Microwave ovens have been proven dangerous. Brain activity and energy

We buy to throw away! This is approximately how one can estimate human consumption natural vitamin C contained in raw vegetables and meat products. During culinary processing, 50 to 100% of this essential vitamin for humans is lost, which is extremely unstable and easily destroyed under the influence of atmospheric oxygen. high temperatures, Sveta. Therefore, many people suffer from a lack of vitamin C in the body. Surveys conducted in various cities of Russia revealed a catastrophic deficiency of this vitamin in 40-70% of the population. Professor V.B. Spiricheva in the journal “Nutrition Issues” provides the following data: 90% of those surveyed consume less vitamin C than is necessary for health, and not only low-income people, but also families with a high standard of living experience a lack of it.

There is an opinion that you can compensate for the lack of vitamin C in the body if you drink regularly fortified preparations. But pills are expensive and don't give us the pleasure that comes from delicious food. Apparently, this is why most often we drink them irregularly; we usually remember about them during illness. In fact, Vitamin C, the most important natural Antioxidant, enhances defensive reaction body against microbes. Therefore the laureate Nobel Prize L. Pauling suggested using large doses ascorbic acid at colds. But the help that we offer our body already during illness is somewhat delayed - after all, it is much more important to provide ourselves with vitamin C before the onset of the disease, this will give the body maximum resistance. That's why you need to enter into your daily diet fresh fruits. Oranges and lemons are richest in vitamin C. During winter and spring, when a person is most deficient in vitamin C, it is beneficial to eat an orange or lemon every day or drink a glass orange juice. But, unfortunately, this method of replenishing the lack of ascorbic acid is not suitable for everyone: some people have stomach problems. sour juice, some people can’t afford to buy fruit every day.

There are other proposals: experts advise adding special vitamin C stabilizers to food products, enriching food products with them, creating fortified drinks, for example “Golden Ball” (see “Science and Life” No. 1, 1996), developing special packaging, in which the vitamin is destroyed more slowly.

But do we really need synthetic vitamins and tropical fruits? After all, the potatoes and cabbage that we eat every day contain enough ascorbic acid to more than provide us with vitamin C. Only this vitamin is lost during heat treatment - boiling, stewing, frying. One of the solutions to the problem of vitamin C deficiency lies in a completely different area - in the use of new technological cooking methods that make it possible to reduce the temperature of food processing and thereby preserve some of the vitamin C from destruction.

Not long ago, one of the most modern models was tested at the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. microwave ovens(CE 104 CF from Samsung Electronics). It turned out that the preservation of vitamin C in meat products and vegetables after processing in a microwave oven is on average 30-50% higher than in the same products cooked traditional way. Vitamin C is especially well preserved in meat products and some vegetables - pumpkin, squash, peppers, Brussels sprouts, cooked in the microwave. Even in ordinary potatoes, 90% of the ascorbic acid contained in it is preserved.

The most simple products, cooked in a microwave oven, will help increase the family's vitamin C intake by more than 1.5 times. So you can do without tropical fruits, pills or fortified foods.

Sometimes metal utensils are equipped with a multi-layer bottom made of several metals. For example, between the layers of steel there is a layer of aluminum, a very heat-intensive metal, so that the pan turns into something like a thermos, where food is not boiled, but evaporated. Despite the advantages of this cooking method, there is a danger that the multilayer bottom may lose its shape, since the coefficients of thermal expansion differ for different metals. Therefore, pans with a thick bottom made of the same stainless steel are more reliable. Stainless steel cookware is often equipped with heat-resistant glass lids with a built-in thermometer. It is sometimes called a temperature controller, although, in fact, it is an ordinary bimetallic thermometer - it only shows the temperature in the pan, but does not regulate the heating. Manufacturers recommend turning off the stove when the temperature reaches 90 degrees. For those who are not always comfortable standing and waiting for this exciting moment, it is better to abandon the thermometer on the lid - there is always a danger that the thermometer will burst if it overheats.

Some companies apply it to stainless steel cookware. thin layer 24 carat gold. This does not provide any advantage for cooking or improving its quality, but the price of the cookware increases significantly.

