What happens if you heat it up in the microwave. How to reheat food in the microwave correctly and without negative consequences? Does food spoil

Baby food It is convenient to reheat in the microwave - it saves a lot of time. Just a couple of minutes and the job is done: warm milk, porridge or puree. But mothers are worried: does food become harmful if it is heated in a microwave oven? There are so many conflicting rumors about the effect of microwaves - what is true and what is fiction?

Good or bad

Microwaves have settled in almost every kitchen, saving time for their owners, and making kitchen chores easier. The work of a microwave is based on the effects of electromagnetic waves. Microwaves are harmful to humans, so there is a debate about the usefulness of food prepared with their help. Many scientists assure that food from a microwave oven is completely safe, stories about the remains of radiation in it are a myth. The power is too low to somehow affect the body.

Users ask if vitamins are stored in the microwave. Yes, and there are more of them than in food prepared in the usual way. The reason is the short-term nature of the process. Dishes are cooked many times faster, less nutrients are destroyed. Another positive point - no need to add oils and fats, so the food is dietary, almost like in a double boiler.

About breast milk

Nursing mothers are interested in whether breast milk can be heated in the microwave. Definitely - no! Expressed milk must not be heated using microwave ovens. They act on immunoglobulins and other living components, kill them or at least change their structure. You will not get invaluable food out of the cell, but an unhelpful liquid, comparable to cow's milk.

Heating breast milk in the microwave oven chamber is strictly prohibited - it is heated only in warm water, in a water bath.

Can artificial mixtures be heated

If you need to heat artificial food, it is better to use the old proven method - hot water. But you can still use the advantages of a microwave oven: heat water in it, into which you put milk or baby puree.

If you need to warm up a bottle of formula in a cafe, ask for a large cup of hot water. Place a bottle in it and heat the mixture.

What pediatricians and gastroenterologists say

Pediatricians do not advise parents to heat formula or heat milk in the microwave. In general, you should not cook food for kids in it - in any form, doctors insist. Disputes about the dangers of microwaves are ongoing, which means that it is not worth risking a child's health. Manufacturers do not mention in the instructions for microwave ovens about the possibility of their use for baby food.

Gastroenterologists are categorical in terms of breast milk: to heat it up with microwaves means to radically change the structure. The amino acids of L-proline are transformed into toxic d-isomers. These connections:

disrupt kidney function;
harm the nervous system.

Which bottles are better

Mom's infant formula is poured into bottles made of glass or plastic. It is recommended to use glass - they are safer. As it turned out, in plastic containers contains bisphenol-A. When the plastic heats up, phenol molecules are released and released into the contents. Studies in animals have shown that after regular consumption of food made of heated plastic, health deteriorated. The effect on people has not been studied, but there is a risk - it is better to abandon plastic containers.

Perhaps a few decades later, this information will be perceived as general knowledge. But it has not yet received the proper distribution. In this publication, we will raise such a topic: is the microwave radiation that we use to heat food harmful to human health? Some information about this has already begun to appear in the press. And it really is cause for concern.

The principle of operation of a microwave oven is simple: when the mechanism is started, water molecules are formed. They then resonate with each other at very high frequencies, turn into steam, and the food heats up.

The fact that these units can be approved by the Ministry of Health or have the appropriate certificates does not mean anything. Just because a government agency overseeing food control, or another government commission, gives its safety assurances does not mean that our health is safe.

What is the difference between heating food on the stove and heating it with steam?

Many of you will be immediately surprised not to see any difference between the two heating methods. One small note: microwaves can deform and distort the chemical composition of food, while conventional heating does not.

From a medical point of view

Here are a few examples that we managed to track. For example, microwave ovens are often used to heat donated blood for transfusion in hospitals and hospitals. In fact, the doctors found some change in the composition of the blood. After using microwave radiation, the blood is missing some important trace elements. There is a known case when one patient died after a transfusion of blood heated in this way.

Is it true that our food loses vitamins?

We know that when cooking vegetables, some vitamins and nutrients are lost. What happens to food when it goes into the microwave? Research that could shed light on this question is revealing its darkest secrets. So is it true that a microwave oven can make our food empty and rid it of almost all vitamins and minerals?

