Considering you are what you eat, What effects the quality, food value, and safety of your food?
Nanotechnology... What is it and how does it effect the food we eat? Grocery producers of all processed foods use additives employing nanotechnologies to add qualities that enhance desirable charactaristics and make them somewhat addictive. Qualities such as making the product creamier, crunchier, more colorful, brighter and fresher for a longer shelf life. We are familiar with how good bread, cookies and donuts smell when baking. These qualities are accomplished artificially with atom-sized tiny particles of certain metals and other compounds such as silver, gold, aluminum, silicon
and carbon added to the food.
Microwave ovens also come to mind, let's take a look...
Most of us have been using them for many years. So how safe are they? Well, if you look at the USDA site, they come out pretty well. I knew for some time that micowaving vegetables destroys vitamin content and enzymes, which are responsible for digestion. However, the internet now makes it possible for all of us to quickly check things out for ourselves. Of course, we need to keep in mind the old axiom..."You can't believe everything you read", but you can use a little common sense and make a reasonable determination on what material is objective, then decide what info you can cull out of the mix. Anyway, one of the best sites I found on the topic was really scary. I'll let you read for yourself...
In order for something to heat in a microwave oven, water must be present within the substance. If water is not present, heating will not occur and it would remain cool. The reason for this is that water molecules within the food vibrate at an incredible speed, creating molecular friction which is responsible for the heating of the food. The structure of the water molecules are torn apart and vigorously deformed. This is much different than any other method of cooking, as other methods such as convection ovens heat up food by transferring heat convectionally from the outside inward.
Hans Hertel, a Swiss scientist, states:
“There are no atoms, molecules or cells of any organic system able to withstand such a violent, destructive power for any extended period of time, not even in the low energy range of milliwatts… This is how microwave cooking heat is generated – friction from this violence in water molecules. Structures of molecules are torn apart, molecules are forcefully deformed (called structural isomerism) and thus become impaired in quality.”
Foods which haven’t been processed or cooked and are naturally occurring contain life energy which is transmitted from the sun. Biophotons are the smallest physical unit of light which are stored in all life forms. They contain bio-information and are partially responsible the feelings you get which signify well-being and vitality. Foods like naturally grown vegetables and especially sun-ripened fruits are the main source for these biophotons to humans.
Microwaving food, in effect, potentially destroys and depletes the life energy, rendering the food completely dead and lifeless. In addition, the food’s nutritional value is lost and it becomes nearly useless in terms of providing any real health benefit.
Microwaves were first invented by the Nazis in order to provide a method of cooking for their troops during World War II. Seeing as though these microwave ovens have been experimental and new, the US War Department was assigned to research these new devices shortly after the war.
Turns out, the U.S. didn’t really perform the extensive research necessary for the new invention. Instead, the Russians decided to tackle the issue with extreme force.
Intrigued by this new device, the Russians conducted in-depth research to discover the biological effects they might possess. The results were staggering enough to lead to a ban of the new device in the Soviet Union. The ban, however, was later lifted during Perestroika, the political movement responsible for the restructuring of the Soviet Union.
The findings include:
- Carcinogenic substances were formed from the microwaving of nearly all foods tested
- Microwaving milk and grains resulted in carcinogenic substances being formed through the conversion of amino acids
- Microwaving prepared meats caused cancer-causing agents such as d-Nitrosodienthanolamines to form
- Microwaving fruits as a method of thawing resulted in the conversion of glucoside and galactoside fractions into carcinogenic substances
- Extremely short exposure of raw, cooked, or frozen vegetables converted their plant alkaloids into carcinogens
- Carcinogenic free radicals were formed in microwaved plants, especially root vegetables
- Structural degradation leading to decreased food value was found to be 60 to 90 percent overall for all foods tested, with significant decreases in bioavailability of B complex vitamins, vitamins C and E, essential minerals, and lipotropics
Twenty years of the Russian research led to the international warning about the damaging biological and environmental effects microwaves possess. The warning also included other similar frequency electronic devices such as cell phones.
Say Goodbye to Your Foods Nutritional Value
Although there hasn’t been as many studies on microwaves as say, the importance of various vitamins and minerals, all of the studies generally agree on one thing: nutritional value is significantly reduced if you microwave food. You’d think that studying microwaves would be at the top of the list, given their place in our society, but evidently their role is not significant enough for more thorough testing.
Note that most of these studies have been done prior to 2000. This may be due to the shift of focus from microwaves to a more prevalent threat to humanity: the intense electromagnetic chaos from electromagnetic devices such as cell phones, computers, and advanced technology. Here are some studies illustrating the detrimental effects of microwaves and microwave cooking.
- This study found that broccoli when microwaved with a little bit of water loses up to 97% of its beneficial antioxidants. Steamed broccoli only lost 11% or less. Some amounts of phenolic compounds and glucosinolates were also lost. The study was published in the November 2003 issue of The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
- Vitamin C in asparagus spears was lost during a 1999 Scandinavian study.
- One study found 60 seconds of microwaving garlic depleted the food of it’s allinase, garlic’s primary cancer-fighting ingredient.
- Just 6 minutes of microwave heating turned 30-40 percent of the B12 in milk into a dead form, which was found in a Japanese study by Watanabe.
- An Australian study recently conducted showed that microwaves cause a higher degree of “protein unfolding” than conventional heating.
