Microwave Oven Cooked Food is Bad For Health? Thoroughly Discussed in 2022

I always think that Microwave Oven Cooked Food is safe for my health? If you have the same question in your mind, then read the full blog post. We have thoroughly discussed this topic here.

For some people, the microwave oven is a lifesaver. Most people use it to save time. A microwave oven is used to cook food and also for reheating the previously cooked food.

You can put the food material in a bowl and then put it inside the microwave oven and then all you need to do is set a timer and the food will be cooked by the microwave oven itself.

For the reheating, the process is also the same but the time required for it is lesser than the time required for cooking in the microwave oven.

Is Microwave Oven Cooked Food Bad For Health?

As now it is evident that a microwave makes the cooking process easier and less time consuming, the question that comes to the mind of the user is – “Is it safe?“ Is it healthy? Is the cooked food harmful to the body?

To know that, you need to know a few aspects of the microwave oven and about the cooked food in the microwave.

Microwave Radiation And Their Uses in Cooking Purposes

The radiation emitted inside the microwave oven is one type of electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation is nothing but a combination of electrical and magnetic energy. The radiation inside the microwave is non-ionizing.

Microwave energy is mostly used in microwave ovens mainly because of some reason. These reasons are – microwaves are reflected by metal and easily go through plastic, glass, and some other materials. The radiation is also absorbed by foods.

Mechanism of Cooking Inside the Microwave Oven

There is an electron tube inside the oven which is known as ‘magnetron’. From this tube, microwaves are radiated from the electron tube and then get reflected by the metal wall of the oven and finally, it is absorbed by food.

Microwave radiation creates water molecules inside the food and these molecules continuously vibrate inside the food.

This vibration creates heat that cooks the food. Food with higher water content gets cooked faster than foods with lower water content. Microwave oven does not cook food inside out as the heat is produced directly inside the food.

When thick foods are cooked, the outer layer of the food material is cooked first then the inner part is cooked by conduction of heat from the outside part to the inside. Microwave cooking is much more efficient than conventional cooking methods as it consumes less energy and time.

The Nutrients Doesn’t Get Lost

Some research studies show that the nutritional value of the food material gets reduced by cooking it inside the microwave oven. This is a myth surrounding cooking in the microwave oven. As a shorter period is required for cooking the food inside a microwave oven, the nutritional content did not get reduced.

Instead of that, microwave radiation keeps the nutritional value of the food intact. Even in some cases, the nutritional value is more than when it gets cooked traditionally. But in the case of overcooking or overheating the food can lose its nutrients.

Safe Microwave Radiation

The electromagnetic radiation inside the microwave oven is completely harmless to human health. Inside the oven, the electromagnetic radiation that is used is low-frequency radiation.  As mentioned earlier the radiation is non-ionized and most of the radiation is absorbed by the food itself.

The radiation does not make the food radioactive and the food does not damage DNA inside cells and also does not lead to cancer.

But if the microwave oven is damaged then the food can be exposed to a higher frequency of radiation. This is harmful to your health.

Container Used For Heating

As discussed earlier, plastic, ceramic glass, and a few other materials made bowls can be used for cooking for reheating purposes. But plastic may prove to be harmful in some cases. As plastic contains some compounds that may damage your endocrine system.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) may lead to health conditions like cancer, obesity etcetera. When heated the plastic containers may leach harmful compounds into the food. So make sure that the container you are using is microwave safe.

Reduction In The Formation Of Harmful Compounds

The temperature inside a microwave oven never crosses 212°F (100°C) which is the boiling point of water. Some foods contain harmful compounds mostly foods that contain more amount of fat. The heating of the food can cause less formation of harmful compounds in the food.

Final Words

After all the discussion it can be said that the microwave is a safe and extremely convenient method of cooking. Till now there is no conclusive evidence that can prove microwave radiation as being harmful to humans.

In some cases, it is also seen that it is better to cook some foods in the microwave rather than conventionally cooking them. But always remember never to undercook or overcook your food and try to avoid the plastic container for cooking and heating purposes.

You also need to ensure that your microwave is in the best condition and to do that service your microwave after a certain period.

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