Flashback Friday: Are Microwaves Safe? & The Effects of Radiation Leaking from Microwave Ovens
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- Опубліковано 24 лют 2022
- The hazards of microwave ovens may not be what you might expect.
I imagine “eggsplosions” were not what you were expecting. Neither was I!
For another indirect risk, see Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn or Breathing (nutritionfacts.org/video/butt....
Microwave cooking is actually a very gentle cooking method when it comes to retaining nutrient content. See my videos Best Cooking Method (nutritionfacts.org/video/best..., How to Cook Greens (nutritionfacts.org/video/how-..., Best Way to Cook Vegetables (nutritionfacts.org/video/best..., and Is It Safe to Eat Raw Mushrooms? (nutritionfacts.org/video/is-i....
What about cell phone radiation? Check out my videos Does Cell Phone Radiation Cause Cancer? (nutritionfacts.org/video/Does-...) and Cell Phone Brain Tumor Risk? (nutritionfacts.org/video/do-de....
The greatest radiation exposure may be from diagnostic medical radiation, though. See Cancer Risk from CT Scan Radiation (nutritionfacts.org/video/cance...) and Do Dental X-Rays Cause Brain Tumors? (nutritionfacts.org/video/do-de....
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-Michael Greger, MD FACLM
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What about what microwaves do to the nutrition of the food? I’m curious about that. Thanks.
thats a way better question actually
Any changes would be related to heating, which is a very complicated area for both microwaves and traditional ovens. Heating food clearly changes things (that's often why we heat it). Heating will reduce the nutrition of some things and make others more nutritionally accessible. Heating can also cause chemical reactions which create detrimental chemicals (e.g. Acrylamides,) and it can also cause chemical reactions which taste better or feel better in the mouth. (e.g. browning or reducing complex carbohydrates to simpler sweeter tasting forms)
I stopped microwaving food over 20 years ago due to hearing stuff like this and I didn’t like the way food tasted from microwave ovens anyway: “Microwaves make your food radioactive and release harmful radiation, which raises your risk of cancer. Microwaves destroy the nutrients in your food, increasing your risk of nutrient deficiencies. Microwaves cause plastic containers to release harmful chemicals into your food.”
Microwaving food is more gentle and vitamin preserving to food than stove cooking etc., which requires local extreme heat at the walls/edges for heat transfer and often excess water washing out nutrients.
Because of that same reason MWing of course does create no/minimal caramelization, frying, backing aromas - unless you use a MW with grill function.
MW is pretty close to steaming food nutritionally.
Dangerous compared to what? People sometimes boil soup on the front stove burner then pull the pot over their tennis shoes or child's head.
what about the effects of Microwaves on food quality ?
Microwaves "change the molecular structure of the food". It's called COOKING.
Not exactly, microwaves make water molecules vibrate and the hot water changes the food. If there is no water a microwave does nothing.
Incorrect. Oils and fats heat up about twice as fast as the same quantity of water. Fat-containing foods heat up very nicely.
Microwave radiation destroys nutrients, vitamins.
Microwave radiation standards in the US allow unsafe exposure levels, compared to most other countries.
Cell phones and their towers are extremely dangerous, despite what the studies say. These studies are funded exclusively by the telecom companies. It is difficult to obtain and read the many independent, non industry-funded studies, which have less than favorable conclusions.
Proof that the "Hot Now" sign at Krispy Kreme should be taken seriously.
I learned my lesson not to microwave eggs around ten years ago! I was gently cooking an unpeirced yolk by only cooking no more than 5 seconds at a time. I took the egg out which was partly cooked and still half runny. As soon as I poked it with the fork, it blew up and hit and burnt my forehead. It blew all over the cupboards and sounded like a 12 guage shot gun! Let me tell you, I got the surprise of my life! Lol
That gave you a huge shock...wow!
I use microwave - its very fast and I think it tastes great - I especially love to prepare sweet potato, and a variety of other vegetables, using just a very tiny amount of water - it tastes so good - and I always wait 5-10 minutes to eat and I often has a cold salad with green leaves, broccoli, red onion, garlic, turmeric and ginger with a bit of raw orange + the peel, and a bit of mustard - 🎶🍀💚🎵😃
Soooo???
I only use an oven and an airfryer, thankfully I haven't dropped them on my foot
Air fryers usually have nonstick coatings which can be problematic, too!