- A 1992 study found that breast milk lost lysozyme activity, antibodies, and became a more suitable environment for the potential growth of pathogenic bacteria after being microwaved. (From: Natural Society.com)
If you are like me, your microwave will not be used for much of anything any more.
So, what is the best way to heat food? Not surprisingly, experts will tell you that no heat is preferable, because heat damages nutritional value. In fact, burnt food, such as overcooked, well done steak is carcenogenic. However, if most of our food comes from unknown sources and conditions, it is not advisable to eat undercooked food either, such as eggs and bacon. Raw milk is much better for you than homogenized or pasteurized, but the scare has been put into most of us of the danger of botulism and other dangerous pathogens. If it is possible to know the conditions that a raw milk producer employs in his practice, it is also possible to obtain high quality raw milk that tastes great, contains all the natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes for optimal health from any food.
Most of us knew that steamed food tastes great. As it turns out, it is one of the best ways to prepare vegetables, short of just washing and eating fresh. I have found the most trusted site anywhere on the net for information concerning health is
www.mercola.com He has a free health newsletter you can subscribe to.
Hands down, however, pressure cooking is the best way to cook food. It cooks with steam from heat and pressure. The addition of pressure to the process actually reduces the boiling point of water quickly converting the liquid to steam and thus cooking faster with less heat. This cooking method retains 90-95% of nutrients as compared to boiling, baking broiling or frying. These methods can destroy up to 60% of enzymes and other nutrients. An Instant Pot with a stainless steel pot will cook most anything you want; even cakes and pies, in less time and tastes better, to boot. Pressure cooking also eliminates plant lectins, which are naturally occurring proteins utilized as protective mechanisms. (For some reason plants don't want to be eaten). Dr. Steven Gundry says lectins are linked to inflammation and are anti-nutrients, having a significant negative effect on human health. The list of food containing lectins is rather long and many on the list are considered very healthy. So like every other piece of information concerning our health, it is wise to do some research and make a determination about modifying our overall strategy to maximize our health and reduce the risk of disease.
How I cured my lactose intolerance... Allergies have multiple triggers. They can be extremely difficult to isolate, if you don't know what you are allergic to. I discovered I was lactose intolerant, after a lifetime of enjoying all kinds of dairy products with no adverse effects. I don't know what triggered it, but at 73 years old, the thought occurred to me that it was age related. However, my Dad drank a lot of milk all the way up to age 93, when he passed. Anyway, a friend suggested my dairy allergy was a digestive problem. So I reasoned....What could so drastically disrupt my digestion? I was extremely intolerant to even the tiniest amount of any dairy product , including raw butter and cheddar cheese. I theorized it was candida albicans (a yeast overgrowth in my gut, which usually comes about from an overconsumption of sugar).
I have to acknowledge that I take vitamins, minerals and occasional probiotic supplements. The probiotic supplements helped to an extent, but did not stop the gas, bloating, runny and often urgent bowel movements, etc.. So this is what I added to the above:
I took 2- 7 day candida cleanses from iherb.com
I started taking both prebiotic and probiotic pills daily.
I greatly restricted all sugar intake and drank a lot of water.
I added more fiber 3-4 times a week by eating a dried fig (7-11 grams)
That seemed to work, so after about a month of the above, I reintroduced a small amount of butter...no problem. Then cheese...again, no problem. Since then, I have eaten desserts with dairy in them and again no problem.
Then the problem came back!
So, I reasoned that there is a connection between candida and food allergies, but why did the condition reappear? My conclusion is that the candida is very resilient and it will take a good while to get it under control. On line research verifies that until I get the overgrowth to be at about 80 % good bacteria to 20% bad, the allergy to dairy will remain. My current regimen is 3- 8 ounce cups of water daily with 1 tbsp. of organic apple cider vinegar...not too tasty, but I want to some day be able to eat dairy again. The candida symptoms of dairy intolerance also indicate a possible leaky gut, so I am adding no gluten to my diet, because the gluten in today's wheat products cause fissures in the gut lining.
I an back to eating most cheeses now. I simply read the label and look for the sugar numbers. If the sugar (lactose is a sugar) is less than 7 grams, it doesn't bother me.
Usually that would be cultured cheese like cheddar.
I am 79 now and still have an intolerance to dairy, but taking a lactose supplement allows me to eat small quantities.
Why the new diet craze with regard to eggs? Dunkin Donuts, of all places, has suddenly become concerned about your wasteline. Really? They offer a breakfast sandwich of turkey sausage and egg whites. There are many reasons we should never remove the yolk from our eggs...See this site
We need to be wary of companies that make their living selling unhealthy, fatty, sugar loaded food. It is nice to see a new concern for health finding it's way into the quest for profits. It should not be a novel idea. I hope you have read the article in the link above about eggs. It brings up some important points about fats. Most restaurants use unhealthy fat for fried foods. Corn oil, soybean oil and canola are bad fats. They have an unhealthy ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fat. Depending on which ones are used, they can have ratios of up to 1:30. Healthy fat is in the 1:3 range. The so-called experts claim these are the good fats and saturated fats are bad. Just the opposite is true. Saturated fats are rich in omega 3s and because they are saturated, they are not subject to turning rancid like bad fats. Bat fats, (which are in the simple carbohydrate class of foods) along with excess sugar consumption cause inflammation which leads to a number of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, dementia, etc.. In case you are wondering, it is not cholesterol. There is no relationship between cholesterol and heart disease.