Microwave Food – Is it Good or Bad for You?

It would seem that as soon as something convenient, time saving and expedient comes along, the nay sayers immediately find reasons why it is terrible for you.

So it is with microwave ovens – they are convenient, help you cook or heat evenly and in a jiffy and also without singeing or burning the food. It was also supposed to retain the vitamins and other nutrients of the food better.microw

However there is the view that microwave food is not good for us; and the criticisms against microwave food are many –

1.There is the fact that liquids heat up in a microwave in a way that produces no bubbles that indicate boiling or very high temperatures.

Also hot spots can form inside the food that appears cooler to the touch.

These factors can cause accidental burns; particularly in things such as a bottle of infant milk and so on.

2.Also certain things can explode in the microwave – containers with lids shut tight, eggs and so on can explode in a microwave.

3.Cooking utensils made from certain materials can result in an electric current.

4.Dehydrated food can be a fire hazard.

5.At times the kind of plastic containers that are used for heating food in a microwave could be responsible for contaminating the food.

6.Also the kind of food that is typically packaged for microwave cooking – TV dinners and so on are themselves unhealthy. They are laden with salt and sodium and unhealthy fats to make them palatable and they are also loaded with preservatives and unhealthy additives that increase their shelf life.

So in this sense, microwave food; food specifically designed for convenient use with a microwave oven is in fact unhealthy.

While the above points are matters of facts there are other charges that people make as regards microwave cooking. Many are of the view that microwave cooking causes molecular changes in food, due to the exposure of the food to the microwaves and that these changes are bad for health.

It is argued that the food is subject to radiation and that this is what makes the food bad for you and that the molecular changes affect our immunity and circulatory system negatively.

There is also the charge that standing close to a microwave over when it is in use is bad, because the radiation will negatively affect us. In particular pregnant women are cautioned against microwave use. However these are largely unsubstantiated charges and studies have not been able to show conclusively that microwave cooking or heating causes the sort of harm that it is alleged.