Microwave: harm or benefit, expert opinion

Before buying a microwave oven, few people think about how much the use of the device can be dangerous to health. Comfort and the ability to spend less time on preparing food is much more important. Nevertheless, there is a certain category of people who put healthy eating principles in the first place. This is where doubts begin. Is food cooked in the microwave harmful?

The unequivocal answer to this question is rather difficult. Expert opinions vary greatly. Let's see: harm the microwaves - myth or reality? How does a microwave oven work? How much harm can she bring and should she let this “helper” on her kitchen?

Harm or Benefit? The

microwave oven in a modern kitchen is a commonplace, necessary and very convenient thing. It will be difficult to find a hostess who thinks otherwise. Thanks to this device, it is possible to warm up lunch in a few minutes or prepare delicious and “quick” hot sandwiches for breakfast. But is such food harmful to health?

If we consider the issue from the point of view of the "correctness" of nutrition, then the point here is not at all the harmful effects of ultrashort waves, but a problem in the products. Hot dogs, hamburgers, convenience foods from the nearest store, popcorn and other “snacks” are difficult to attribute to healthy food by themselves. And the microwave in this case has nothing to do with it. Regular consumption of such dishes leads to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, digestive problems, obesity and other troubles.

Let's look at the situation from another point of view. In the microwave, you can cook without using butter. At the same time, the food will be cooked evenly, and if the settings are correctly set, it will not burn anything. In this case, a microwave, on the contrary, helps to reduce the calorie content of dishes and significantly reduce the amount of fat in the diet.

So what brings us a microwave? Harm or benefit? What arguments outweigh? Let's figure it out.

Common Myths of

Almost every person imagines radiation, radiation, Chernobyl and cancer tumors when he says “wave radiation”.On this account, there are many different "horror stories."But are they real or is this a myth?

All microwaves are radioactive .In fact, this is quite a strong fallacy. Microwave aggregates generate non-ionizing waves. They have no effect on people or the food itself.

Microwaves change the cellular structure and food becomes carcinogenic .Scientific confirmation of this statement is also not. Such changes can occur only as a result of exposure to radioactive waves. In addition, heating in the microwave is much faster than on a conventional stove, and the cooking time is less. And carcinogens can be obtained simply as a result of roasting the product in a conventional frying pan using oil.

Microwave radiation damages the human body .Even if this is true, humanity should immediately abandon the TV, mobile phone or Wi-Fi. Microwaves are also present there. Moreover, these devices are much more dangerous, because the radiation goes out. In the case of a microwave oven, all the waves remain inside the unit. So if the case is intact and the glass on the door is not damaged, you risk significantly less. It is proved that microwaves do not accumulate in objects, they disappear immediately after the device is turned off.

The microwave destroys the vitamins .Another controversial statement. Vitamins and other beneficial substances are destroyed as a result of exposure to high temperature. It does not matter whether you cook in the microwave or cook the dish on a regular stove. It will be possible to save vitamins only if you begin to eat foods raw.

Under the influence of microwaves, the molecular structure of the products disintegrates .This theory also did not find scientific evidence. Until now, scientists have not been able to prove this fact.

Regular use of the device leads to a variety of diseases .To date, there is no doctor's opinion, indicating that a person died as a result of eating food cooked in a microwave oven.

The

microwave oven device Let's take a look at the microwave oven device to get to the truth and minimize disputes about their beneficial and harmful properties.

The main structural element in this device is a magnetron. It is this node that generates microwaves, under the action of which the water molecules contained in food begin to fluctuate greatly. As a result, the product is heated. That is why wet foods heat up faster and faster than “dry” ones. They just contain more water.

Interesting fact! Microwave radiation penetrates the product to a depth of about 2–3 mm. Further, a chain reaction occurs and the heating process gradually goes inside.

In order to heat the products evenly in the lower part of the furnace there is a disk-stand made of heat-resistant glass. It slowly rotates with the dish, substituting all sides of the product under the magnetron radiation. The furnace body “quenches” the residual waves, and they do not go beyond its limits. Therefore, the conducted studies show that being close to a working microwave is quite safe.

Scientifically

So is a microwave oven useful or harmful to human health? What do scientists say about this?

Everyone knows that most of the nutrients in food are lost during heat treatment. This process is significantly affected by:

• temperature at which cooking takes place;
• is the time required to cook or fry the product.

Based on this, it can be argued that the food cooked in the microwave contains more nutrients than the one prepared in the usual way. First, the time of heat exposure in this case is significantly reduced. Secondly, the temperature in the microwave does not exceed one hundred degrees, and this is much lower than when using a conventional stove.

