Food from the microwave. Are microwave ovens dangerous? What is a microwave and when was it invented?
Microwave ovens have taken a strong position in our kitchens. They significantly speed up the preparation and heating of food. Together with the undeniable merits of microwaves, their harmful effects on humans are also discussed. This is what my post is about today.
The history of microwave ovens
The very first patent for a microwave was issued back in 1946 in the USA. The world’s first microwave oven Radarange was released in 1947 by Raytheon and was not designed for cooking, but for the quick defrosting of food.
The installation was used only in the military. The size of the system was impressive – about the height of a person.
The mass of the furnace reached 340 kilograms. The initial power was 3 kW. The installation went to the serial production only in 1949. The official price in 1949 was $3,000.
How does a microwave work?
In order to warm up food, high-power electromagnetic waves are used in a microwave oven. They act on water molecules, penetrating into the structure of the products. Molecules start to move around the electromagnetic field and a friction effect is created, which causes the temperature of the food to rise. The whole process is carried out from the inside and takes only a few seconds, unlike usual ovens.
Is it more harmful or beneficial?
When food is heated in a microwave, its molecules move at a breakneck pace. Because of this, the integrity of the structure suffers. There is a deformation of the molecules and the disintegration of their shell. And at the output we get a product with a completely different molecular structure.
This is a scientific rationale for the harmful effect of a microwave oven on human health. Here are several factors that, according to experts, make the use of the microwave dangerous for humans:
– changes in the structure of food and as a result, that the food is more difficult to digest;
– the release of harmful carcinogens that increase the risk of cancer;
– the human body does not absorb the vitamins and mineral substances changed under the influence of electromagnetic waves;
– radiation can penetrate through the walls of the microwave oven and adversely affect the person;
– useful properties of food when heated in a microwave are lost and it becomes alien to the human body;
– a metal object that was inadvertently inside the furnace can lead to an explosion and injure a person
Swiss scientists conducted an experiment: they hired a man who was alternately fed food from a microwave and food cooked in the traditional way.
At the end of the experiment, they made the following conclusions about the negative impact of food from microwave ovens:
– changes in the structure of the cerebral cortex;
– the body is not able to digest the food processed by the waves and remains hungry;
– the wrong development of female and male hormones begins;
– undigested vitamins and minerals stick to the walls of blood vessels and joints;
– coagulability of blood decreases, because of this wound heals worse.
However, the World Health Organization has refuted the results of these studies. According to WHO experts, microwave ovens do not affect the food or the human body. But at the same microwaves, according to WHO, can adversely affect pacemakers.
Irregular and unhealthy diets harm the health of the digestive system, but not food cooked in a microwave, according to WHO. The WHO report also contains information that more carcinogens are emitted when frying products with oil than when heated in a microwave.
Minerals and vitamins lose their beneficial properties during any heat treatment, not only in the microwave.
Radio emissions from the machine are no more than from a cell phone. The microwave is designed in such a way that all radiation waves are contained. Only if it is damaged, the furnace is dangerous, say the manufacturers.
The conclusions about the explosiveness due to metal objects inside the furnace are also unfounded. At the maximum, the furnace will spark and that’s it. Only a raw chicken egg explodes. It only smears the door, no more.
Despite heated discussions about the dangers of the device, microwaves continue to be actively bought by people and make life much easier.
Thus, it is not necessary to completely switch to cooking in a microwave and stop using ordinary ovens. With the help of microwave, you can sometimes save time on cooking.
But such a radical division of opinion suggests that it is easier NOT to use microwave ovens.
The logical conclusion is that the heated product must be made on a simple pan, but without the use of oil. And quickly turn it over so not to burn it. The whole conflict is being resolved.
However, if you still use a microwave, it is important not to use the device after the expiration date set by the manufacturer.
Be healthy and cook with pleasure!
