Is the microwave really that bad?
Microwaves: we hate them and we love them too. Almost everyone has one and they are extremely useful for heating up food. Yet people often think that a microwave is a danger to public health and that use can cause cancer. Is the use of a microwave really so unhealthy? We were looking for it for you.
Is a microwave safe to use or not?
Operation
First a history lesson: the microwave was invented around 1940. It was not until 1980 that the microwave came to the homes in the Netherlands. The appliance heats food with the use of microwaves. This is an invisible form of energy that allows the water particles to move in the food. Because of the warmth that comes with it, our food gets warm. Ideally you would think. However, these microwaves are a form of radiation and that is exactly what many people find scary.
Radiation
Radiation comes in many shapes and sizes. Gamma radiation (100 billion gigahertz), which is contained in an atomic bomb, traverses the body and damages body cells. X-ray radiation (10 billion gigahertz) is less strong, but also passes through the skin. However, it does not go through the bones. UV radiation (1 million gigahertz) is then the strongest radiation. This radiation can penetrate a millimeter deep into your skin and that can cause skin cancer. A microwave has 2.45 gigahertz, which corresponds to the radiation coming from your phone or television. This radiation can do little damage. The microwave is made so that this radiation can not escape.
Nutrients
Another argument for not using the device is that it would make nutrients disappear. When washing, soaking and heating, nutrients are always lost. Especially vitamin C is very sensitive to heat. The funny thing is that research has shown that vitamins and minerals even better preserved after heating in the microwave. This is because it does not need to be heated for a long time and therefore has less time to lose the nutrients. In short, the only unhealthy thing about the microwave are the microwave meals that you buy in the supermarket and that is not because of the radiation, but because of the huge amount of salt in these meals.
