What the HECK is the difference between what this article says about microwaved foods and cooked foods. It seems the same to me... well, sort of... just seems like microwaved foods is like "pushing it" more but its kinda still the same.. Okay, so here is the article that I cut and pasted... but my cutting and pasting was kind of "botched"... everything seems cramped together.. but u get the picture...



Throw out your Microwave Oven
Posted: November, 2000

From the conclusions of the Swiss, Russian and German scientific clinical studies, we can no longer ignore the microwave oven sitting in our kitchens. Based on this research, we will conclude this article with the following:

1. Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long term - permanent - brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain [de-polarizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue]. 2. The human body cannot metabolize [break down] the unknown by-products created in microwaved food. 3. Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved foods. 4. The effects of microwaved food by-products are residual [long term, permanent] within the human body. 5. Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefit, or the human body absorbs altered compounds that cannot be broken down. 6. The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens. 7. Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths [tumors]. This may explain the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in America. 8. The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in human blood. 9. Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and blood serum alterations. 10. Eating microwaved food causes loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.

Wow, interesting.

Would you mind posting the link to this article? Interesting stuff. I wish I could get my husband to stop microwaving his food.

I've never trusted microwaves.

When I got my house I made sure not to have a microwave.

Kit

hey roxeli

i didn't keep track of the address

i think though that it was under the internet heading of

10 top reasons to throw out your microwave

that's the best i can remember

hmmm... but seems like there are ooodles and ooodles of links concerning how microwaving your foods is tantamount to microwaving your cells and brainards ( brains and innards)

Great article... thanks!


I have never, ever had a microwave in my life, even when I wasn't raw or vegetarian the thought never crossed my mind... and people think I am so weird because I don't. But even before I was on my various health kicks over the years, I knew that there was something so very very wrong with zapping your foods.

Is there any link back to the studies? Names of the scientists etc? I've been searching and can't find anything authoritative.

inspirit - aka coolkarma

For one thing, it occurs to me that the food-like substances people put into microwaves is unhealthy to start with. Microwaving sure isn't going to help any.

inspirit - aka coolkarma

ferg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have never, ever had a microwave in my life,
> even when I wasn't raw or vegetarian the thought
> never crossed my mind... and people think I am so
> weird because I don't. But even before I was on my
> various health kicks over the years, I knew that
> there was something so very very wrong with
> zapping your foods.

ME TOO!!! exactly.

inspirit Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> For one thing, it occurs to me that the food-like
> substances people put into microwaves is unhealthy
> to start with. Microwaving sure isn't going to
> help any.

Ha! very funny. funny 'cause it's true.
i think along similar lines when i see mcdeath wrappers on the ground. why would someone who doesn't care in the slightest what they put into their own bodies care about what they put into the environment? it's an all around level on consciousness. there's just no way to keep on with the poor behaviors once you realize the truth. i clean up my act more and more every year that i'm on this planet. hopefully my kids will do the same.

peace.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/2007 07:37PM by coco.

First, let me tell you my unbelievable scientific experiment with microwaves, cellulite, and detox...

I ate raw for 14 months. When I started raw, I lost 2 inches of cellulite in the first two weeks (wow!), and then another inch gradually. After 14 months, I returned to cooked, because I was spending too much time in the kitchen and couldn't afford it given my graduate studies. When I went back to cooked, I regained a tiny bit of cellulite over a couple months, but no big deal. Then I got really cramped on time, so I decided to start purchasing microwave dinners--the healthy ones, basically the Amy's Kitchen ones, like the organic, whole food burritos. I started eating a microwave dinner every day. I did this most days for about 2 months, and at the end of those two months, I had gained two inches of cellulite!! Of course, after about a month of rapid cellulite gain, I was surprised and suspicious of that microwaving was the culprit, but I was sort of in disbelief, so I continued eating food that I had heated up in the microwave. Finally, after another month and gaining another inch of cellulite, I stopped. And surprisingly, I stopped gaining cellulite...hmmm...
Of course, this didn't prove anything, because other variables could have correlated with the use of microwaving, like I wasn't eating Amy's Kitchen products (which are really healthy, as far as cooked food goes) when I wasn't microwaving food.

