In this day and age, who has time to eat only freshly cooked foods? We’re lucky if we have the time to eat at mealtimes, much less prepare our own lunches. What has become synonymous with ‘left overs’ is the ever convenient microwave. Since I’m already the bearer of bad news, here’s some food for thought when it comes to ‘nuking’ our foods.

It’s no coincidence we reserve a nuclear term for microwaving foods. This article talks about the dangers of nuking foods.   In a Swiss study, one group was fed microwaved foods for 8 weeks, while the control group were fed freshly prepared meals (Can I sign up to be in the control group?!).  These were the results:

• Blood hemoglobin (oxygen-carrying) levels decreased significantly after subjects ate microwaved foods resulting in anemia.
• White blood cell levels increased after consumption of the microwaved food, usually indicative of an infection. Microwaves altered and mutated the protein molecules in the foods.
• LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) increased, and HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) decreased.

Get this: after the results were published, the research lab was sued by the ‘Swiss Association of Dealers for Electro-apparatuses for Households and Industry, and one of the scientists was convicted of interfering with commerce.  The fine was the equivalent of $65,000 in U.S. dollars!!’

Russian scientists ran studies on microwaves as well and found a host of bad juju that resulted in a ban of microwaves from 1976 til just recently.  Here’s an excerpt of the rest of the article:

Parents of newborns are strongly warned against microwaving baby formula or breast milk as it destroys and alters the enzymes and protein in the milk. In 1991, a patient in a Tulsa, Oklahoma hospital actually died of anaphylaxis after receiving a blood transfusion that had been warmed in a microwave oven. Apparently the radiation from the microwaving had so altered the blood that the patient could not tolerate it.

To be perfectly safe, it is best to totally avoid microwave ovens, but here are some ways to help you lessen your dependence on microwaves:

• Most fruits and vegetables are best eaten raw, sauteed quickly or lightly steamed to retain the most nutrients.
• Heat water in a pan or teakettle instead of the microwave.
• Plan ahead and defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator.
• If you must use a microwave, use only glass containers instead of plastic.

As an alternative, a Flavorwave Oven (a small convection oven) can cook faster and more evenly in half the time of a regular oven, without microwave dangers.  Here are some of the things a Flavorwave oven can do:

• Broil, bake, fry, roast, boil, grill and steam meat, chicken, fish and vegetables, to perfection.
• Your food cooks in 20-30% less time than a conventional oven
• Flavorwave Ovens use 80% less energy than your conventional oven
• Keep all the valuable nutrients in your food.

I’m also not pulling a Chicken-Little-The-Sky-Is-Falling mentality. I will, however, start packing some more cold friendly foods a la chicken salads. If anyone has a convection oven, post reviews to comments!

WOD 03.05.10

Screw Your Neighbor Team WOD:
400m Run
20 Wallballs or 15 Thrusters
25 Push Ups or 10 Burpees
25 Box Jumps at 20″ or 15 Box Jumps at 24″
30 Sit Ups or 15 Vups
10 Strict Pull Ups or 20 Kipping
25 Air Squats or 15 Jumping Back Squats
15 KTE or 10 T2B
20 KBS or 15 SDHP
500m Row or 400m Run

In teams of 2, each person must complete the movement before you can move on. First team to complete it can choose the next move, leaving their “neighbors” with the other movement.
Example: Team A finishes the wallballs before Team B finishes thrusters. Team A picks burpees and leaves Team B with push ups.