@@Ericaaaaaaaaaa I arranged for a metal insert
@@Ericaaaaaaaaaa I think modern non-stick coatings such as you would find in an air fryer nowadays are safe, however a non-stick skillet from the 1960's could be questionable. I think that's when the teflon could potentially flake off and get into your food.
Really well explained and edited video. Good intonation narration of the presenter keeping it interesting 🙂
All helpful information, thank you!
This video is a bit disturbing and should have a warning label. After about min. 9:30 was information that I was interested in. Thank you.
Would u eat @a restaurant dat use 1?
Guess I’ll make sure my little kids don’t put their faces up to the glass anymore when watching their popcorn pop.
I have autism and ADHD and when I used microwave I always put my head against the door because I get anxious with the sensory overload of the healing microwave and the noise it makes turning a person said my eyesight was going I think the anxiety if sensory overload led me to not be safe cooking food
Be sure to check out Dr. Greger's video about the health effects of cooking with a microwave oven compared to other methods. Sorry I don't have a link handy.
How safe is a microwave oven when some of the inside white lining has chipped off?
I don't think that should be a problem. Google "Faraday's Cage". The part you worry about is the glass, not the metal. The mesh-net metal on the inside of the door's glass screen is where the magic happens.
@@jefflittle8913 thank you so much!!! I was worried if I needed to buy a new MW
I count on my hot tea to warm my headphones in the morning.
Curious what does it do to the food? Is the food as nutritious as before it went in
All types of heating via cooking alter food. Some nutrients are more bioavailable, some less bioavailable, some may be partially destroyed. If you want to look more into it, microwaves work by heating the water molecules inside the food (as they resonate with the frequency of microwave radiation and can be excited, which becomes heat energy). This results in a method of cooking very similar to steaming. You can google the effects of different cooking methods on nutrients online and find more information. The microwave radiation itself, however, is not something to be too worried about. A leaking microwave oven could hypothetically burn your skin if you were a couple inches away. But assuming the microwave isn't broken, microwave radiation shouldn't alter the food itself via radiation. Microwaves fall on the same spectrum of radiation as visible light. They're basically a type of light wave not visible to humans. Like infrared or radiowaves, they are slower than visible light waves, which makes them too large of a wave to interact with the atoms in your food. Radiation becomes harmful when it is small enough and energetic enough to interact with individual atoms, a phenomenon known as ionizing radiation. On the EM wave spectrum (the spectrum of radiation that occurs from light/photons), waves that can be ionizing are UV waves, X-rays, and gamma rays. So, your food is safe from the type of radiation that is dangerous. The only dangerous thing microwaves are capable of is causing burns, either to you if you were inside one or to your food. If you burn your food in a microwave, it would most definitely be destroying the nutrient content. Coming straight from my electromagnetism physics class I'm taking right now. I hope that helps!
Cooking safety question. Are the copper and silicone baking sheets safe to use in a conventional oven?
Probably not
Searched Google and Bing. FDA approved the mats but that doesn't mean anything with their low standards. After all silicone was used for breast implants till the evidence and law suits were overwhelming. Could not find mat cooking tests for harmful chemicals in the food.
I have a trifield meter. It turns red 8 feet away when my roommate uses her microwave. I stay away from the kitchen when she uses microwave.
Same.
But do they reduce or deteriorate the nutrient values of otherwise healthy foods such as broccoli or sweet potatoes??
Yes. Microwave radiation destoys biological matter. Which includes nutrients.
@@garyfontez well I made that comment two years ago and I've learned a lot more about it since then and as it turns out, your claim is false. I still don't own a microwave but I'm not really opposed to the idea.
microwaved food, does it compare health wise to other methods of heating to same temp?
i have got rid if my microwave 8 years ago. and i dont miss it, so why do they sell unnecessary appliances?
I use mine every day. If it dies. I probably won't buy another one.
It's pretty much comparable with a regular oven. Some foods will retain more nutrients with a regular oven and others will retain more with a microwave, but it's all pretty much the same so swings and roundabouts, really.
Not many appliances would really be necessary, but a lot of them make life easier and are convenient. For some people they're really helpful, for others not so much. So I guess if you find one useful they'll sell them to you, but if not they won't.
" does it compare health wise to other methods of heating to same temp?"
There are really only two variables - temperature and chemical environment, and there is no such thing as a "non-stick microwave pan".
