The Microwave Challenge  

I was recently reading an article describing the many ways in which modern food processing robs food of many vital nutrients necessary for health. An old story, but judging from today's supermarket offerings and standard restaurant fare, one that continues to be ignored. The article suggested that we go back to the old way of consuming grains—in their natural, whole form. I think that's a good idea, and one I've been following for over 20 years. Near the end of the article, the author pointed out that whole grains can now be cooked much more rapidly using a microwave. That, I believe, may not be such a good idea. 

Life is mysterious, and there is much we don't know. Some areas of life are fairly well understood, but others, such as romantic relationships or programming a VCR, can be very perplexing. An area that is particularly fraught with ignorance is nutrition. The lack of clarity can be easily seen if you follow the continual flow of nutritional theories that periodically sweep in and out of fashion. One day it's low-fat, high-carbohydrate; the next it's low-carbohydrate, high-protein, and don't worry about the fat. We've got the raw-food diet, the macrobiotic diet, the Mediterranean diet, the Paleolithic diet, the Ayurvedic diet, and so on. In this panoply of often contradictory choices, we mustn't leave out the miraculous add-on products and supplements, each claimed to provide the final answer to achieving vibrant health, endless youth, a hot sex life, and luxurious hair growth. 

Can we stay in the Zone and still be Heart-Smart? Can we balance our yin and yang without straying from our doshas? Do we have any room left for real food if we take all the supplements and additives that promise to deliver mega health? The point is that we really don't know for sure what's going on nutritionally, but we pretend to, especially if we're selling something. 

So what does all this have to do with whole grains and microwave cooking? 

Our bodies evolved over millions of years in harmony with nature. (For those that don't believe in evolution, substitute "God created natural rules that our bodies must follow.") Before the advent of high technology, we lived entirely on whole, organically grown food, and that is the fuel to which our physiology is accustomed. This is why we need to eat whole grains. 

It's not just food—any way that we deviate from the basic lifestyle of our ancestors may affect us negatively: if we lead a sedentary life; if we if don't get out in the fresh air and sunshine; if we ingest toxic chemicals in our food, air and water; if we don't find community (tribe). 

Preparing food with a microwave is one of the many ways we have managed to alter our lifestyle with technology, but is it a difference that makes a difference? 

Cooking is a chemical process in which raw food is dramatically transformed. During cooking, the electromagnetically charged food molecules swirl around, breaking into various components, combining together with others, changing into something very different from the original raw form. For many thousands of years, people cooked their food using an external, non-electromagnetic heat source, such as a wood fire, and our bodies became accustomed to this way of food preparation. Now, consider microwave cooking. It's an entirely different process in which the water molecules within food are vibrated in a field of intense electromagnetic energy. How will the transformation of food be altered by such a vastly different process? No one knows, but the people who using microwaves will experience the answer whether they like it or not. 

On theory alone we should be cautious about microwave cooking, but there haven't been many scientific studies on the subject. In one that I know of, researchers discovered that microwaving infant formula for 10 minutes altered the structure of its component amino acids in ways that possibly could result in functional, structural and immunological abnormalities in infants consuming it. One of these altered amino acids has been proven to be toxic to the kidneys, liver and nervous system. (Lancet 189;2:1) 

As with microwave cooking, we don't have definite answers to many things in life related to our health and happiness, and until science gives us those answers, we must rely on our intuition and common sense to judge what is best for us. Or, we can do what most people do—blindly accept whatever new toy or technological miracle our profit-oriented society wants to sell us. For my part, I don't like being sick, and I try very assiduously to avoid pain, suffering and medical treatment. The best way I know to stay healthy is to follow the natural way, especially as practiced by traditional cultures. When in doubt, especially where my health is concerned, I would rather err on the side of caution. A microwave oven is easy and extremely convenient, but I don't use one. How about you?