In 2003, researchers decided to observe the change chemical composition broccoli. After the vegetable was in the microwave, it lost up to 97% of its beneficial antioxidants. For comparison, the scientists steamed broccoli. It turned out that the food lost only 11% of its nutrients.

Protein folding

Another study from Australia found the following. Microwaved protein foods have a higher clotting rate than conventional cooking. It has been found that microwaves cause a significantly higher degree of coagulation of protein solutions when heated to the same maximum temperature.

What Happens to Garlic?

Another interesting experiment was carried out with garlic. It has been found that a 60 second microwave makes our favorite hot spice an absolutely useless ingredient.

What happens to breast milk?

Well, if young mothers decide to heat breast milk expressed at night in this way, they should familiarize themselves with the following information. Microwave destroys immunostimulating agents. In other words, this milk will not be healthier than regular infant formula. But the health and full development of the baby directly depends on immunostimulants. Another study found that microwaved breast milk reduced lysozyme and antibody activity and promoted the growth of pathogenic bacteria. And in this case, scientists were able to track down the obvious harm from the use of a familiar unit. No other way of heating milk can change the product so drastically.

Depending on the heating temperature

Experts say that heating food at high temperatures is contraindicated. If you set a lower temperature regime, then in this case, too, the food is greatly modified. So, ordinary milk, after 6 minutes of exposure to microwaves, loses about 40% of vitamin B12 and almost completely loses its nutritional value.

Defrosting food

Fresh food that has been defrosted in the microwave loses up to 40% of its beneficial minerals. Think about this the next time you are in a hurry to defrost meat for soup. And, as we already know, this method of thawing meat or fish entails increased protein clotting. If you overdo it over time, the edges of the thawed meat acquire an unpleasant color and characteristic smell.

Depending on the type of cookware

Now let's talk about what we usually use to heat food in the microwave. If you use plastic containers for heating, don't expect anything good. Even if the container is marked with a special marking "Approved for use in a microwave oven", this does not mean its safety. Many plastic products contain various chemicals that can affect human hormonal levels. Heating only increases the ability to move these harmful substances from plastic directly into food.

Note: A polycarbonate water bottle transfers some BPA to the water at room temperature. If the same bottle is heated in the microwave, the migration of bisphenol into water increases 55 times.

Conclusion

90% of the population still uses microwave ovens. Do you already feel that you shouldn't be one of them? Just start your lifestyle transformation and boycott the device for one week. You will get more energy and less stress. Your body will be cleansed and your sleep will be sound. After a while, you will feel as if you have access to an unlimited source of latent energy.

The people have long been rumors about what kind of harm microwave ovens do to the human body. Household appliance sellers claim that they are harmless, some claim that only expensive stoves are capable of cooking ude without negative impact. Where is the truth we decided to tell in today's article.

Due to a lack of information, all electronics, including microwave ovens, have managed to acquire dozens of myths about whether a microwave oven is harmful. Fortunately, scientists have taken up this issue quite responsibly and we can know the whole truth and scientific evidence about the negative qualities of this device.

Negative impact

Back in the days of the USSR, scientists were forced to give an answer to the emerging question of whether the harm of a microwave oven is myth or reality. Back in 1976, researchers firmly stated the exceptional harm of such a technique. The Soviet authorities did not even give permission to sell such devices in the country.

Since the creation of this technology and to this day, the problem of device ignition has not disappeared for unknown reasons. Thus, the technique can be dangerous to humans. It is unsafe to be near a working device, but at the same time it must be monitored.

Does food spoil

Inside the microwave, all food is exposed to microwave radiation. It has been proven that after such exposure, most products have been identified as carcinogens. The nutritional value of food decreases by 55-65%, in simple words, after processing, any most useful vegetable becomes a dummy.

Microwave food can lead to the following consequences for a person who eats it too often:

Metabolic and digestive disorders are possible.
The immune system is impaired.
The risk of oncological neoplasms increases.