@@jefflittle8913 of course there are more than 2 variables.
It is unnecessary to YOU. Millions of people like us use our microwave every day.
I thought the worry was that it was going to deform or mutate the food into something poisonous or harmful
Thank you for the knowledge. I love this guy.
Lol that happened to me, the egg exploded but I was not injured. It just caused a big mess.
I love microwave ovens. I use it to cook vegetables, potatoes, porridge, reheat things, boil water, thaw out and dehydrate
@@sO_RoNerY your gross
@@sO_RoNerY and my food is delicious
Microwave radiation destroys biological matter, including nutrients.
Cellphone towers use microwaves.
🔥
If the wave was micro would you trust it? Haha
I'm interested also in finding out if microwaved food is healthy.
It depends what food you're cooking with it. If it's unhealthy food it will still be unhealthy whether it's cooked in a microwave or a regular oven. Some foods actually retain MORE of their nutrients when cooked in a microwave compared to a regular oven. But it's basically the same regardless of which kind of oven you use. Hope that helped
@@notme5744 you missed the point of microwaves being cancerous possibly.
@@daveforgot127 There's not really any reason to believe that microwaves would cause cancer because microwaves are non-ionizing, just like radio waves, as apposed to gamma rays or x-rays which can certainly cause things like cancer. There's a lot of misinformation that gets spread around by people who don't understand physics or biology, so I wouldn't pay much attention to them, honestly. There's nothing to worry about.
why would it not be? is heating food dangerous now? are you one of them rawfoodists?
The real question is:
This things are safe for foods ? Im not really interested in dumb ppl who cant open a microwave 😂
Appreciate your work you the best ❤️
great, now i'm in for a rabbit hole of exploding egg videos....
I saw jelly doughnuts at the store yesterday, they looked so good
7:50
I learned not to mess with microwaves years back when I watched the "is it a good idea to microwave this?" series. Remember, nobody likes roasted nuts...
I kind of wish you had gotten into the physics of it. As I understand it, a microwave oven just reverses the polarity of molecules. I don't see why that should be a problem but I haven't done any research on the topic.
Actually microwaves are just a type of non-visible light. The reason they are able to cook is because the frequency of the light is a very close match for the frequency that a water molecule absorbs (ok, technically a relatively large portion of the broadcast microwaves are an exact match). The conversion of light energy into heat energy starting at the water molecules and moving outward from there is what does the cooking. Google "photo-electric effect", which is actually the science paper that Einstein got his Nobel prize for.
I believe my cheap microwave contributed to my thryroid problems and thyroid problems are no laughing matter it effects your whole body. My doctor even asked me if i had been around radition. I Changed food habits tossed microwave and in remission for 5 years now. Although i deal with a couple of left behind phyiscal problems i am still working on. Unlike doctors who just wanted me on horrible meds and to remove my thyroid glad i fought and refused or i would be on meds forever. God made our bodies to heal itself in most cases it is a beautiful thing. We just need to put the good foods in and omit all the garbage processed foods. God Bless all with peace and love
The thing is, microwave radiation is non-ionizing radiation, which means it doesn't change any of the atoms or molecules in anything biological. The kind of radiation the doctor would have been talking about is ionizing radiation from things such as x-rays or gamma rays. They use ionizing radiation as a form of therapy for thyroid problems. Things like radio waves, microwaves, visible light, etc., aren't harmful (unless you're being cooked by the microwave), that's why things like broadband routers, radios, phones or microwave ovens aren't harmful to us. Nothing to worry about, really.
@@notme5744 i will still do without a microwave i have adapted back to a time before microwaves without a problem. I miss it not one bit. Flip phone for me too. Peace
@@vintagelaidbackhippie465 Yeah if you don't need it then there's no point in having one, I guess. I agree with you about the phones, they're getting ridiculous now. Some aspects of them are useful, but there are too many downsides as far as I'm concerned. I prefer the days before phones became "smart"
cool story bro
@@notme5744 See this paper:
Wi-Fi is an important threat to human health.
Martin L Pall. Environ Res. 2018 Jul.
