The Dangers of Microwaves

Studies have shown microwave ovens create toxic substances

Research has revealed and is continuing to reveal, the dangers of microwaves. Microwave cooking destroys the natural structure of our foods and creates toxic elements. We add to the burden our bodies carry by ingesting these substances.

During fasting or cleansing, microwaved foods should be avoided. This isn't an issue with most types of fasting, but does become an issue with rice fasting or cleansing diets. There are alternatives to the microwave oven and if you begin utilizing these more traditional methods of cooking, you'll realize food both tastes better and feels better.

What are these dangers of microwaves?

I always knew there was controversy around the use of microwave ovens, but like many, ignored the controversy for the sake of convenience. Finally, during the summer of 2008, I found myself unable to ignore the rumblings and questions stirring in my head.

Turning to the internet, I researched and researched all I could find about microwave safety and research . There wasn't much out there, just a lot of tidbits:

• There was the tidbit about the Russians, after WWII, gaining possession of German-built cooking machines that the German troops had been using in the field. The Russians studied the apparatus and concluded it was unsafe to ingest foods cooked in it.
  
  
• There was the piece about Dr. Hans Hertel who, in 1991, conducted a blind study of the effects of microwaved foods versus non-microwaved foods. This study found microwaved foods to have a variety of negative effects on the human body and its blood chemistry. A "gag order" by a Swiss court prevented the publication of his findings. Bloods tests were done on individuals who were fed randomly either microwaved food or traditionally cooked foods. There was a difference. The specific physiological changes caused by ingestion of the microwaved foods were:
  
  ~Hemoglobin values decreased (our healthy red blood cells)
  
  ~Hematocrit, leukocytes and cholesterol values increased
  
  ~Overall white blood cell levels increased (these increase when there's an "invader" in the system, like a flu bug or toxins)
  
  ~Lymphocytes decreased
  
  
• Before American manufacturers began production of microwave ovens, all they had to prove to the FDA was that microwave radiation would be contained within the oven, they never had to prove that it didn't negatively alter the foods cooked in them.
  
  
• There is the warning to never stare into an operating microwave oven, stated right in the manufacturers' instructions. But who of us actually read and followed that warning? How many recipes tell us to "watch closely" something in the oven? Serious damage can be done to the eyes.
  
  
• There was information out there about how microwave ovens create polarity reversals in molecules at such a high speed (like billions per second) that they either burst or become deformed. When we ingest these altered substances, they become toxins and free radicals in the body. The cell walls of the food matrix are ruptured by microwave ovens.
  
  
• There was the case of the nurse, who in a rush to warm the blood for a transfusion, heated it in the microwave. The patient died.

As I look at the internet now (April 2009) to check some of my facts, I see there are a whole lot more search results than there were last summer. This is good. If people are talking about it, we may begin to get the solid answers we need. But so far, these new search results seem to be repetitious of the tidbits available last summer.

Updated December 2009: Now there are several websites discussing the topic of microwave ovens. One article I appreciate is here at globalhealingcenter.com. For a short essay on using your intuition in determining your microwave use, read this from stevepavlina.com.

Updated March 2018: Microwave ovens have become quite the controversy, haven't they? The internet is full of articles both pro and con. Like everything else in this "modern" age, it's so hard to get the truth from our scientific communities. What we're left with is our own intuitive senses. This is good, perhaps we'll start developing and using them.

What the Russians discovered about microwave ovens

The following is taken from the newsletter "Healthy Environments", Vol. 2, No. 2, written by Lawrence J. Gust, an electrical engineer and Certified Electromagnetic Radiation Safety Advisor, among many other titles and certifications.

"Studies of the thousands of Russian workers exposed to radar microwaves in the 1950's showed health effects so severe that the Russian microwave oven leakage limit was set at 0.0000001 watts/cm2. This limit is 1000 times less than the US leakage limit.

Later microwave ovens were totally banned in the Soviet Union (1976) after highly sophisticated measurement equipment enabled the following discoveries:

• Break down of the human life energy field or chi.
  
  
• Degeneration of cellular voltage parallels in blood and lymph systems.
  
  
• Degeneration/destabilization of internal cellular membrane potentials.
  
  
• Degeneration and breakdown of electrical nerve impulses within the brain's cerebrum.
  
  
• Degeneration and breakdown of nerve electrical circuits and loss of energy field symmetry in the nerve centers of the autonomic nervous system.
  
  
• Long term cumulative loss of human and animal vital energy within a 1600 foot radius of the equipment.
  
  
• Long lasting residual effect of magnetic deposits located throughout the nervous and lymphatic systems.
  
  
• Destabilization and interruption in production of hormones and maintenance of normal hormonal balance.
  
  
• Markedly high disturbance in alpha, theta and delta brain wave(s) leading to memory and concentration loss, suppressed emotional threshold, slowing of intellectual processes and interrupted sleep.
  
  
• Long term and irreversible depolarization of tissue neuroelectric circuits."

This article goes on to list all the carcinogenic compounds formed during microwave cooking, many of which are found solely in microwaved food.

At the very least, it's an issue of quality

Granted, despite all of the above findings by the Russians, there is no direct evidence proving the ingestion of microwaved foods causes death. So what's the big deal? That's what microwave proponents assert, that food cooked in a microwave does not kill, is not poisonous, and therefore is safe to consume. There are millions of people who ingest such food, even some who eat it exclusively, and they haven't dropped dead.

No, the issue is more about the degenerative effect on the body. And it is an issue of quality--which is higher quality food? that which has been cooked in a microwave? or that cooked by traditional methods? It appears we need more high-quality studies to make a clear conclusion. But how long do we wait?

Or, in the meantime, we can eliminate microwaved foods from our diets. If that's too drastic for you, start by doing some experimenting on your own. Try some alternative (traditional) cooking methods and draw your own conclusions from your personal experience.

The alternatives to microwaving

When we're on a cleansing diet, we need to eliminate the toxins produced by the microwave from our diet. Your foods should be cooked fresh without the aid of the microwave.

One of the most compelling reasons to use a microwave is for reheating those healthful leftovers. These can be lightly steamed or quick sauteed in a skillet (or a bit of both). Reheating by these means will often make the dish taste better than it did the first time. For grain dishes, it's sometimes nice too, to add something fresh, like a sliced green onion, parsley or chives.

It's not necessary to forego good tasting food while on a cleansing diet, so enjoy those flavors. After a few days, as your taste buds adjust, you'll notice a greater sensitivity to subtle flavors.

Another compelling reason to use the microwave is for the frozen convenience foods. There are some healthy ones. Just cook them in the regular oven instead of the microwave, transferring them to another oven-proof container beforehand. They'll take a bit longer to cook, but it's still more convenient than starting from scratch.

Once you know the dangers of microwaves, you'll have the incentive to get creative in the kitchen, learning new ways to manage your foods that preserves as much of their nutritional value as possible.

Return to top
Return from Dangers of Microwaves page to Healthy Food Choices page