Why is it considered harmful to heat food in the microwave?

Despite the obvious advantages of using a microwave oven in the household, some people today still prefer to do without this convenient device. Most often, they motivate this by the fact that, according to scientists, using the device in everyday life is harmful.

girl in the kitchen

The research results indicate a number of negative aspects: you can neither cook food nor heat it in a microwave; even the mere presence of a person near the device can provoke the development of pathologies in the body. In response to this, supporters of household appliances present their arguments, so the debate has not subsided for many years.

Evidence that the approach is harmful

To understand why many experts believe that it is impossible to heat food and cook semi-finished products in the microwave, you do not have to be a physicist or engineer. You can simply familiarize yourself with the results of numerous studies, the interpretations of which will be clear to everyone:

food in the microwave

  • Microwaves change the polarity of each product molecule, which is accompanied by its deformation. This causes a change in the structure of amino acids, leading to the formation of their new toxic forms, which is undoubtedly harmful to the body.
  • Researchers have repeatedly conducted experiments using volunteers. One group of people could only eat fresh, pasteurized or naturally defrosted foods.Another group ate exactly the same food, but processed in the microwave. After some time, all participants in the experiment donated blood. The tests showed disappointing results - the blood quality of the second group noticeably deteriorated. There was an increase in cholesterol levels, a decrease in hemoglobin, and an increase in the number of leukocytes.
  • Having carefully studied food processed in the microwave to one degree or another, scientists have discovered completely new formations and compounds that are uncharacteristic of specific products, which can be considered foreign, and therefore harmful.

heating food in the microwave

As a result of research conducted by Russian scientists relatively recently, the following negative aspects were established:

  • The nutritional value of products after short-term or long-term processing is reduced by approximately half.
  • Even short-term exposure to electromagnetic waves on raw, cooked or defrosted fruits and vegetables leads to the formation of carcinogens in them.
  • Microwave processing of milk, grains and meat also does not reach the products without leaving a trace. In addition to changes in their structure, various types of carcinogens are formed.

If you evaluate all of the above facts, it becomes clear why many are against the use of microwave ovens. On the other hand, experts argue that the effect of harmful factors can be, if not eliminated, then at least significantly reduced.

heating food in the microwave

How to reduce the negative impact of microwaves on food to a minimum?

A microwave oven will not have such a harmful effect on others and cooked or heated food if you pay attention to the following points:

  1. The use of metal, ceramic and porcelain utensils is strictly prohibited; all manipulations can only be carried out using heat-resistant glass. Even special Teflon containers are not really meant for microwave use.
  2. It is better to avoid plastic containers and polyethylene parts. Such raw materials, when exposed to high temperatures, begin to react with nutrients, which leads to the formation of new chemical compounds. And their influence is very harmful to the body.
  3. The negative impact of cardboard boxes on food has not been proven, but just in case, it is better to remove semi-finished products from them before processing them in the microwave.
  4. Although manufacturers claim that some products can be heated in sealed containers or packages, this approach should be abandoned. This is really not so harmful for the oven, but the structure of the food components undergoes radical changes.

girl heats food in the microwave

Tip: To make sure the device is working properly, you need to conduct a very simple experiment. We take our mobile phone, place it in the camera and close the door tightly. Then we call the device from the same room. If the signal does not pass through, then the tightness of the device is at a good level. If the call goes through, then such a device cannot be used. It is not even recommended to keep it turned off in the house.

It is strictly forbidden for children and pregnant women to cook or heat food in the oven. It is better for them not to be in the room at all when the device is in use.Doctors and diagnosticians do not claim that the use of a convenient household appliance is the cause of the rapid spread of diabetes, obesity, cancer, heart and vascular diseases, but they consider it one of the provoking factors.

Points that speak in favor of using a microwave oven

Despite all the points listed above, no one can unequivocally state that microwaves are harmful. Any type of processing radically changes the structure of dietary fiber, even such safe approaches as cooking and steaming. If you understand everything thoroughly, then the usual approaches to cooking also do nothing but harm to the products. Proponents of this theory never tire of reminding that products stay in a microwave oven for a very short time, which should preserve the maximum amount of useful components in them.

We should not forget that some components, after being processed in the microwave, become more convenient for absorption by the digestive system. It turns out that this direction has not only dangerous disadvantages, but also useful advantages. If life without a functional device seems too troublesome, then you don’t have to give it up completely. It can be used for urgent processing of components, heating food when there is no extra time. The main thing is that this does not become a habit, but remains one of the options for an express approach.

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