Microwave and Nutrition

Microwaves and Nutrition

History

The idea of a microwaves first came into play during World War II when birds flew into radar masts and dropped to ground fully cooked.  Percy Spencer invented microwaves after building radars and discovering that they melted candy bars in his pocket.  7 years later had first "radar" range was sold.  The name changed to microwave since people didn't like the idea of cooking with radar.

How They Work

Microwaves use electromagnetic waves in frequency of 300-300,000 (MHz) (million cycles per second).  The electromagnetic field excites the molecules inside food, creating friction, and heats the food from the inside.  Both dipolar and ionic interactions occur.  Dipolar interaction happens when polar molecules, such as water with one positively charged end and one negatively charged end, rotate like magnets to orient themselves in a electromagnetic field.  Ionic Interaction involves Ionic compounds like dissolved salts.  The salts are excited by the electromagnetic field and collide with other molecules to produce heat.

Energy Efficiency and Safety

Microwaves are more energy efficient than both gas and electric ovens.  They are 3-5 times more efficient and use 8 times less energy wattage.   Microwave radiation travels through glass but is reflected by metal.  This is why there is a metal grate inside the glass door of conventional microwaves.   Exposure is greatest 2 inches from the microwave door but the amount of radiation taken in is less than that of cellphones.  Although there is some correlation to elevated cancer risk in cooks due to their consistent exposure to microwave cooking.  This is hard data to prove though given that we are exposed on a consistent basis to EM radiation through power lines, cell phones, computers, refrigerators, etc.  

Dangers of Microwave Cooking

Cooking food in plastics, even when labeled Microwave safe, is not recommended.  Plastics, when heated, leach out toxic endocrine altering compounds.  These compounds are plasticizers and when they come in contact with fatty foods, their leakage into food becomes greater.  The FDA regulates this by allowing for only 100-1000 times less per pound of the amount that is shown to harm laboratory animals.  The question then remains as to what is the cumulative effect.  Due to the uneven cooking distribution of microwavable food, bacteria such as: Salmonella, Listeria, Clostridia, and Campylobacter may survive the cooking process and become infective.

Microwaves and Meat Carcinogens

I found that in some cases microwaves were beneficial by cutting down the exposure to the cancer causing agents heterocyclic amines (HCAs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and Nitrosamines.  HCAs are created by the reaction of amino acids, sugars, and creatine by cooking muscle meats at high temperatures such as grilling, broiling, or frying.   PAHs are rings of fused carbon and hydrogen atoms that are created from the reaction of fats and juices from meat spilling out over the fire causing flames to rise that adhere the PAHs to food. Since microwaves do not cook over an open flame and cook at a much lower temperature, these cancer causing agents are greatly reduced.

Microwaves and Nutrition

This was the most difficult part to find conclusive studies on.  There is much discrepancy.  Most more conventional sites state that microwaving food does not alter it nutritional makeup and in some instances may retain more nutrients due to the quicker cooking time.  There are also a lot of conspiracy theories out there who claim that microwaves were designed by the Nazi's to destroy the human race.  Following more of the middle path, I tried to find scientific research that proved one or the other to be true.  In study done by Hans Hertel, a Swiss scientist, blood samples where tested after test subjects ate raw milk from a bio farm, the same milk conventionally cooked,   or the same milk cooked in a microwave.  As well as, when subjects ate raw organic vegetables, the same veggies cooked conventionally, or in a microwave.  Blood samples were then taken first on an empty stomach, then 15 minutes after food intake, and lastly two hours later.  The findings were a decrease in Hemoglobin, HDL Cholesterol, Erythrocytes, and Hematocrit.  The samples also showed an increase in LDL, the bad cholesterol and Leucocytes due to the stress response to the food.  Hertel was sued for these findings and banned from reporting his findings.
Some other studies showed that microwaves reduced the antioxidants in broccoli up to 97% and completely inactivated the anti-cancer ingredient in garlic, allinase.  They have also found that the disease fighting agents in breast milk, lysozyme and antibodies are completely killed off and some of the amino acids are made biologically inactive.


Scientific or Not, This Science Project Says it All!

Sources

http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0706a.shtml

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/cooked-meats

http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_ft_01_02_mcfs.html

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-microwave-cooking

http://www.mercola.com/article/microwave/hazards2.htm

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/microwave-hazards.aspx

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/studies-show-microwaves-drastically-reduce-nutrients-food

http://www.naturalnews.com/031929_microwaved_water_plants.html#

http://www.eutimes.net/2011/03/experiment-microwaved-water-kills-plants/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheEuropeanUnionTimes+%28The+European+Union+Times%29