Porcelain and earthenware cookware, resistant to heat, is quite convenient and ensures excellent quality of cooked food. However, the glaze that covers it may contain lead additives, which makes this cookware dangerous. Consequently, porcelain and earthenware can only be purchased from well-known manufacturers. Pots made of ordinary ceramics are also quite convenient, they can withstand heat well, distribute heat evenly and provide high quality food. But they are quite difficult to clean if they are not glazed on the inside. Glaze can release toxic impurities, and to remove them, you must first boil water and vinegar diluted in a ratio of 1:3 in pots.

For microwave ovens, they usually use dishes made of heat-resistant pressed glass, which are easy to clean, are not afraid of heat, and do not change the taste and color of food. Ceramics (without adding metal), thick porcelain, and earthenware without “golden” patterns are also suitable for stoves.

In conclusion, I want to say: do not rush to throw away the cast iron or aluminum cookware you inherited from your grandmothers. The only drawback of cast iron cookware is heavy weight, otherwise it is not inferior to modern pots and pans. As for aluminum cookware, it is also suitable for preparing dishes from cereals, lean meat, potatoes, and pasta. IN Lately They write a lot about the dangers of aluminum for the body, which is true in many respects, but in normal conditions this metal does not get into food because there is a thin and durable film of aluminum oxide on the surface of the cookware. But store and cook dairy dishes, cabbage soup, compotes in aluminum containers, salted fish, pickled vegetables and mushrooms, sauerkraut It’s not worth it - in acidic and alkaline environments, the solubility of aluminum increases sharply, and part of it goes into products, which is not at all good for health. You should also not clean aluminum cookware with abrasive powders or hard brushes - this will remove the protective film and the metal will come into contact with food. If this happens, wait to use the dishes for two to three days until the protective film forms again. If these rules are followed, aluminum cookware will last a long time and without harm to health.

Candidate of Biological Sciences A. Lushnikova.

Greetings to all my subscribers. I think there is hardly a housewife who does not have a microwave oven in her everyday life. This useful technique has struggled to find its way into our kitchens. However, like all devices that appeared at the beginning of the 20th century. People are still figuring out whether microwave ovens are harmful to humans.

No wonder. After all, the first Cell phones, washing machines and refrigerators were called tools of the devil by clergy. They urged people not to use such equipment, so as not to incur various troubles. Little by little, these household appliances have become overgrown with myths and horror stories. Let's find out what research has been done in this area.

I want to say right away that the majority negative reviews due to basic ignorance of the device. I recommend that you definitely read my article on the principle of operation of a microwave oven. This will make it easier for you to weed out far-fetched myths from real research.

Myth one– microwaves are radioactive. These are the arguments of people far from physics. The waves that the magnetron emits are non-ionizing. They cannot have a radioactive effect on either products or people.

Myth two– the molecular structure of foods changes in the microwave. Everything cooked in it becomes carcinogenic. I didn't find any scientific research, which would confirm this. X-ray and ionizing radiation can make a product carcinogenic. Microwaves are not. Moreover, a carcinogen can be obtained by overcooking the product in oil. In a regular frying pan!

As for microwaves, it’s just the opposite; food can be cooked without oil. In a microwave oven, everything is cooked quickly; food is not exposed to prolonged heat. This means that the products contain a minimum of burnt fat. Molecular structure which actually changes during prolonged heat treatment.

Myth three- magnetic radiation from microwave ovens is dangerous. In fact, the radiation of microwaves is the same as the flow of waves from Wi-Fi or an LCD TV. It's just more powerful during cooking. But the device is designed in such a way that it remains inside the device. It has been scientifically proven that microwaves in the atmosphere quickly attenuate. They do not tend to accumulate in surrounding objects or products. Once the magnetron is turned off, the microwaves disappear. Of course, this does not mean that you need to stick your face to the glass during cooking. To watch the cooking. The safe distance from the device is arm's length.

Scientific evidence of the harm from microwaves and its benefits

Opponents of using microwave ovens claim that products in them lose all their beneficial properties. But I think you know very well that any heat treatment of the product leads to this. What negatively affects nutrients:

• heat
• long cooking time
• water used for cooking. Some of the nutrient water-soluble substances remain in it.

