Microwaves are widely used in daily life because of their convenient and quick functions. People not only use microwaves for heating, but now many people also use microwaves to make cakes. There are concerns about the harms of microwaves, such as the carcinogenicity of microwaved food, loss of nutritional value, and brain damage from microwave radiation. So which foods should not be heated in the microwave? Let's take a closer look.
1. Poultry, seafood such as fish and shrimp
Poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts, and other foods are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which contribute to brain development and intellectual development. Heating these foods in the microwave can easily damage unsaturated fatty acids.
2. Nuts, jerky, dried cheese
These foods have low moisture content and high fat and protein content. Heating them in the microwave can easily cause them to burn and produce a large amount of carcinogens.
3. Grains, plant tubers
Rice, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, or bread, steamed buns, cakes, biscuits, etc. have a higher content of acrylamide. High-carbohydrate, low-protein foods can easily produce acrylamide when cooking temperature is above 120 degrees Celsius. Acrylamide is classified as a Group 2A carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, representing "probably carcinogenic".
4. Baby food
If the microwave is operated improperly, it can result in excessive heating time and temperature, or severe nutrient loss. Infants and young children have weak detoxification abilities and should avoid ingesting harmful substances.
To some extent, compared with traditional cooking methods such as frying and grilling, microwave heating causes less loss of certain nutrients due to shorter cooking time. However, foods with excessive amounts of oil are not suitable for microwave heating. Therefore, I recommend using traditional Chinese cooking methods such as steaming and boiling to heat food. This not only makes it easier and safer to heat food properly, but also better preserves the nutritional content of the food.