Okay, so another half a year passes, and I gain virtually no cellulite. So for some reason, I get the interesting idea to do a scientific experiment on myself to see whether microwaving does indeed give me cellulite. I decided to do a 4-month-long CONTROLLED scientific experiment on myself. I decided to eat Amy's Kitchen organic whole food burritos (2 burritos, valued at ~700 calories) for 4 full months, every day without fail. For the first 2 of those months, I microwaved the burritos, and ate them. Sadly, after the end of those two months, I gained two (more) inches of cellulite! Here's the kicker, two days after I stop microwaving Amy's burritos, but instead cook them in the oven, I get a detox reaction: I got a yeast infection and a headache (the *only* other time in my entire life that I got a yeast infection was when I went 50% raw = my first experience with raw; I've never ever got them on cooked food). For the next two months, I gain no cellulite, not even an 1/8 of inch, even though I am still eating 2 Amy's burritos a day. The ONLY difference was the method of heating: microwave vs. conventional oven; my food intake was exactly the same. Despite the carefulness of my experimentation, it's still very hard for me to accept this; but I guess that's the beauty of scientific experiments: it's hard to refute the evidence, even when we don't want to believe it. I will never ever touch microwaves again. (Fortunately, I have gone raw again, and have lost 3 of the 4 inches of cellulite I gained from microwaving foods.)

However, I want to also say the following: I am very sensitive to chemicals, toxins, etc., far more than the average person. My boyfriend does not noticeably gain cellulite when he eats microwaved foods. This is all to say that microwaved foods may be dangerous to some people but not to others, or just that some people, like myself, are very sensitive to the effects of microwaved foods. Or perhaps, I just the canary in the coal mine, while other people are affected by microwaved foods, but just don't notice it.

So why is microwaving likely worse than conventional cooking? One, the methods are different. Microwaves use long-wavelenth radiation (microwaves) to increase the energy of water molecules, which ultimately increases the temperature of the food the water is in (they do this by excitating the rotational energy levels of water). However, in the process, radiolytic compounds may be produced, i.e., the radiation may generate new chemicals by splitting compounds. Another hypothesis that has been advanced is simply that microwave cooking does not heat foods uniformly, and that super-heated pockets form, creating more destructive compounds or denaturing more of the compounds in the food. Though this idea is appealing and a number of scientists think it may be correct, on an intuitive level, it seems to me that conventional cooking is should heat less uniformly, since it depends on heat transfer, instead of uniform radiation of a food.

So I don't think anyone knows the complete answer, though there are pieces of info in scattered places. For example, I've seen people who have posted experiments on the growth of plants in heated vs. microwaved water, and those in heated water grew taller, which is super-surprising--but I haven't verified this, or seen this in the scientific literature. However, I have seen experiments in the scientific literature showing that more nutrients are degraded when, say, breast milk is heated by microwaving, than by conventional cooking. Plus, there is an urban legend, that may be true, that microwaved blood transfusions can kill people (whereas conventional blood warming does not), and thus are banned.

My own suspicions are that something about microwaving is awry. I'd personally not consume any microwaved foods, even if you don't suffer from noticeable effects.

I hope this helps! I'd be curious to know if anyone else can conducted any experiments on microwaving.

Best Wishes.







Microwaves and cooking use different forms of energy to cook foods

What I remember about microwave ovens is the heating mechanism is very irregular, where certain spots in the food get super heated, and other place don't. If you let the food sit for a while, the hot spots dissipate, and the overall temperature is constant. The fats and liquids in the foods are susceptible to this superheating. Super heating a fat will create a lot more carcinogens then a fat cooked at a lower temperature of a conventional oven. This is probably why the food becomes so much more toxic.

Did you also take into account the sodium in the micro meals? They may be healthy/organic, but I know they ALL have super high quantities of sodium..sodium is a major factor in cellulite.

I have never added salt to my food, but still had cellulite. As soon as I started on the mainly fruit thing, my cellulite has almost disappeared, even though I haven't lost much weight. Now if I even eat a home prepared bowl of lentils, my watch strap gives leaves an indentation on my wrist (already puffing up from the higher sodium content) and I can wake up a kg heavier the next day..

I'm not saying microwaves are not bad for you, I've never allowed one in my home, but I would like to see some studies with some science behind them so that people will finally believe it without simply brushing it off by saying there's no proof out there, just baseless pseudo-studies. That pretty much sums up the whole healthy living scenario..

I don't believe it's any better or worse for any given internal temperature reached and duration, if one could hold them constant for comparison. The glycotoxin people (Vlassara, Peppa et al.) are saying that internal temperature is the most important factor for toxin formation, more important than duration or cooking method.

Still crispy sweet potato slices microwaved for 30 sec are probably better for you than boiling for 3 minutes.

Another thing to consider is environmental impact: microwaves are much more efficient than conventional stovetops or ovens.

Interesting. I never owned a microwave. I always thought the microwaved food was tasteless.

