Saturday, April 30, 2011

Microwaves and the Dirty Truth

A years ago as a young bride I was heating a seed filled “boo boo” pad in the microwave and it had a small explosion. Needless to say after that the unit was toast and the tiny apartment we were currently living in had an odd smell for a few days. At this point I was not very “green” and my motivation for not replacing the microwave was monetary...just not worth it! Fast forward a few years and I have been transformed to a green guru. Now my reasons for a microwave free kitchen are more grounded in fact. So here is the deal on microwaves,
The food molecules are transformed
Heating from the inside out. My favorite example is the burrito. The middle heats up faster then the outside so to the touch it appears to be uncooked and in need of more time. Then you bite into the beast and the middle is boiling lava hot, ouch! This process was enough for me to stay away from the unit but then I found that the process of microwaving food causes certain carcinogens. It shifts around the molecules causing the food to become unrecongizable by your body and / or toxic. In fact, in 1976 the Soviet Union banned the use of microwave ovens! (healthscience.com)
Not good for baby
Mothers are told in parenting classes, by seasoned mommies and by breastfeeding literature that breastmilk cannot be heated in the microwave. Have you ever wondered why? Why would it be okay for me to heat cows milk and drink it but I shouldn’t heat up human milk? It is because the process destroys important properties of the milk. On top of that it is recommended that formula should also not be microwaved,
“Microwaving baby formulas converted certain trans-amino acids into their synthetic cis-isomers. Synthetic isomers, whether cis-amino acids or trans-fatty acids, are not biologically active. Further, one of the amino acids, L-proline, was converted to its d-isomer, which is known to be neurotoxic (poisonous to the nervous system) and nephrotoxic (poisonous to the kidneys). It's bad enough that many babies are not nursed, but now they are given fake milk (baby formula) made even more toxic via microwaving." - Dr. Lita Lee of Hawaii
It changes your blood
This is truly creepy, here is what happened. “In 1991, there was a lawsuit in Oklahoma concerning the hospital use of a microwave oven to warm blood needed in a transfusion. The case involved a hip surgery patient, Norma Levitt, who died from a simple blood transfusion. It seems the nurse had warmed the blood in a microwave oven. This tragedy makes it very apparent that there's much more to "heating" with microwaves than we've been led to believe. Blood for transfusions is routinely warmed, but not in microwave ovens. In the case of Mrs. Levitt, the microwaving altered the blood and it killed her.” - Robert O. Becker's The Body Electric, and in Ellen Sugarman's book, Warning, the Electricity Around You May Be Hazardous to Your Health.

What’s a Green Guru To Do?
Get rid of the microwave! I have happily lived with out one for about 5 years. Yes, it does take a little longer to cook foods but if you have a working oven, a nice toaster and several pots then you will learn quickly how to deal. I have found that food just plain tastes better when it is heated in the conventional oven. So here is the dirty truth about that magical heating box in your kitchen, do with it what you may.

Resources
http://www.health-science.com/microwave_hazards.html
Robert O. Becker's The Body Electric, and in Ellen Sugarman's book, Warning, the Electricity Around You May Be Hazardous to Your Health.

Make sure to check out my 1st ever Spring Sale in my Etsy store on hankies and baby items. Also come on over and enter my latest organic giveaway!

8 comments:

  1. Intersting and iformative post. I've heard other things along those lines as well. It certainly does make you think. Microwaves are so convenient but most things taste way better when you cook or reheat on the stove or in the oven. Think I'll use the latter two more often now!

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  2. Yikes, makes me look at my microwave with new eyes:) Thank you.

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  3. Yikes! I've always been suspicious of my microwave. I use it only when I need something on the fly. Boils water in a flash too. Thanks for the info,hmm something to think about.

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  4. WOw! Thanks for sharing this! Interesting info!

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  7. When my last microwave arced I didn't buy a new one. I think they are scary when they malfunction. I have a good sized toaster oven that I use when I don't want to use the regular oven. I do miss being able to warm my heat buddy in it. Does anyone know of another way to warm it, or is there another type of heat buddy that you can warm in a different way?

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  8. That's my question too! The only thing I miss about the microwave is my "boo boo buddy". Does anyone know about one that you can heat in the oven?

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