Microwave Ovens : Facts over Fear

First, lets' refresh our memory with some high school physics which was taught to us without any agenda or conspiracy. We were taught that there are a variety of electromagnetic waves (think beams of energy) including visible light waves, gamma waves, radio waves and microwaves.

So, microwaves are high frequency waves. They

1) can be reflected off of metallic materials (which is why you are told you shouldn't put metal in a microwave).

2) can pass through materials like glass and plastic (which is why you can heat food in glass containers & also the reason why plastic that is not microwave safe gets damaged)

3) can be absorbed by materials like water (which is why you can boil water or other liquids in a microwave oven)

Inside the microwave oven, the emitted microwaves are absorbed by the molecules in food, causing the molecules to vibrate, creating heat, which cooks or heats up the food.

Microwaves are contained within the microwave oven and as long as the door is undamaged and closes properly it is safe to use a microwave in the kitchen. The waves do not stay in the food, they just excite the molecules, so there is no health risk from consuming microwaved food other than the potential of burning your hands or mouth from food that is too hot. Lots of fearmongering flying around with regards to the radiation produced but compared to the rest of modern technology (cars, aeroplanes, mobile phones etc.) microwaves are nothing to worry about.

Can cooking in a microwave oven affect food quality? Generally no issues with using microwaves over any other cooking method (don't burn food - goes for every method!). As well as being super convenient/useful, client adherence is so much better when they know they can warm up some home made chicken & veggie noodles at work for lunch rather than eating it cold. Microwaving is a fast method of cooking so it actually may help some foods like vegetables retain more nutrients that are lost during longer cooking times.

Is it safe to micowave plastic? It is safe if the product says ''microwave safe''. The FDA long ago recognized the potential for small amounts of plasticizers to migrate into food. So it closely regulates plastic containers and materials that come into contact with food. The FDA requires manufacturers to test these containers using tests that meet FDA standards and specifications. It then reviews test data before approving a container for microwave use. Some of these tests measure the migration of chemicals at temperatures that the container or wrap is likely to encounter during ordinary use. For microwave approval, the agency estimates the ratio of plastic surface area to food, how long the container is likely to be in the microwave, how often a person is likely to eat from the container and how hot the food can be expected to get during microwaving. The scientists also measure the chemicals that leach into food and the extent to which they migrate in different kinds of food. The maximum allowable amount is 100-1000 times less per pound of body weight than the amount shown to harm laboratory animals over a lifetime of use. Only containers that pass this test can display a microwave-safe icon, the words ''microwave safe'' or words to the effect that they are approved for use in microwave ovens.

What about containers without a microwave-safe lable? They aren't necessarily unsafe; the FDA simply hasn't determined whether it is safe or not, so it's your call to decide. Personally I would use only those with the above lable.

"Remember variety is the spice of life so eat some stuff raw, some others cooked, baked, boiled, steamed, microwaved. And that is about the only thing that unanimously brings about healthful outcomes" Martin MacDonald.

Ignore statements that says microwave ovens : "will mess with your body's energy fields", "use radiation that could be cancer-causing", "cause changes in HDL, LDL, white blood cells", "will increase cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) that gets easily absorbed in the gut and enter the bloodstream causing inflammation", "mess with your hormones, etc etc !

Signing off by saying that i need you to use the microwave without fear if you find it useful and convenient. Also here to tell you that you don't need to use the microwave if it's not your thing. I am not here to convince you to use it , just want you to choose facts over fear :-)

Information courtesy : @foodsciencebabe @thewellnessfactchecker @mac-nutrition uni

https:www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/microwaving-food-in-plastic-dangerous-or-not