Page 22 - Florida Sentinel 5-13-22

Health
With a microwave oven, you can heat up frozen dinners or leftovers in minutes. Before understanding why certain foods shouldn’t be put in the microwave, it’s important to know how it works.
Its name comes from the electromagnetic microwaves generated in- side the oven. These waves of energy bounce off the microwave oven’s walls, eventually moving through the food and heating it up. However, when these waves encounter some foods, it can lead to a mess, an ex- plosion, or even damage your health — there are certain foods that you should never microwave.
LEAFY GREENS
Celery, kale, or spinach and even collard greens are great veg- etables. But if you plan to reheat them, use a conventional oven rather than a microwave. When blasted in the microwave, natu- rally occurring nitrates (which are very good for you on their own) may convert to nitrosamines, which can be carcinogenic (cancer causings), studies show. he same holds true for reheating nitrate- rich beets and turnips.
FROZEN MEAT
We’ve all been there. You for- got to thaw the meat that’s in the freezer out for dinner, and resort to defrosting it in the microwave for a quick fix.However, mi- crowaving frozen meats can allow bacteria to grow.
Microwave ovens distribute heat unevenly, so some areas can wind up overcooked while others stay frozen, creating a breeding ground for food-borne diseases in the areas that remain cold.
CHICKEN
The most important thing to realize about microwaves is that their heat does not always kill bac- teria, because microwaves heat from the outside in instead of the inside out. As such, certain bacte- ria-prone foods will have higher risk of causing sickness when these bacterial cells survive. Bear- ing this in mind, you can see why chicken, which is at risk of salmo- nella contamination, could be a dangerous food to microwave.
Before eating chicken, you have to cook it thoroughly to elim- inate all present bacteria. Since microwaves don’t fully or evenly cook all parts of the meat, you’re more likely to be left with surviv- ing bacteria, such as salmonella. In one study, out of 30 partici- pants who reheated raw meat, all 10 who used a microwave became ill, whereas the 20 who used a skil- let were fine. This goes to show how much bacteria can survive in meat when microwaved, com- pared to other cooking methods.
PROCESSED MEATS
Microwaving processed meats could increase your risk of heart disease. Not only do they contain many chemicals and preservatives that get worse when microwaved, but heating up processed meats can produce cholesterol oxidation products.
COPs are proven to be more harmful to the arteries than cho- lesterol itself and are linked to coronary heart disease. So, heat meats like hot dogs, bacon, and lunch meat on the stove.
PAGE 10-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2022