Month: May 2014

It’s Not a Myth: Microwave Cooking is linked to  Cancer

Just the other day in my home Kitchen my daughter made the Bold statement of “Microwaves  cause cancer”

Of course I knew myself that there was research out there showing how this link develops but when I questioned myself as to how much evidence there was available and how strong the evidence was I had to admit that I was standing in a grey area of “Yes that right… but I am not quite sure where the proof is “

So off I go on my squirreling to find the scientific evidence behind this bold statement.

What initially surprised me when I started my research was the lack of any material shouting from the Hilltops on the dangers of using Microwaves.

Mmmmmm…..  that’s interesting I thought and there must be a reason why?

Shame on me for being so cynical!

So sit back, take a deep breath and let me enlighten you as to why you should stop using microwaves.

 HERE ARE THE REASONS WHY NOT TO USE MICROWAVES

Alters the Natural Chemical Structure of Food

All food contains water molecules and once the is in the microwave the heat causes the molecules to vibrate at an incredibly high speed. So high in fact that the water molecules become deformed. When a molecule is deformed then its structure and properties change so the fine structure of the vitamins and the phytonutrients that are in your food has changed and in essence have become destroyed.

What you put into the microwave you take back out again and to you it looks the same as the molecular structure is too small to see.

It is not the same.

Did you know that microwave cooking was banned in Russia in 1976 as a result of extensive studies on their effect on the molecular structure of food.

They were however introduced back in after a change of political party

Results in Leukocytosis in Clinical Studies

Dr. Hans Ulrich Hertel, who is now retired, worked as a food scientist for many years with one of the major Swiss food companies that do business on a global scale. A few years ago, he was fired from his job for questioning certain processing procedures that denatured the food.

This study found alarming changes in the blood of individuals who ate milk and vegetables prepared in a microwave. Each of the eight individuals immediately displayed noticeable changes in their blood chemistry. Hemoglobin levels decreased while white cell and cholesterol levels were found to be elevated.

An elevated white blood cell count, called leukocytosis, is almost always an indicator of some type of inflammation. It indicates the immune system is responding to something foreign within the body. If this type of inflammatory indicator appeared each time a subject ate microwaved food, what does that say about the effect this type of cooking has on your body over the long-term?

Leukocytosis is also an early indicator of cancer. If you have elevated white blood cell counts during your next physical, your doctor may test you for malignancy.

 Introduces Carcinogenic Substances into Your Food

In Dr. Lita Lee’s book, Health Effects of Microwave Radiation – Microwave Ovens, and in the March and September 1991 issues of Earthletter, she stated that every microwave oven leaks electro-magnetic radiation, harms food, and converts substances cooked in it to dangerous organ-toxic and carcinogenic products.

Further research summarized in this article reveal that microwave ovens are far more harmful than previously imagined.
The following is a summary of the Russian investigations published by the Atlantis Raising Educational Center in Portland, Oregon. Carcinogens were formed in virtually all foods tested. No test food was subjected to more microwaving than necessary to accomplish the purpose, i.e., cooking, thawing, or heating to insure sanitary ingestion.

Here’s a summary of some of the results:

·        Microwaving prepared meats sufficiently to insure sanitary ingestion caused formation of d-Nitrosodienthanolamines, a well-known carcinogen.

·        Microwaving milk and cereal grains converted some of their amino acids into carcinogens.

·        Thawing frozen fruits converted their glucoside and galactoside containing fractions into carcinogenic substances.

·        Extremely short exposure of raw, cooked or frozen vegetables converted their plant alkaloids into carcinogens.

·        Carcinogenic free radicals were formed in microwaved plants, especially root vegetables.

·        Decrease in nutritional value

Russian researchers also reported a marked acceleration of structural degradation leading to a decreased food value of 60 to 90% in all foods tested. Among the changes observed were:

·        Deceased bio-availability of vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, essential minerals and lipotropics factors in all food tested.

·        Various kinds of damaged to many plant substances, such as alkaloids, glucosides, galactosides and nitrilosides.

The degradation of nucleo-proteins in meats.

If you usually eat a relatively-healthy diet, you’re only concern is that food will turn into cancer-causing chemicals. But what if you already live on fast foods meals that you then heat in the microwave oven …wow that is a double whammy!

A large majority of plastic containers, when heated, release a toxic chemical compound called dioxin. Even the US Environmental Protection Agency has backed the claim that this chemical is harmful by calling it a “serious public health threat”.

According to a study conducted by the California Breast Cancer Research Program:  “Dioxins, widespread and persistent environmental pollutants, are a known human carcinogen and may contribute to the development of breast cancer.”

Significantly Decreases Nutritional Value

Studies have shown that microwaving vegetables destroys up to 97% of their original nutritional content. That is a major problem as your immune system needs adequate nutrition as fuel against all sorts of diseases including cancer

 Ok… so why do so many of us rely on microwaves to heat and cook our food?

I would say convenience as its just so easy to pop the food in the microwave.Then again I believe that most people are totally unaware of the dangers of using Microwaves and can you blame them? The dangers are not exactly broadcast freely with warnings on the side of the machine

So are you convinced?

 Eat These the Next Time You Get the Munchies

I know what it is like to have a busy lifestyle believe me.

teaching in the college, bringing up two girls, you get the drift and when we have been working all day it is hard to come home and do the healthy thing. So we reach for what is easy. Then no matter how hard we try its really difficult not to have that nice chocolate biscuit or finish the bag of Dorrito chips the kids left on the table.
I know myself that if I buy those nice things then I eat them!

So I get smart and start buying the healthy snacks
Just one problem …most of them do not taste that great. That is also why I was interested in this book

100 Healthy Raw Snacks and Treats  

written by Carolyn Hansen.  She was determined to find snack recipes that did away with the usual cast of bad characters: sugar, flour, butter, and replace these with healthy substitutes that she could live with and maintain a healthy diet.

When you see the  photographs of the snacks and treats that she has come up with your saliva gets going ! 

You can make cheesecake alternatives that use no dairy, but look and taste delicious nonetheless? Apparently you can do this, and this is just one of the recipe types that litter her book.

For more information on this mouth-watering topic I recommend you get yourself across to her site at Healthy Raw Snacks and Treats.

The nice thing about Carolyn’s recipes… You don’t even need a stove to prepare them – these are all no cook recipes made from natural ingredients that can go straight to your mouth!….now that appealing!

take care

Kathy

Website References

http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html

 http://cbcrp.org.127.seekdotnet.com/research/PageGrant.asp?grant_id=2098

 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140306163359.htm