Nowadays so many of us resort to using the microwave when it comes to cooking hot meals as it’s easy, speedy and fairly straight forward. However there are concerns which have been raised regarding the truth behind microwaves and whether they are detrimental to the food we eat, and therefore to our wellbeing. We hear from various health websites and magazines that it is best to eat our food raw. In the real world, this is very unlikely, and we’ll end up cooking most of our food. This is absolutely fine. However in this article HCX addresses the risks and advantages of using the microwave and you will discover that actually, in some cases, it’s a better option than the stove!
An article on health website Mercola.com tells us “Microwaves heat food by causing water molecules in it to resonate at very high frequencies and eventually turn to steam which heats your food. While this can heat up our food speedily, what most people fail to realize is that it also causes a change in your food’s chemical structure.”
‘Hot spots’ can arise within the foods that you’re cooking, sometimes hot enough to cause burns—or even more dangerously to cause a ‘steam explosion’. This is something to take into account especially when cooking meat or when defrosting. If some parts of the meat cook significantly more than others, there can be the danger of food poising. In addition, a further negative factor is the aspect of carcinogenic toxins. Microwaving foods in plastic containers can cause chemicals to leak out of the packaging and into your food. Although this is rare and not something to be too concerned about, it is suggested to transfer the meal/food product onto a microwaveable plate just to be cautious.
On the contrary, there are of course hundreds of positives associated with using a microwave. We’re not trying to put you off using them, merely underline the ‘dark side’ of them! A 2007 study published in the “Journal of Food Quality” notes that vegetables that are microwaved often retain more nutrient value than vegetables cooked through conventional methods. This may be due to reduced microwave cooking times, or may be due to the reduced use of water in cooking foods in the microwave. Melanie Brown, a nutritional therapist, said that “microwaving for a short time in a very small amount of water will conserve water-soluble vitamins much better than boiling.” Some research shows that this type of cooking ‘liberates’ nutrients, making them more available – steaming being a good alternative too.
So if microwaves are used properly they can save us a lot of time, and contrary to popular belief microwaves do not kill nutrients in our food any more than any other type of cooking. It is just a question of using them correctly and to take all the precautions listed above!
photo credit: hangthebankers.cocm
Information source: http://articles.mercola.com/si…