Microwave rays affect food so that its structure simply disintegrates. Wrong food starts to pass chemical processes... The benefits of cooking in a microwave oven are only from its practicality, but in fact it is an exceptional harm to the dishes you cook.

For the human body

If you use microwave ovens too often, then think about the fact that your headaches, surges in blood pressure, depression, nervousness, and even oncology can arise from this external factor. The harm from a microwave to food is instantaneous, but according to scientists, for such an effect on a person, it will take about 10 years to use the equipment regularly. Let's take a look at the possible health effects of frequent microwave use:

The rays affect the lens of the eye, thereby provoking vision problems. The risk of cataracts increases, naturally the microwave is dangerous under such circumstances.
Insomnia, depression, nervousness, irritability - the negative effect of the oven on nervous system human.
Radiation radiation can damage skin, hair and nails. True or fiction, we cannot say with certainty, there is no official confirmation of this information. There are only reviews on the forums of ordinary users and doctors.
We have already described above whether food from the microwave is harmful, but we did not say that such food is capable of provoking gastritis and stomach ulcers.
Reproductive problems can arise through excessive exposure to radiation.
Changes in the structure of food can provoke the onset of oncology.

Of course, it all depends on the frequency of microwave irradiation, think about how often you reheat food and stand next to the microwave. Scientists claim that the microwave can be used without harm for up to 10 years. Food from the microwave is not as harmful as useless, the body may not receive enough useful elements.

Some sources report that the harm of microwave ovens is that it is able to change the composition of the blood. People who often use this technique have noticed an underestimated amount of hemoglobin in the blood. In addition, food from microwave devices increases the amount of cholesterol, which threatens the occurrence of cholesterol plaques and blood clots.

Scientific evidence of negative impact

Back in 1989, Swiss scientists conducted research on whether a microwave oven is harmful to health, a myth or reality. The funds for the experiments were not enough to conduct a full-scale research, they managed to find only one volunteer to research the harm of heating food in the microwave.

The volunteer had to take food in turn: on the 1st day it was cooked on an ordinary stove, the 2nd day in the microwave oven. Scientists performed analyzes at every stage of the subject's life. The conclusion shocked the scientists: food from the microwave turned out to be not only harmful but also hazardous to health. Subject's blood structure began to change which could lead to cancer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) immediately denied such data. WHO experts declared the harmlessness of microwave rays to the human body and food prepared with their help. Then the speakers declared only about the dangers of such radiation for people taking pacemakers, for the same reasons, such people were advised to give up cell phones.

American scientists in 1992 conducted separate studies on whether it is harmful to heat food in the microwave. Experts were able to provide scientific evidence of the harmfulness. They stated that food from microwave ovens retains microwaves, which naturally enter the digestive system of the body, thus, human exposure from the inside is possible. Such changes were not observed in products prepared in the classical way: scientific evidence proves the words that you cannot use the microwave.

How it works

A microwave oven emits electromagnetic energy at super frequencies. The length of such waves is from 1 mm to 30 cm. The speed of such waves reaches 300 km / h, similar waves are used for cell phones, television and radio stations, as well as the Internet.

The radiation frequency is 2540 MHz, the waves can penetrate food to a depth of 3 cm. Food in the microwave becomes dry very quickly.

We check our equipment for safety

There are many ways to measure the benefits and harms of a microwave oven. Several of them are not credible, so for more confidence, we advise you to do several experiments, so you can trace the trend. Here are some ways to test your microwave oven for harm:

Wait until evening, or turn on the microwave in a dark room and place a fluorescent lamp next to it. If the lamp starts blinking or shows some signs of "life" - your microwave is emitting too much radiation. There is little benefit from this - the harm is obvious.
The strong heating of the doors of the device is the evidence of the fact that microwave waves run away to the ruin, giving your health danger.
For the next experiment, turn off the microwave! Take two mobile phones, put one of them in the oven chamber, and from the second try to call the first phone. If you were able to get through, then your equipment does not sufficiently protect you from hazardous radiation, the risk of getting harmful effects increases.
Try boiling a regular glass of water in your microwave. The harm will be proven if the water does not boil after 3 minutes. You will prove that most of the rays are leaking somewhere, most likely on the road exposing you to their harm.