It has been scientifically proven that food loses less nutrients in the microwave than on the stove. This happens, firstly, because water is not used.

Secondly, the cooking time is shorter, which means heat treatment is minimal. Thirdly, the temperature in the microwave oven rises to 100 degrees. This is much less temperature stoves and especially ovens. Two studies have confirmed that such cooking does not result in significant loss of nutrients. It has been compared to other cooking methods ( 1 , 2 ).

However, not all foods should be cooked in a microwave oven. It destroys the anti-cancer substances contained in garlic in just one minute. In the oven they are completely destroyed only after 45 minutes. This was confirmed by one study ( 3 ). The conclusion is simple. Garlic should not be added to dishes while cooking in the microwave.

Next research showed that microwaving destroyed 97% of the flavonoid antioxidants in broccoli. Moreover, if you cook it on the stove, only 66% will be destroyed. This argument is often used by opponents of microwave ovens. But let's be realistic - during cooking, we also calculated those substances that went into the water. Will you drink this water later?

Let's talk about baby food. It’s also not worth putting it in a microwave oven. It will not become harmful, but will become less useful for the child. This is especially important for breast milk. As a result of uneven heating, they die in it. beneficial bacteria (4 ). I advise you to watch a video with Dr. Komarovsky on this topic.

Research still speaks in favor of heating and cooking food in a microwave oven. Less is lost in it useful properties products than when boiling and frying.

Is microwave oven harmful to health?

There is no official evidence that microwaves are dangerous to people. Yes, this is actively discussed, but I have not seen any sources. To describe a specific case with the subjects. That this study be officially registered by WHO. But this household appliance has been actively used for more than 30 years.

One official study proves that microwaved chicken is healthier than fried chicken. Since much less heterocyclic amines are formed during the cooking process. This harmful substances, which are released during overcooking meat products. The experiment proves that much more of them are formed in a frying pan ( 5 ).

It is difficult to overcook a product in a microwave oven. Cooking in it is something between boiling and stewing. Products are cooked in their own juices without or with minimal use of oil. It is important to stir them constantly, as the cooking process itself can become harmful. After all, they warm up unevenly.

As I wrote above, in a microwave oven the products are heated to the boiling point of water. With uneven heating, pathogenic bacteria are not completely destroyed. Therefore, it is advisable to cover the container in which you cook with a lid. This way the product will warm up faster and, along with the splashes, bacteria will not settle on the walls of the stove.

Whether heating food in the microwave or cooking is harmful or not, everyone decides for themselves. When making a decision, I advise you to pay attention to the opinion of the WHO. It has officially confirmed that such equipment does not provide harmful influence per person. And also it is not harmful to food.

The only warning that WHO has expressed concerns heart patients. People with implanted cardiac stimulators should not be near the device while it is on. Microwave radiation may adversely affect the functioning of the pacemaker. This applies not only to microwave ovens, but also to mobile phones.

Why not all dishes are suitable for the microwave

It is important to understand that microwaves can heat plastic. And it contains various carcinogens. These are benzene, toluene, polyethylene terephthalate, xylene and dioxins. Also, various plastic containers may contain substances that affect hormones. When heating food in such a container, the product may absorb these harmful substances. Naturally, such food will be hazardous to health.

I myself have been using the microwave as needed for a long time. Mainly to heat up food. Sometimes I can cook something. By the way, omelet turns out great in the microwave. Without a single drop vegetable oil. Prepares literally within 5 minutes, does not burn. If you use 1.5% milk you get a dietary breakfast!

I want to give you some simple tips:

1. If you are cooking or heating something, cover the dish with a lid. Make sure that it stands strictly in the middle of the rotating plate. Stir/turn the product at least once during cooking.
2. Do not stand closer than 50 cm to the device.
3. Wipe down the oven walls with a damp, soapy sponge after each meal.
4. Clean your microwave and turntable with vinegar at least once a month. If you cook in it often - every two weeks.
5. Do not use plastic or metal utensils, or containers with chips.

