Sep 28 2009
Microwave Cooking and Processed Foods
My son’s friend was over this weekend for the first time, and he made a comment curiously saying, “I’m surprised to see you don’t have a microwave.” Well, my response was polite but somewhat defensive as I answered, “We did have one once, but it broke.
I like to cook on the stove, so we never got around to replacing it.” I thought long and hard about the reasons why we don’t have a microwave, and I realize that it’s not part of how we live our life. The Bushido Way for us is returning to nature and living life in a more natural way. Processed foods and microwave cooking are unhealthy and are not in harmony with living in the moment.
I like things simple. Meaning, I don’t have the newest appliances and only dishes and cookware that I need for preparing frequent meals. I do have a food processor but I use it all the time and it helps me to prepare healthy meals. A microwave is just another unnecessary appliance to me and takes up space in my kitchen.
The taste of food from a microwave oven is flat and the texture rubbery, and the food rarely has a consistency in its texture. Even a baked potato tastes different to me when cooked in a microwave. In nature everything has a balance and our foods provide us with the necessary vitamins and nutrients we need without being altered by man. Cooking in a microwave has been shown to decrease the nutrients in foods, and could be altering the natural energy that we gain from our food.
As Anthony Wayne and Lawrence Newell point out in “The Hidden Hazards Of Microwave Cooking”,
“Russian researchers also found decreased nutritional value – or significant dimming of their “vital energy field” – in up to 90% in all microwaved foods. In addition, the B complex, C and E vitamins linked with stress-reduction and the prevention of cancer and heart disease – as well as the essential trace minerals needed for optimum brain and body functioning – were rendered useless by microwaves, even at short cooking durations”.
The speed of life has left us all compromising our health with foods that accommodate our limited time for planning and preparation, but unfortunately much of this food is loaded with chemicals, additives, and decreased levels of nutrients after “speed” cooking.
Not to mention the plastic containers deemed unhealthy because of leaching chemicals as well as the increase in packaging that adds to the waste that needs to be dealt with by town waste management programs. Food packaging accounts for almost two-thirds of total packaging waste by volume, and food packaging is approximately 50 percent (by weight) of total packaging sales.
There have even been several recent articles about bottled water and how there are concerns about the levels of chemicals in the water we drink. Turns out, when certain plastics are heated at a high temperature, chemicals from the plastics may leach into container’s contents. So there’s been a flurry of speculation recently as to whether the amounts of these chemicals are actually harmful, and whether this is even a concern when it comes to water bottles—which aren’t likely to be placed in boiling water or even a microwave.
Many people buy and cook frozen, pre-prepared foods and use a microwave to cook these meals because the process saves us time. After-all isn’t this message one that advertisers promote to us busy professionals and working parents.
Mmmmm appetizing isn’t it! And what about the big bold statement about the “no artificial colors or artificial flavors.” That’s certain to hook us busy “moms!” I strongly encourage you to look at the fine print on the nutritional label that’s listed on the back of the package.
Negative Effects of Eating Processed Foods
Certainly as a working parent, I’m always looking for ways to save time in preparing meals; however, not at the expense of my families health. Frozen and processed foods can still be cooked by using a traditional oven, but I still stay away from these foods because they are not natural and are not in harmony with the way of the warrior.
My family has a busy schedule. My husband and I both work full-time jobs, write blogs, exercise and we are involved in our son’s school and extra curricular activities; however, we still take time to shop for and prepare healthy more natural food. I agree that processed and frozen foods help save time in cooking and preparation, but cooking can also be a form of relaxation.
Zen: The Art of Modern Eastern Cooking by Deng Ming- Dao is one of my favorite cook books. Not to mention, traditional stove-top and conventional oven cooking allows the preparer time to do other chores like emptying the dish-washer and setting the table while the food bakes.
I like natural foods and can’t deal with additives and excessive salt in my diet. In fact, I notice when I do eat these packaged, pre-prepared foods that my feet swell and I fell sluggish due to the increase in salt and other preservatives. Much of the food manufactured for microwave cooking and quick meals is frozen, processed and high in sodium. People who are sodium sensitive retain sodium more easily, leading to excess fluid retention and increased blood pressure.
It’s easy to determine how much sodium is in the foods you’re eating. The nutritional label on the back of packaged food is required to list the sodium and other necessary nutrients. I was shopping in my local Trader Joe’s market and chose the Low Sodium Organic Butternut Squash Soup (90mg per serving) over the regular Organic Butternut Squash Soup listed with 500mg of sodium per serving.
Cooking a healthy meal requires a bit more effort, but you’ll find that planning more simple meals and preparing ahead of time helps to speed up the process during the week when schedules are busy. Though my husband Marcus and I have greatly decreased our meat intake, we do cook meat and more often for our active son.
One of our more simple meals is a few chicken breasts (frozen or refrigerated) cooked in a conventional oven, a couple of baked potatoes baked at the same time, and fresh spinach, carrots or broccoli steamed by stovetop or raw. This meal will take longer to cook and prepare than if a microwave were used, or even if you cooked a packaged frozen meal by conventional oven, but is healthier for you and the family.
We often use low-sodium natural spices, natural herbs, or even some pesto that I prepared over the weekend to doctor-up a plain chicken breast, fish or shrimp. My pesto recipe takes about 15 minutes to make and can be stored in the refrigerator all week. It’s great on toasted bread, with low-sodium corn chips or as a spread on fresh cut green, red or yellow peppers.
Exercise:
- Take some time to think about the quality of food you’re eating. Make a few small changes to help improve your diet each week by eliminating processed foods. Buy a water filter, reheat your left-over’s in the oven while you’re setting the dinner table, make a salad rather than buying a frozen meal for lunch. This may take some additional planning and time, but can be fun too. It’s worth the inconvenience to feel better about yourself and what you’re putting into your body. It’s all about planning!
- Make a few simple changes to your grocery list this week and purchase a few natural products like nuts, dried fruit, carrot sticks and celery. Check the nutritional labels on the food you buy for a long list of unrecognizable words that you can’t pronounce and STAY AWAY from these products! A good tip is to shop on the outside isles at your grocery store. This is usually where you’ll find the fresh food. The middle isles are where all the processed junk is stocked.
- Check the sodium content and make sure the foods you buy don’t contain hydrogenated oils and Trans Fats—these are horrible fats that should not be included in your diet!
