7/30/2019 Do You Microwave Your FoDo You Microwave Your Foodod

1/2

Do You Microwave Your Food ?

Do You Microwave Your Food? Youre Zapping Away Nutrients and Risking Your Health

By Dr. Joseph Mercola with Rachael Droege

Sure, the microwave is convenient; what other device allows you to heat your food up in a matter of seconds? And theyre so widely used that youd be hard-pressed to find a gas station or office buildingwithout one. But theres a reason why I haven't had a microwave in my kitchen for over 15 years and--much to the distress of my employees--pulled it out of the office over three years ago. This issomething that you likely already intrinsically suspect but dont want to acknowledge due to theconvenience factor--microwaves are bad for your food, and theyre even worse for you.

There are many concerns with microwave ovens, among them:

* Carcinogenic toxins could be leached from plastic or paper plates or covers and mix with your food.

* The food temperature may become extremely hot, at temperatures high enough to cause burns orsteam buildup that could explode--this is especially problematic for baby bottles, and is one of thereasons why baby bottles should never be heated in the microwave (microwaving can also break downthe disease-fighting ability of breast milk).

* Vegetables and other food lose valuable, cancer-fighting nutrients when cooked in the microwave.

* The chemical structure of foods changes when microwaved, with unknown consequences.

There have been very few studies done to determine what kinds of changes occur in foods that are

microwaved, but rest assured the changes are significant.

Consider the 1991 lawsuit involving a woman who had hip surgery and died because the blood used inher blood transfusion was warmed in a microwave. Blood is routinely warmed before transfusions, butnot by microwave. The microwave altered the blood and it killed the woman.

Microwaves also destruct and deform food molecules. A study published in the November 2003 issueof The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture found that broccoli "zapped" in the microwavewith a little water lost up to 97 percent of the beneficial antioxidant chemicals it contains. Bycomparison, steamed broccoli lost 11 percent or fewer of its antioxidants.

Besides the loss of nutrients, microwaving forms new compounds (radiolytic compounds) that areunknown to humans and nature. Its not yet known exactly what these compounds do in the humanbody. It will likely be a difficult thing to sort out, especially when there are previously unknowncompounds being introduced to humans from a variety of sources such as new food products (i.e.,olestra) and genetically modified foods.

Perhaps the most concrete evidence of the dangers of microwaves comes from Dr. Hans Hertel, aSwiss food scientist, who carried out a small but high-quality study on the effects of microwaved foodon humans. His conclusions were clear and alarming: microwave cooking significantly altered thefoods nutrients enough so that changes occurred in the particpants blood--changes that suggesteddeterioration. The changes included:

* Increased cholesterol levels

7/30/2019 Do You Microwave Your FoDo You Microwave Your Foodod

2/2

* More leukocytes, or white blood cells, which can suggest poisoning

* Decreased numbers of red blood cells

* Production of radiolytic compounds (compounds unknown in nature)

* Decreased hemoglobin levels, which could indicate anemic tendencies

Dr. Hertel and his team published the results in 1992, but a Swiss trade organization, the SwissAssociation of Dealers for Electro-apparatuses for Households and Industry, had a gag order issued,which prohibited Dr. Hertel from declaring that microwaves were dangerous to health. The gag orderwas later removed in 1998, after the Swiss court ruled that the gag order violated the right to freedomof expression. Switzerland was ordered to pay Dr. Hertel compensation as well.

So what can you do to avoid microwaves? Well, my first suggestion is to get rid of it in your home so

you wont be tempted to use it. If its not there, then you cant use it! Then, try consuming a lot of yourfood raw. Ideally, at least one-third of the food in your diet should be raw, since this is the form thatwill give you the maximum amount of nutrients. A quick and easy way to consume a large amount of raw vegetables, which is generally great for your health, is by vegetable juicing.

If you do want to cook some food or heat up leftovers, use your oven or stove. This may seem time-consuming at first, but youll soon adjust and may actually start to enjoy the natural time it takes toheat up or prepare your food. During this time, you can relax with your family, read, write, listen tomusic or do anything that will help you to slow down and prepare for the meal youre about to enjoy.You may notice that taking more time to prepare your food will transcend to other aspects of your lifeas well, and youll enjoy a slower, more relaxed lifestyle than the majority of those around you.

Informant: Shivani Arjuna

MICROWAVE DANGERS: How unseen frequencies can harm your healthhttp://www.choosecra.com/htmlpages/news/reports/microwavedanger.html

Radiation Ovens: The Proven Dangers of Microwaveshttp://omega.twoday.net/stories/485972/

The Hidden Hazards Of Microwave Cookinghttp://omega.twoday.net/stories/485968/

Microwave oven infohttp://omega.twoday.net/stories/491151/ Starmail - 1. Aug, 00:22