Gosia


RawGosia channel
RawGosia streams

Here is the link to the original artical for those that wanted it
[noname4me.wordpress.com]

Hmm.. that may not be "the" original.. I think that artical may be in many places

Bryan has it right (again) about the "hot spots" in microwaved foods. If you read the instructions carefully, most microwave instructions say to "cook" the food for a certain length of time, then wait for another period (usually from one to a few minutes) before eating it. That waiting period is to allow the heat energy to spread around from the hot spots to the colder areas.

These hot spots are created because the microwaves are generated in a "beam", like x-rays from an x-ray machine. Electromechanical means are used to spread and reflect the waves around inside the oven, and thus around in the food. This is also why platters in microwave ovens rotate: since waves add and cancel within the oven, you move the food around so that more of the food passes through the hotter spots, and the heating is thus spread more uniformly through the food. Although the technology for this has improved over time, it is still fairly inefficient, and hot and cold areas within the food are the result.

Actually, radiant heat such as far-infrared heat and the heat radiated in a conventional oven, heats food much more uniformly, but from the outside surfaces inward, making the outside surfaces the hottest and the innermost parts the coolest. This is a more "natural" way to heat than using concentrated microwaves, but both ways produce chemical breakdowns and changes. [If they didn't, why would anyone want to cook food, to begin with?]

One of the more interesting newer trends among the trendy chef crowd is super-slow cooking at relatively low temperatures. This is basically warming stuff up to perhaps 120 or 140 degrees Fahrenheit, well below usual cooking temperatures, but leaving it at that temperature for 12 hours or more to "slow cook". This seems to change the food much less chemically, but still makes it soft and tender, etc... Unfortunately, even these lower temperatures destroy many enzymes and nutrients. At temperatures low enough to preserve those enzymes and nutrients, you might just be breeeding bacteria at an accelerated rate, so there is truly safe way to cook food, as far as I can find. You either (1) risk elevated bacterial levels with long, low-temp cooking; (2) risk carcinogenic by-products with conventional cooking; (3) risk even more questionable and probably more carcinogenic and teratogenic compounds with microwave cooking.

That said, RAW foods remain free of these concerns, although you still have to consider parasites and possible "bugs" and natural toxins and enzyme inhibitors found in some foods. Regardless of rawness or cooking method, the balance and combination/separation of foods for optimal digestion and nutrient intake must also be considered. All food entails trade-offs and balances, but generally an at-least-mostly raw diet involving a wide variety of different foods seems to be the optimal one.

arkay u have a good point

i also thought that there was no safe way to dehydrate foods too

what with all that low temp going on at about 8 or 12? hours ( i dunno)


it just seems like a set up for bacteria festival

i'm glad i was lazy and never invested in a dehydrator

I have wondered about dehydrating foods and bacteria, too. I made a raw lasagne two times and it tasted a bit tart, or slightly spoiled, but also good. I wasn't sure if it had started to go bad in the dehydrator, or not. No one got sick, but I wonder at times about using the dehydrator. I'd love to hear others talk about the good/bad of dehydrating sometime.

I posted in the past about the microwave experiment a woman did with water to feed her plants. The ones fed with microwaved water (at room temperature, of course) died, while the ones with stovetop boiled water (at room temperature) thrived.

Love,

Gypsy

my thought about dehydrators:


i figure

low warmth+moisture+time

if i were a bacteria, i would thrive in such a LOVELY environment

and i would seek out dehydrators as if they were temples for
us lowly monastic bacterial monks ( bows)

we would have little parties in those translucent receptacles

for 8 or 12 hours

until we became someone's RAWEOS or dehydrated hamburger bun and were eaten up

then we would re unite in someone's intestines

and high five each other LOL

Not exactly connected to microwaves but more so with dehydrators, and becoming increasingly pervasive in nature and in our blood -

Chemicals used in Teflon and Scotchguard are showing up in the bloodstream of humans throughout the world, with higher levels in the United States and other highly developed nations, according to a new study.
---------------------------------------
EPA officials became concerned after 3M revealed that its studies found small amounts in people across the United States. Other 3M tests found the compounds in foods such as apples, bread, green beans and ground beef.
---------------------------------------
In the latest study, eleven researchers from 10 nations collaborated on the examination of perfluoronated compounds in human bloodstreams, published on the Internet by Environmental Science & Technology (subscription required) in advance of regular print publication. A division of the American Chemical Society, a national professional and scientific organization, publishes the bimonthly magazine.

The study analyzed blood from 473 samples from city and suburban residents on four continents. Levels of the most common compounds proved highest in the United States and Poland, and lowest in India.