To summarize, we can conclude that this device does not pose a danger to people. Children and pregnant women can also use it. There is no data to support the contrary. And the device is even useful for preparing some dishes. It is possible to cook without oil and water. The product will be dietary. It will also retain more nutrients.

Of course, this does not mean that you need to give up sauteing, baking and boiling. There must be moderation in everything. A microwave oven is just a useful addition to a gas or electric stove. What do you think?

PS: I moved to Ufa

My dears, I moved to Ufa. We flew from Bangkok at +30 degrees, and arrived in Ufa at +3. We put on everything we could and the bags were almost empty :)

It's already the 2nd week that we've been living here. While we look around, gradually studying what is where. At least I stopped walking around the apartment in a jacket and two pants :) This means that acclimatization is almost complete.

We went to the monument to Salavat Yulaev. Here I am

There is a widespread claim that microwave ovens destroy everything. useful material in prepared foods, such as minerals and vitamins.

Is it true?

Answer: no. In fact, microwaving food retains more nutrients than standard cooking.

Cooking food in any case destroys the nutrients it contains. However, several factors must be taken into account, including cooking temperature, amount of water added, and cooking time.

For example, folic acid and B and C, which are present in vegetables, are most sensitive to heat and easily dissolve in water.

Microwave ovens use less heat during cooking. The cooking time in them is also reduced. That is why they do not have as strong a destructive effect on food as the usual way cooking.

Temperature causes vitamins to become inactive. Raising the temperature of food in the microwave above the boiling point will certainly have a more destructive effect on the substances than with the standard cooking method. However, this destructive effect is greatly reduced by reducing the time required for cooking.

It is advisable to use less water when cooking vegetables in the microwave. This way, the amount of beneficial nutrients that dissolve can be reduced.

Ultimately, this study shows that there are negligible differences between standard cooking and microwave use in terms of preserving vitamins in food. It is better, however, to steam vegetables at.

There are a few exceptions. A 2003 study showed that when cooked in a microwave oven, 74% or more of their phenolic components are lost. With simple cooking - 66 percent. In addition, you should not put milk in the microwave - this reduces the properties of infection-fighting agents.

A microwave oven is a household appliance that allows you to heat treatment products using microwaves. These are ordinary radio waves with a frequency of 2450 MHz. Microwaves penetrating the product cause the product molecules to vibrate. More precisely, not all molecules vibrate, but only water molecules. This causes heating food products, since water is contained in any of them. No significant changes occur in the product itself, so food from the microwave is not at all harmful, and is even beneficial - unlike, for example, frying in oil, in which carcinogenic substances are formed under the influence of high temperatures.

Is microwaved food harmful or healthy?

The latest research by scientists and comments from experts will help us understand this.

When microwave ovens first appeared on the market Russian market, a horror story immediately appeared with them: “Microwave food causes cancer.” There were also scares that microwaves affect intrauterine development child, calling pathological changes. That microwave food is simply full of carcinogens...

According to latest research market of household appliances, every fifth Russian family has a microwave. And in the United States, only 10 people do not have microwave ovens. When purchasing, sales consultants assure that “this stove model” is shielded from radiation and is completely safe for health. So, is there still a danger?

Don't put your hands in the oven!

“Well, of course there is,” says Oleg DRONITSKY, director of the TEST-BET testing center. – If you put your hand in the microwave, you will get a burn. Just like in a regular oven. But you are unlikely to succeed in trying to fry it in the microwave. Because everything modern models are equipped not only with a lock when the stove is operating, but also with child protection when the appliance is turned off.

A microwave oven uses radio waves, just like a regular receiver, only much more powerful and of a different frequency. We are exposed to radio waves every day. different frequencies– from cell phones, televisions, computers, etc. Microwave waves directed at food bind protein, which also happens during boiling. After finishing work, no residual radiation remains in the food. That is, in fact, food from a microwave is just as harmful as food cooked on a regular stove.

Yes, microwave radiation in pure form can affect a person, including serious burns. But microwave ovens are equipped with a special metal mesh through which radiation does not pass. So the harm will be noticeable only if for eight hours every day the person experiencing this harm is at a distance of 5 cm from the microwave. Only at this distance can harmful microwaves breaking through from the microwave be partially detected.

IMPORTANT!