The microwave detector will help to prove the leakage of radiation from the microwave to the outside. For correct measurements, put a glass of cold water in the chamber and turn on the oven. Use the detector to examine the cracks around the door of the device, and special attention should be paid to the corners and the ventilation grill. If everything is in order with the equipment, then the indicator will remain green, if there is a leak and potential harm, then the indicator will be red.

How to reduce risks

If you are very accustomed to using a microwave oven, or simply circumstances force you to use it regularly, then you should know how to use such a technique without harm. Thanks to the following guidelines, you can reduce harm to a minimum. There is scientific evidence that the harm of a microwave to health is minimal if the dose of radiation received is low.

Scientists claim that it is quite safe for a person to be within 2-3 centimeters from the device body, the main thing is that the radiation does not exceed 5 milliwatts. It is logical that the further you are from the device, the less risk of harm from microwave ovens.

Don't play with fire. It is strictly forbidden to open the chamber door during operation. Thus, you release all radiation waves into free floating, including yourself. Wait for 3-5 seconds before opening the appliance door after heating food.

Manufacturers of household appliances, taking care of the health and safety of their customers, usually give the following recommendations:

The device is best used for heating and defrosting food. Cooking in it is not its main function, although it is not prohibited.
In the kitchen, it is best to place the oven away from your permanent place of residence. Place it where you spend little time.
It is forbidden to use metal utensils and utensils that contain metals in their paint. In addition to the fact that the equipment may fail, the radiation in the furnace begins to move randomly, increasing the risk of being thrown out.
The use of technology is not recommended for people who use pacemakers.
Microwaves do not kill bacteria, keep the camera hygienic.

If you follow these basic rules, the harm from the microwave oven will be minimal and the body will cope with it.

Komarovsky destroys myths

Doctor Komarovsky proves a different reality in his television program. The doctor's review was criticized by many of his colleagues, but Evgeny Olegovich insists: the harm from the microwave is a myth, not a reality. For more details, see the program:

When you are busy because you are not able to prepare a fresh dish, it is better to replace it with fresh fruits or vegetables. Scientists strongly recommend eating only freshly prepared food, and there are arguments for this. It was recently.

Verified by experiments

Not so long ago, a special experiment was conducted on animals. For a certain period of time in the first group, mice were fed only freshly cooked food. In the second group, the rodents ate food that was reheated immediately after cooling, in the third - food that was reheated five hours after it was cooked. It is curious that the rodents from the third group died within a month. Some test subjects lost their entire hairline, and some had withered ears and tails.

Some individuals died without obvious external reasons. But after anatomy, it turned out that their esophagus almost completely disintegrated, and the kidneys stopped developing. Mice from the second group were able to live longer - up to three months. During the autopsy, it turned out that decay processes took place in the organisms of animals. Meanwhile, mice that ate only freshly prepared food lived for at least three years and at the same time remained practically healthy. Did you know, ?

How to explain it

It must be said that stale food has a detrimental effect not only on animals, but also on humans. Although for the most part, a person rarely associates his ailments with the fact that he has to eat heated food. Quite often, housewives prepare food for two days, or even a week. Sometimes you have to buy groceries in stores with a sales period from one week to several years. As a rule, such food is not beneficial. The thing is that food is nothing more than a material for the renewal of body cells. Only fresh food contains the ingredients necessary for this. These elements are destroyed rather quickly and hardly remain in those dishes that have been standing for several hours. By the way,

Today, microwave ovens, in which you can quickly reheat cooled food and bring convenience foods to readiness, are found in many homes and offices. People continue to use devices, despite the fact that a few years ago some experts began to argue that it is harmful for the human body even to be near the device. Since then, there have been many scientific research, but even they did not allow such statements to be confirmed or refuted. Therefore, on the one hand, scientists clearly explain why the microwave cannot be used on a regular basis. On the other hand, scientific facts have not been provided, and some people are not able to refuse such a convenient device.