I've read that microwaves cause the polarity of the food molecules to shift about a million times a second when being heated. So, the food may look the same on the outside, but at the molecular level it's been trashed. I would love for Dr Greger to address that
I think that's just how microwaves heat things. They cause water molecules to do as you said, which is what heats the food. They won't heat anything that doesn't have water in them. Heat itself is just the vibration of atoms/molecules... the more something moves the hotter it is. That's why when things are cooled to near absolute zero they stop moving. But the molecules themselves don't change, except for being hot now due to that movement. Food that's heated in a regular oven is also being vibrated with radiation, it's just a different frequency (infrared). In fact, some foods get more "damaged" from a regular oven and lose more nutrients than with a microwave. There's not really anything to worry about, unless you're IN the microwave, haha. Hope this helped
there are still people thinking microwaves are bad, let that sink in
@@sherril.562 What's a smarter country? I'm not sure that someone disagreeing with you makes them a shill, does it?
@@sherril.562You fell for and are now repeating a hoax. AFAIK, there are NO countries that ban microwave ovens (possible some third world place that I'm unaware of has).
Find different sources of information and and work on your basic education before you post nonsense.
@@sherril.562 I agree with you that the government is bought and paid for, and has been since pretty much the beginning. Also that many products like roundup are banned, but there is evidence of the harms they cause. I'm not sure about the harms of GMOs. I'm not aware of any countries banning microwaves, or why they even would, but they certainly don't like information that goes against their narrative, you're right about that. I really find it hard to believe that there is such a thing as microwave shills, though. I'm fairly well informed when it comes to physics, and I can assure you that microwave radiation is harmless unless unless you're being cooked by it. Honestly it's nothing to worry about.
The frequencies in microwaves can still harm you even if it isn’t strong enough to do thermal damage.
It interacts with the calcium channel of your cells which causes oxidative stress.
This makes me curious about the risk of radiation in Bose wireless headphones, especially for prolonged use.
I remember reading when microwave ovens first came out that the danger was from the high levels of free radicals created in food; much higher than when compared to other methods of heating. I was rather disappointed that you did not address this here.
Why would microwaving create free radicals? Google "photo-electric effect" and then consider that a microwave wave is simply tuned to the energy level of an H2O water molecule.
@@jefflittle8913 The photoelectric effect does not occur in a microwave oven.
@u-dont-exist dotcom LOL That's why Gawd made toaster ovens. ;)
I still don’t know if I’ll ever trust microwaves
What about nutritional value? I remember reading that 97% of the antioxidants were destroyed in a microwave for broccoli, whereas 97% of the antioxidants were preserved of you steamed the broccoli. (Memory about exact percentage is fuzzy; this is a bunch of years ago. Example: Vitamin C is an antioxidant I believe…?)
So much different information out there on them! I agree…been thinking about getting rid of mine…but then I think of the convenience of the microwave 😩
@@ronaldrenegade8519 I still don’t know if I trust you…
@@ronaldrenegade8519 it might be more of a well being thing
@@ronaldrenegade8519 whatever you and your microwave do in bed at night leave me out of it
There's also the danger your kids will put toys into the microwave. I remember warning my kids not to do this, and 15 minutes later there was yelling and screaming and I came in to find smoke pouring out of the microwave and the very toy melted and on fire inside. So much for that device!
i solved the problem: i dont have own use microwaves
I'd never heard that putting your phone in the microwave, and calling it was a good way to test for leakage. i tried it and my phone went straight to voicemail - I guess that proves that it doesn't leak yay!
That's why embassies are now surrounded by a faraday cage - cell phones don't work, but you don't get cooked slowly.
Good to know.
The microwave is just another way of creating heat. If you don't like it, don't use it, but I love that it saves time. I don't see any difference in taste, but some in texture. It helps to use a vessel designed for the microwave, but, I find most foods do well in a pyrex dish with a saucer on top. Don't eat animal products, so no worry about eggs, but last night I made a pizza, and last minute, I rinsed some broccolini, shook the excess water off, put it in a pyrex with a little plate on top, and in a few seconds, voila. Yum! I don't add water...
I am amazed by this glorious beard.
There was a woman who dried her wet cat in the microwave. OOPS!! ASPCA
Why does my phone eaves drop me?
Mmmmmmmmmmm microwaved eggs! We got some spectacular chefs out there!
Maybe that's what Dr. Eric Berg needs to do...microwave his 4-5 daily eggs!
Disappointing video....I wanted to know about the food quality once its been heated in a microwave....not about all the daft people who didn't know how to use them.