In Russia there are sanitary standards- “Extremely permissible levels energy flux density created by microwave ovens" (SN No. 2666-83). According to them, the energy flux density is electromagnetic field should not exceed 10 µW/cm2 at a distance of 50 cm from any point of the furnace body when heating 1 liter of water. Almost all new modern microwave ovens meet this safety requirement with a large margin.

KO COMMENTARY OF A GASTROENTEROLOGIST

Food is like steam

“I can’t say that microwave ovens are absolutely safe,” says gastroenterologist Galina SAMOILOVA. – But the idea that food from the microwave becomes carcinogenic is complete nonsense. It can be carcinogenic if it initially contained harmful substances. But they will not be able to form during the cooking process.

BY THE WAY

Will microwaves treat arrhythmia?

Australian scientists have developed a method that allows the desired areas of the heart to be heated to 55 degrees in a few seconds. Temperature destroys damaged areas, blocking the paths of propagation of “wrong” cardiac impulses.

– The same way a microwave oven heats meat. Only in our case, the area of ​​action of microwaves is much more precise, and local heating is recorded and controlled,” the scientists explained.

Scientists' opinions: pros and cons

American scientists say that thanks to microwave ovens, the incidence of stomach cancer has decreased in America. And all because no oil is added to food cooked in the microwave. And the cooking method resembles the most gentle one - steam.

Microwaves also preserve vitamins and minerals in food twice as well due to the short cooking time. The Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Sciences calculated that when cooking food on a stove, up to 60 vitamin C is destroyed. And under the influence of microwaves - only from 2 to 25 percent.

But Spanish scientists, on the contrary, indignantly claim that broccoli cooked in the microwave loses up to 98 percent of its vitamins and minerals.

In 1989, Swiss biologist Hertel, together with Professor Bernard Blank, tried to study the effect of microwave food on humans. Since they were not given money for a full-scale study, the scientists limited themselves to one experimental subject, who took turns eating food cooked on the stove and then in the microwave. Scientists assured that after microwave food, changes occurred in the test subject’s blood that resembled the beginning pathological process that is, cancer. In other words, the number of leukocytes increased. Therefore, regularly eating microwaved food could lead to blood cancer, scientists said. But their words were not heeded.

And this year World organization The health authority issued a verdict: microwaves use radiation that does not have a harmful effect on either humans or food. The only “but”: implanted cardiac stimulators can be sensitive to the intensity of the microwave flux. Therefore, WHO recommends that those with pacemakers avoid cell phones and microwaves.

A microwave oven can do almost everything: defrost meat, bake fish, cook grilled chicken. It's very convenient - no doubt about it. But talk about the dangers of microwaves never ceases.

Microwave ovens have become indispensable assistants for many. Those who have children no longer need to worry about the child, who will now heat up his own lunch without turning on the stove. And it has become much easier and faster for very tired adults to heat up their dinner after returning from work late. Fast defrosting is another plus. Using a microwave, food can be defrosted much faster. Inner surface Microwaves are made of stainless steel or ceramic. Both surfaces are easy to clean. In addition, the electricity consumption of microwave ovens is almost half that of electric stoves. It is not necessary to buy special dishes for microwaves. The one you already have in your kitchen will do. The main thing is that there is no metal trim on it.

However, with the advent of microwave ovens, endless debates began in almost every home about the fact that such useful household appliances can be harmful to health. Naturally, we were talking about the dangers of rays, with the help of which the stove heats food, for human health.

Here It is necessary to understand exactly what processes occur when foods are heated. The microwave emits ordinary radio waves at a frequency of 2450 MHz, which penetrate the food and cause the water molecules it contains to vibrate. As a result of these vibrations, heat is created. After finishing the work, the waves cannot remain in the product itself. So food cooked in a microwave cannot be harmful. And compared to food fried in oil, food cooked in the microwave is even healthy. Waves can damage the health of a person or any other creature only if they directly affect some part of his body. That's why you won't find a microwave that can operate with the door open. Also, the glass on the microwave doors is covered with a metal mesh, which absorbs the waves and prevents them from affecting anything outside the microwave. But experts still recommend buying the latest models of microwave ovens, and if you use a very old model, they recommend replacing them. So There is nothing to be afraid of - feel free to buy a microwave oven. It will save you a lot of time and help you prepare delicious food quickly and conveniently.