Useful moments in using the microwave

Users who are told that heating food even in the highest quality microwave is potentially harmful to health, give many arguments in favor of the device in response. Here are just a few of them:

Of course, it is better to reheat food than to eat it cold. After heat treatment, it not only tastes better, but is also better absorbed by the digestive tract.
With the help of the device, you can significantly save time, which is important for many people in the hectic pace of modern life.
It is difficult to overheat food in the microwave, to bring it to such a state that it runs away. The abundance of programs allows you to use your own approach to each type of food.
Even a child can handle a microwave oven. Moreover, in terms of safety, this approach is much more preferable than using a gas and even an electric stove for the same purposes.
Microwaving food is heated without adding oil, which reduces the risk of cancer, according to the latest American research.
Studies have shown that if you use a functional apparatus for cooking and heating some products, you can preserve vitamin C in the finished dish as much as possible.

One cannot but agree with the above statements, but still it is rather stupid to sacrifice your health for the sake of additional comfort and time saving. Even if the risk is only potential. It is better to get used to preparing fresh meals every time and not for several days, but only for one meal. But the introduction of semi-finished products into the diet can and should be abandoned altogether, otherwise health problems are guaranteed, how do not heat such food.

Potential harm to the device

So, many have heard that heating food in the microwave is very harmful, but few know why this should not be done. Scientists argue that the whole point is how the components are heated. While the dishes maintain their temperature, their contents are warmed up by the rotation of the water molecules.

This is much safer for the culinary specialist than using the stove, but according to scientists, this process is fraught with the following consequences:

The nutritional value of the components of the dish is significantly reduced, vitamins and microelements for the most part are destroyed or pass into forms that are not absorbed by the intestines.

Tip: Pregnant women and small children literally on a subconscious level feel the negative coming from devices such as microwave ovens, TVs, computers. Their proximity causes headaches, mood swings, and poor health in these population groups. So in such cases it is better not to take risks and, at least temporarily, abandon convenience in favor of a healthier approach.

Microwaves act on certain chemical compounds to form carcinogens, making even the healthiest food potentially harmful. And in the case of semi-finished products, when it is not even completely clear what is included in their composition, such experiments are especially dangerous.
Based on the results of numerous studies and tests on volunteers, a theory has been put forward according to which people who eat food heated in the microwave noticeably change the composition of the blood. Hemoglobin falls, the volume of cholesterol and lymphocytes increases.

Even though there is no direct evidence that the use of a microwave oven is harmful to the body, some scientists associate an increase in the incidence of diabetes mellitus, oncology, and various metabolic disorders with this device. Moreover, the risks are equally high, regardless of the quality level of the device used.

Is it possible to reduce the negative impact of the device?

Even rare use of a microwave oven is harmful to the body. True, there are several rules, following which you can reduce the negative impact to a minimum:

We use only special dishes or glass, but not metal.
You cannot heat food in the microwave, which is a liquid in an airtight shell. This includes inshell eggs, wrapped sausages, bagged soups, and other similar foods and gadgets.
It is best to completely abandon semi-finished products. The only exceptions are self-cooked dishes, with a clear and safe composition without the addition of preservatives, dyes, flavors (including various sauces).
Plastic bags and plastic are also unacceptable when starting the microwave. Not only can these components respond negatively to exposure, under the influence of high temperatures they also react with food. As a result, food is saturated with toxic compounds that are harmful to the human body.
Despite the fact that the principle of operation of the microwave oven can be easily explained even to children, you should not let kids near it. Still, the absence of the harmful effect of products on the human body has not yet been proven.

It is imperative that immediately after purchasing the device and from time to time during its use, it is necessary to check its tightness. This can be done using a mobile phone. We place the device inside the device and close the door. We call him from another phone and check the signal quality (no need to go to another room for this). If the signal does not pass, the oven tightness is high. Otherwise, the product is damaged or simply of poor quality. Even being near him is dangerous to humans.

Today, more and more people are inclined to believe that even the obvious convenience of microwave ovens does not justify their possible negative effects. Therefore, housewives en masse return to the use of more troublesome, but familiar household items.