From [consumeraffairs.com]

Cheers,
J

hey jose

your article says that the PFC's can also be found in apples

hmmm.. i'm wondering.. how?

that must be waxed apples cuz i know that PFC's are a water repellent

and isn't wax a water repellant?

otherwise.. why would PFC's be in the apple? unless it is found in water.. thus gets into soil etc.

hmmm.. i get organic apples

but then again... water doesn't know any boundaries... really

well, thats why i drink lots of dandelions

insurance for my liver from all those pesky unknowables in water etc

Hey veronique, not sure how exactly it's happening, but

Scientists say they don't know how the compounds are being released into the environment. They speculate that as Teflon, Stainmaster, Scotchgard, Gore-Tex and similar products age, the compounds break down and enter the environment. Others think there are unreported releases of the chemicals into air and water.

It seems the pollutants eventually enter into the land, air and water.

I would guess the level of these on apples and plants generally are quite low when compared to the levels people can absorb by eating animal products or using cooking utensils with teflon or being in prolonged contact with other products that contain PFCs.

Cheers,
J

I found a study where beef jerky was injected with bacteria and then dehydrated. The level of bacteria decreased substantially.

The low warmth+moisture+time would cause the bacteria to thrive only if the moisture stayed put rather than dehydration.

In another "highly scientific" experiment. One Thanksgiving when I was a small child, my dad decided to defrost the turkey by placing it in the oven at 100 F over night. We awoke to the most horrible horrible stench of rotting turkey you could ever imagine.

inspirit - aka coolkarma

ewww. gross and funny all at the same time. happy thanksgiving!!

inspirit

<<I found a study where beef jerky was injected with bacteria and then dehydrated. The level of bacteria decreased substantially.>>

it wuz probably because the heating temperatures were also "substantially" high enough to kill all the bacteria



<<In another "highly scientific" experiment. One Thanksgiving when I was a small child, my dad decided to defrost the turkey by placing it in the oven at 100 F over night. We awoke to the most horrible horrible stench of rotting turkey you could ever imagine.>>

100 degrees fahrenheit is still pretty "low" and overnight is a loooong time

so.. yeah... no wonder ... it was just breaking down and all the happy critters that were feeding off of it were having a

FIESTA!! to the max LOL


<<The low warmth+moisture+time would cause the bacteria to thrive only if the moisture stayed put rather than dehydration.\>>

what do you mean by "moisture staying put"?

most raw foods have moisture... e.g. tomatoes, celery,apples, mangoes, etc. etc.

these things do get dehydrated and if temperatures are low enough.. i would imagine that the moisture "stays put" for a while... and i am just speculating that it may be enough "time"

for the little happy bacterial critters to go to town

well, i don't know any of this for sure

just playing around with some ideas

oh yeah.. my E3LIVE is still freezing its little bottle off til the verdict rolls in ( hee hee)

thanks for the articles and links

that's cool karma , inspirit

LV

wow that's crazy. I used to nuke foods all the time when I was in elementary school... I didn't think anything of it. It was just what I knew.

It's so crazy that when we are ignorant we don't even know, and then we don't think of it and look down the line and are all like omg was i not thinking or what?

i made nachos a lot in the micro. it's way faster then the oven for melting cheese. bryan is right though about how it's super hot in some areas, and not in others, and then you wait a minute and it gets hot all over. also i remember when nuking pancakes in the mic(lol i know) some parts of the pancakes were hard and stiff. I didn't even think about how i shouldn't use the mic, i just thought microwave pancakes suck. next time i won't make so many or i'll just eat them cold.... or i cut out the hard spots. because i remember when i was in elementary school i made a monday morning snack from sundays pancakes i'd put cheese between them like a quasadilla, nuke them, then put sour cream and jam or syrup on top...

lol can you see why i don't cook anymore? =)

<<The low warmth+moisture+time would cause the bacteria to thrive only if the moisture stayed put rather than dehydration.\>>

what do you mean by "moisture staying put"?

I mean that the moisture is leaving the food being dehydrated. As opposed to something just being warm in an enclosed space where the moisture can't escape -- such as a turkey.

inspirit - aka coolkarma

inspirit

that's what i thought
but i guess my question was ... how long does it take for the moisture to escape?

and in the meanwhile.. do little critters start dividing and proliferating?
well, whatever... i'm going to stick with my fruit and ensaladas

ilovejen:

funny story you had about the pancakes and nachos LOL

yeah, i can see why u don't cook anymore

just NEVER use a microwave, then you'll be on the safe side...

Alkaline Food / Green Food Chart With pH Scale