All a microwave does is turn light into heat energy specifically in water molecules. Google "photoelectric effect". This wouldn't have any impact on food quality that boiling or steaming doesn't have.
If you wanted to know that, why did you watch a video about microwave safety? Do you also criticize a comedy movie for being funny because you wanted a horror?
20 years ago mom told me to not look thru glass because it can hurt my eyes :o how did she known that 😮 i liked to look how cheese melts xd
Sometimes I cook a white potato in my microwave.
At least microwave ovens have significant shielding that mostly works to stop the 2.4 Ghz squarewave, wifi routers are 90% operating in the 2.4 Ghz squarewave range as well and where is the shielding there !!!! My main concern with micro waves is that they maybe de-nature and de-nutrify the food even worse than normal cooking, a lot of countries straight out banned microwaves in the 70's for this reason. I must admit they are fast and convenient
are you also chipped by bill gates and the zionists through 5g towers?
We have scientific papers showing that these microwaves harms your body even without the thermal considerations. I don’t know why the doctor doesn’t mention this.
See: Wi-Fi is an important threat to human health.
Martin L Pall. Environ Res. 2018 Jul.
@@thomascollinsworth7202 I totally agree and thank you. I guess we shouldn't even start on the 63 Ghz element of 5G !!
If you shielded a router then that would kind of defeat the point. "de-nature and de-nutrify the food even worse than normal cooking" - Nope. It is exactly like steaming.
@@SolitaryReaper666 5G is 63 Ghz square wave and is currently used by military and police for crowd control since it induces a severe burning sensation on the skin that makes people immediately leave the area.
long term effects of 63Ghz are currently untested and unknown. Although Bill Gates is passionate about depopulation ny his own admission I do not have any knowledge about chipping operations. Thank you for the question and good luck
Scrambled Eggs cook very nicely in the MW and come out fluffy from the micro steam bubbles! Just be sure to whip the eggs smooth before cooking.
Seems like all those eggs have scrambled your brain. Do you know what channel you're on? Lmao
@@JL-yq9gh I don't eat eggs I am WFPB
Beard looking solid!
I don't trust you man
Fun fact: your WiFi uses the exact same frequencies as your microwave oven if it is using 2.4 Ghz set to a certain channel.
Something to think about when you’re buying that WiFi router with extra power. You might be microwaving your brain!
you get dumb comment of the year award
He said this in the video, and explained how they are very different. They both work on radio waves, that's where their similarities end. They're on two different wavelengths still and different intensities. I hope you're joking lol.
honestly dumb. i was expecting doing tests to see if the vitamin content of food was diminished by microwaves.
Why on earth would that happen?
@@jefflittle8913 it's a possibility since everytime you cook something the vitamins Vincent diminishes like vegetables
Hurt from exploding eggs? Circle of life, innit! lol
Haven't used or needed to use a microwave for over a decade. Don't miss them. Never liked what they did to water or coffee. Just weird! lol
Not safe. All I know is that when I used one I had irregular heartbeats. When I stopped using it, those stopped.
So you're just a science denier then, yes?
@@mycelia_ow I just gave you science and you deny it
@@thebrinksf69 How did you determine you had irregular heartbeats?
Народ един.
Добавьте русские субтитры 🙏🌞
Best decision I ever made for my health was never using one again since 2009.
Or get radiation therapy.
I avoid them, they are too good to be true
radiation no joke to mess with,this thing break you to the core
Microwave ovens are crap at cooking.
A covered pan does much better job of reheating food, and a kettle is better at heating water.
They are a cubic foot of uselessness that are not worth the counter space they occupy.
Depends on what you are cooking. I use my MW oven every day to cook vegs and they come out tender and tasty. I would not try to cook meat or bake cakes in the MW oven because the results are not that good. Basically the MW oven is good for foods with high water content, or for reheating meals.
@@citadelofwinds1564 They are a convenience to be sure. Many swear by them, and are satisfied with the results they achieve. In my experience that from defrosting to reheating to cooking, anything I could do with a MW, I could do better with a covered pot or pan. Take defrosting chicken and meat, back when I used to eat the stuff. I would slice onions, chop cabbage, chillies peppers and lay the frozen chicken or chops over the vegetables and cook it over a low flame with the cover on. The heat and steam from the cooking vegetables would defrost and cooked the meat and after 40 minutes, dinner was served. It was actually quicker and easier than using a MW with superior results. Of course, YMMV