Microwave ovens help us speed up cooking without spending a lot of time at the stove. However, there is an opinion that microwave ovens destroy products from the inside, making them biologically inferior. Quite a lot of people today refuse microwave ovens because of the dangers they pose.

Microwave ovens are a source electromagnetic radiation(one of the types of non-ionizing radiation). When radiation penetrates the structure of the product, they force water molecules to rotate at tremendous speed in time with changes in the electromagnetic field. This rotation causes friction between the molecules, which results in fast growth temperature. Microwave ovens cause water to literally boil inside food.

There is no atom, molecule or cell that can withstand such destructive force even in the low energy range. Microwaves instantly break down fragile molecules and phytonutrients.

In a study published in Raum & Zelt in 1992, scientists compared microwaved foods with conventional ones. “Microwave ovens cause every food molecule to change polarity more than a billion times per second. The production of new unnatural compounds is inevitable. Natural amino acids have undergone isomeric transformations and also acquired toxicity.”

Microwave ovens cause destruction (denaturation) of many food proteins, rendering them useless. biological point vision. Experts have concluded that food cooked in a microwave oven loses 60% to 90% of its nutrients.

At the same time, the structural destruction of products is increasing. In 1976, microwave ovens were banned in the USSR. Soviet scientists discovered that microwave ovens reduce the absorption of certain vitamins by the body and significantly accelerate the structural breakdown of foods. In 1991, Swiss doctor Hans Ulrich Hertel found that people who ate food cooked in a microwave oven had more low performance hemoglobin and lymphocytes in the blood.

In 2003, Spanish researchers found that vegetables and fruits cooked in a microwave lost 97% of the substances that help reduce risk. coronary disease hearts. In the book by Dr. Lit Lee, “The Health Consequences of Microwave Radiation. Microwave ovens”, it is reported that the microwave oven transforms substances and contributes to the formation of toxic and carcinogenic products.

Dr. Hertel was the first scientist to conduct qualitative analysis the influence of microwave products on the blood and physiology of the body. His a little research proved the destructive power of furnaces. The blood picture of the experiment participants worsened.

Brain activity and energy

Here are some of the effects on the body caused by eating microwave foods, according to Prevent Disease:

• Destruction of the "field" vital energy» a person with long-term consequences;
• Destabilization of cell membrane potentials;
• Disruption of hormone production and hormonal balance in men and women;
• Distribution violation nerve impulses inside the brain, especially the frontal areas responsible for higher cognitive functions;
• Nervous decay electrical circuits and loss of symmetry in nerve centers frontal and occipital regions of the brain, as well as in the autonomic nervous system;
• High levels brain disorders in alpha, theta and delta rhythms of the brain.

Such cellular and neural disorders lead to larger problems: negative psychological consequences, memory loss, loss of ability to concentrate, slowing down of thought processes.

Carcinogens

Since substances change under the influence of microwaves, this leads to diseases of the digestive system. Exposure of food to microwaves may contribute to the development of carcinogens and cancerous growth blood and intestinal cells. According to Russian researchers published by Atlantis Raising:

• Meat cooked in a microwave oven contains high levels carcinogen Nitrosodienthanolamin;
• Milk and grains under the influence of microwave radiation also accumulate carcinogens that are transformed from amino acids;
• Thawing frozen fruit converts glucoside and galactoside into substances that promote tumor growth;
• Raw, boiled or frozen vegetables accumulate carcinogens that are formed from plant alkaloids;
• Free radicals are often formed when root vegetables are irradiated;

Russian researchers also reported accelerating structural degradation leading to a decline in nutritional value for all products. Below are the most important findings:

• Reduced bioavailability of B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E and minerals was observed in all products;
• Loss of 60-90% of the internal energy of products, which naturally does not lead to the human body receiving energy;
• Reduced capabilities of the alkaloid integration process;
• Destruction of the nutritional value of nucleoproteins in meat;
• Acceleration of structural disintegration in all foods.