There is, however, another opinion. Many scientists do not get tired of repeating that the constant use of food cooked in a microwave oven can cause irreparable harm to health. For example, people with a pacemaker are not recommended to use a microwave oven. Doctors recommend such people to give up not only microwaves, but even mobile phones and any other devices that emit any waves.

Constant exposure to microwaves, according to scientists, can lead to disappointing consequences even in the case when a person is healthy and does not need to use a pacemaker.

What could be the consequences?

Prolonged and regular exposure of the waves to the human body leads to the following consequences:

• disrupts sleep;
• often and for no apparent reason dizzy;
• increased sweating;
• impaired memory, reduced learning ability;
• decreases appetite, nausea is observed;
• increased vision problems;
• lymphatic system suffers, lymph nodes increase in volume;
• decreases immunity, worsens the general condition of the body;
• occurs thirst, frequent headaches.

All these symptoms are characteristic of people who are constantly under the influence of waves. This happens when a cell phone tower or other powerful generator is located in the immediate vicinity of the housing or place of work.

In the case of a microwave, radiation will be non-permanent and short-lived, so most likely, the person simply will not notice a clear deterioration in health. What else can be dangerous microwave oven? According to many experts, for people who have been exposed to such rays for a long time, the composition of the blood changes, and there may be disturbances in the nervous system and cortex. It is believed that people who eat foods cooked in the microwave are more at risk of developing cancer. There are a number of studies that tell us about such disorders:

1. Digestive System .Food processed by microwaves is not perceived by our body as food. As a result, the gastrointestinal tract is trying to quickly remove the "foreign object", completely assimilating nutrients.
2. Hormonal system. It is believed that the frequent use of food from the microwave leads to the fact that the body "gets off" and starts to produce the wrong number of male and female hormones, which in turn leads to many problems.
3. Immunity .Microwave waves affect the functioning of the lymphatic system. The suppression of the lymph nodes leads to a slowing down of the lymph flow and to a general acceleration of the processes in the body, and therefore to aging.
4. Circulatory System .It is believed that as a result of the constant use of food processed by microwaves, there is a decrease in blood clotting. This entails a slow healing of wounds and more blood loss due to accidents. Also significantly increases the risk of blood cancer.
5. Concentration and attention .According to Swiss scientists, regular consumption of food processed by microwaves leads to poor memory and learning ability, decreased attention and the ability to concentrate for a long time on the desired object, and a decrease in cognitive activity.
6. Difficulty in the absorption of minerals and vitamins .The fact that during heat treatment of useful substances are destroyed, we have already said. However, some scientists claim that under the action of microwaves, minerals and vitamins are not easily destroyed, but modified. Moreover, “modified” substances, getting into the human body, are not only not absorbed, but are not removed from it properly. They accumulate in the human body, gradually creating problems in the joints and vessels.
7. Irreversibility .Due to the fact that medicine has not yet developed a mechanism to combat the above problems, all the negative properties only accumulate in the body and do not disappear with time, but only worsen.

Tips for using the microwave

While there is no definite answer to the question of whether the food is cooked in a microwave oven. This theory has both opponents and advocates. Both those and others lead quite weighty arguments. To use this device or not, everyone can decide for himself. And we only offer a number of tips to minimize possible negative consequences:

• install the oven strictly in a horizontal position;
• make sure that the appliance is positioned so that all air vents in it are free;
• do not use metal utensils;
• do not turn on the device "idle", without products;
• do not put inside objects, the heating of which can provoke an explosion;
• try to heat at least 200 grams of product at a time;
• do not use faulty devices;
• make sure that the cabinet and the door of the microwave are not damaged, even small cracks;
• do not turn on the device with the door open;
• try to strictly follow the instructions for use of the device.

Lethal case in medicine

In medical practice, there is even such a case when the patient's blood was subjected to microwave radiation( she was transfused), which the hapless nurse heated in a microwave oven, not in a special device. After such an attack, the transfused blood deteriorated and killed the entire microflora of the patient’s body, which was fatal. This is understandable, because the radiation acted directly on the blood, and in home microwave ovens only food is heated. In this case, the benefits would be invaluable if medical workers knew everything about the microwave oven and their effect on the environment.

Conclusion

Now there are many different opinions about this issue, the number of false and truthful information about the effects of microwaves on living things is growing every day. This convinces some lovers of fast cooking to switch completely to using only one MW-oven, and some, on the contrary, to get rid of it forever. The point in this question has not yet been set.

For greater safety, it is better to make the presence of microwaves in your life minimal. If you have the opportunity to use other appliances for cooking, do it more often.