uncover the truth about our favorite appliance. They discovered that:

1. There was a significant decrease in the nutritional value of all foods studied, namely vitamin B Complex, vitamin C, and vitamin E;
2. Food heated in microwaves became chemically altered, and when eaten, caused malfunctions in the lymphatic system, leading to degeneration of the immune system’s capacity to protect itself against cancerous growth;
3. Ingestion of microwaved foods caused a higher percentage of cancerous cells in blood;
4. Re-heating cooked meat in a microwave created a well-known cancer-causing agent;
5. Those ingesting microwaved foods showed a statistically higher incidence of stomach and intestinal cancers.

NEVER microwave Baby’s milk! The bottle may seem cool to the touch, but the liquid inside may become extremely hot and could burn Baby’s mouth and throat. In infant formulas, there may be a loss of some vitamins, and in expressed breast milk, some protective properties may be destroyed.

Warming a bottle by holding it under hot tap water and then testing it on your wrist before feeding may take a few minutes longer, but it’s much safer.

Microwave ovens are undoubtedly one of the most cherished time-saving inventions of our era. Just stick your frozen meal in, punch in some options, and - WHAM! - you have a delicious, steamy meal in front of you! This sure beats laboring an extra minute in the kitchen after an endless workday… But, have you ever noticed the subtle difference between the tea you make by boiling water on the stove and the tea that your microwave creates? It’s because the ‘old’ way of preparing even a simple thing like tea makes it taste better…and makes it a lot healthier too.

The health conscious among us instinctively look upon microwaves with some measure of concern. How do all those radioactive waves affect us? Will it deplete the nutrients in food? The good news is that there have been various studies that examine the impact of microwave use on our food and bodies. The bad news? There are not enough studies done.

But the research that’s been done so far can make any concerned caregiver toss out her microwave. Two researchers, Blanc and Hertel, found that microwaved food molecules morph into new life forms called radiolytic compounds - mutations unknown to the natural world. These scientists found that after eating microwaved food, their subjects’ cholesterol levels increased whilst there was a decrease in their red blood cells. A Spanish study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2003) indicates that microwave cooking is the worst way to preserve nutrients in vegetables - microwaved broccoli loses 97 percent, 87 percent, and 74 percent of the three major cancer-protecting antioxidant compounds.

Already hauling your microwave out by its pluggy tail?

Not so fast. It just might save you some time when you must be out the door ten minutes ago, or when your 20-odd relatives from far away show up for a surprise visit. The trick is, if you already own a microwave, use it s-p-a-r-i-n-g-l-y. After all, we defi nitely need to get all those nutrients into our bodies.

Don’t use plastic containers to reheat your food in the microwave

Green Guide expert Lisa Lefferts advises that: Plastic+Hot+Fat = the worst combo. This happens because chemicals that come out from plastic are lipophilic (they love fat) and the high temperature speeds up how quickly they get into the fat. You can safely substitute your plastic wares for ceramic and ovenproof glass dishes.

If plastic wrap comes into high-temperature contact with fatty foods such as meats and cheeses, a softening agent called diethylhexyl (used in the manufacture of plastic wraps) may leak out into your edibles.