Almost everyone in the US has a microwave in the kitchen. It is a convenient appliance that seemingly makes our lives easier. You can defrost, reheat, and even cook food in microwaves. Are we at all concerned about the dangers of microwaves, though?
A lot of people use microwaves without thinking of how they may negatively affect their lives. Microwaves essentially can kill your food, robbing it of the nutritional value. Cooking your food, in general, robs your food of potential nutrients you could be getting. This is why we always recommend eating more of a plant-based and even raw foods diet for optimum health. But we digress…
Here’s a crash course on how microwaves work
Microwaves contain something called a magnetron (not from Transformers), which converts the received electricity into short-wave frequency radio waves. Science! It’s sort of electromagnetic radiation. Radiation, you say? Not so good for the body. The radiation can actually change the molecular structure and create radioactive compounds in our food. For instance, breast milk loses 96% of its antibodies when microwaved.
It’s important to know that microwaves are non-ionizing radiation. X-rays, Gamma radiation, and nuclear medicine are all types of ionizing radiation. While non-ionizing radiation isn’t as bad, it can still negatively affect your health. And we continue to contaminate our bodies by eating microwaveable meals, which are filled with chemicals and preservatives.
Microwaves work using alternating currents, which ultimately reverse the polarity of atoms. What does that mean, though? Basically, there are water molecules in the food. The water molecules shake in the food, which causes the food to heat up.
How Do Microwaves Harm Your Health?
- They can cause cataracts
- Trigger birth defects
- Weaken the immune system
- Can lead to cancer onset
- Leads to possible serious illnesses
- Compromises body’s immune response to bacteria or viruses
(Note: These are only going to happen if you stand directly in front of a microwave that has a crack or leak in it.)
Eating Microwaved Veggies Can Lead To
- Dropped white blood cell count
- Fast-rising cholesterol levels
- Drop in hemoglobin (which can lead to anemic conditions)
What Diseases Can You Get From Microwaves?
Fatigue
Microwaves can actually be the cause of chronic fatigue syndrome, and even obesity.
Insomnia
By having adverse effects on brain health, due to electromagnetic radiation, microwaved food can lead to cases of insomnia or other sleep disturbances/troubles.
Nutrient Deficiency
Cooking your food in the microwave causes your food to lose nutrients. If your food doesn’t provide you with the nutrients you think you are getting, you can become nutrient deficient, which an lead to a variety of diseases.
Deprivation of Antioxidants
Microwaving your food = no more antioxidants. By destroying the antioxidants in the food, it means you aren’t getting them. Antioxidants are essential for heart, brain, and immune health. Antioxidant deprivation can increase your risk of heart attack or high cholesterol.
Cancer
The radiation that contaminates food can increase your risk of developing cancer. By eating too much microwaved food, radiation can accumulate in the body and cause cancer growth.
Since we live in an instantaneous world, most people who own a microwave use it on a daily basis. Making meals, defrosting or even reheating in a microwave daily can not be good for the body. Maybe its time to invest in a toaster oven. Cast iron skillets on the stove, or even the regular oven are optimal ways to go about cooking and reheating food.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
