Microwave food = unhealthy?

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ThisIsFate
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Microwave food = unhealthy?

Post by ThisIsFate » 01 Oct 2011 14:57

Alright I am no expert on radiation stuff, but I heard from doctor the way of how a microwave heating food up is use some kind of radiation like energy? Later I google researched it and the result is scary :(.
kungho

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Jeremy
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Post by Jeremy » 01 Oct 2011 15:23

Microwaves work using (surprisingly) microwave radiation, which is actually just electromagnetic radiation with a wave length of between 1 metre and 1mm. This is in comparison to normal light, which has a wavelength of about 0.0004 to 0.0007 mm. Microwave radiation is used for many things, especially communication such as phones, wireless internet, tv and radio reception.


All food is cooked by subjecting it to some form of radiation - heat is another form of radiation. The word "radiation" has somehow come to refer to nuclear radiation, but actually, in physics, refers just to things (energy) that "radiate" from a source. So, for example, if you have a still pool of water, and then you drop something in the middle, the ripples that spread from that point are a good example of "radiation."

There are some forms of electromagnetic radiation that are harmful to humans; ionising electromagnetic radiation. These are forms with a wavelength shorter than visible light (eg. x-rays). So if you were to put electromagnetic radiation on a continuum of danger - microwaves are safer than visible light.

There is, of course, a great deal of scientific research into the safety of microwave ovens, and most of it actually shows that because they eat food quicker, it results in the food having a higher nutrient content than if you cooked it conventionally. There's no evidence of danger, no known mechanism for danger, and most importantly, if microwaves were dangerous, our knowledge of physics would suggest visible light would be more dangerous.

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Jeremy
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Post by Jeremy » 02 Oct 2011 18:15

Sorry, I felt the need to correct a typo, because it may make things confusing. In my last paragraph where I say that microwaves "eat food quicker," I meant to write "heat food quicker."

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C-Fan
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Post by C-Fan » 20 Oct 2011 09:27

They also enable humans to "eat food quicker." :wink:

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