What Do Microwaves Really Do to Your Food?
I always wondered at the magical microwave. Just a few minutes and food comes out hot and ready-to-eat. Some people even swear by actually cooking their food in it!
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As with any technology of convenience, however, there are always downsides. I’ll unpack a few to consider in this post.
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First, how do they work? “Of all the natural substances — which are polar — the oxygen of water molecules reacts most sensitively. This is how microwave cooking heat is generated — friction from this violence in water molecules. Structures of molecules are torn apart, molecules are forcefully deformed, called structural isomerism, and thus become impaired in quality. This is contrary to conventional heating of food where heat transfers conventionally from without to within. Cooking by microwaves begins within the cells and molecules where water is present and where the energy is transformed into frictional heat.” — Dr. Hans Hertel
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Microwaves make nutrients harder to assimilate. It’s been shown that they cause “changes in vitamin content and availability.” — Dr. Mary Enig & Sally Fallon
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They denature protein. “An especially dangerous practice is using the microwave for heating a baby’s bottle. Altered amino acids in microwaved milk can be toxic to the liver and nervous system, especially for infants.” — Dr. Mary Enig & Sally Fallon
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“It is well documented that microwaves are powerful enough to rupture cell walls of the blood matrix, and this is undoubtedly why protein molecules are altered from microwave cooking.” - Warren Clough, PNNF Health Journal
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They make fats go rancid. “...[microwaved and irradiated foods] destroy nutrients and render the delicate fatty acids rancid. “ — Dr. Thomas Cowan & Sally Fallon
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“What about the quality of the food that comes out of the oven and is immediately consumed-free radicals and all. With the depressed immune system of the average affluent American, the last thing we need is another increase in free radicals.” - Warren Clough, PNNF Health Journal
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They affect us in ways we don’t yet understand. “Eating microwaved food results in abnormal blood profiles, similar to those that occur in the early stage of cancer.” — Dr. Mary Enig & Sally Fallon
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I KNOW. It’s hard to imagine life without a microwave, especially if you’re super busy. And sometimes it’s a call you just have to make.
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But you CAN trade it out for a toaster oven. It doesn’t denature your food with radiation and works quickly.
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Some food for thought!
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This is not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before pursuing any changes to your personal healthcare regime.
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References
Fallon, S. Cowan, T.S. (2013, 2015). The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care. Washington, D.C.: NewTrends Publishing.
Fallon, S. Enig, M.G. (1999, 2001). Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. Washington, D.C.: NewTrends Publishing.
Khemani, A.S. Shah, M.A. (2013). The Effects of Microwave Radiation Relative to Conventional Cooking Systems on the Denaturation of Proteins. Retrieved from: https://csef.usc.edu/History/2013/Projects/J0506.pdf.
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