When I was ten, my mom came home from work one day and announced we were throwing away our family microwave. She told us the microwave was cancerous and terrible for our bodies. The next day, she purchased a toaster oven, which we’ve had ever since.
I’m mostly opposed to the toaster oven. The appliance can cook food, toast bread incredibly well and heat leftovers spectacularly. Truly the only frustration I feel towards this replacement is that I can no longer make microwave mac-and-cheese. My qualms with my mom’s substitution are much more about her reasoning than the replacement itself.
When my mom came home that day and informed us of the negative health impacts of microwaves, she was likely referencing the sort of articles you can find by looking up “why you shouldn’t own a microwave.”
For example, in a blog post titled “Why I Don’t Recommend Using Microwave Ovens,” Dr. Susan Player, a Chiropractic Internist and Certified Nutritionist, writes about why we should avoid the appliance.
After a few years of “investigating the effects of microwave ovens,” Dr. Player has concluded that they not only “create significant disturbances in the energy fields of the body,” but that consuming microwaved food weakens the body itself. Towards the end of the post, she writes: “I’m sure that there are many more references and documents available if one were to do a literature search in the library or the internet.”
Laila Ali Lifestyle, as the name suggests, is a lifestyle blog dedicated to “[becoming] the best version of yourself” by “taking control of your health”. In a post from 2020 called “Five Reasons To Stop Using A Microwave”, Ali informs their readers that microwaves produce electromagnetic radiation, expose people to toxins and destroy the nutrients in food.
Additionally, she claims that toaster ovens heat food faster than microwaves do, which contradicts my personal experience using them. These blogs are some of many with such ideas about the appliance in question.
A quick search will show just how false this rhetoric is. Harvard Health’s website writes that because microwave cooking times are shorter, cooking with a microwave does a better job of preserving vitamin C and other nutrients that break down when heated.
In many cases, microwaving food can preserve its health benefits. Another worry surrounding microwaves is radiation. Cleveland Clinic’s website explains to readers that there is no reason to be scared. The radiation in the microwave is non-ionizing radiation, which doesn’t change molecular makeup or cause cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Unless microwaving metal or plastic, there is nothing to worry about.
All of the misconceptions surrounding microwave use stem from what has always surrounded diet culture and the “all-natural revolution:” fear.
Even if the harm is not supported by science, the risk of something being unhealthy is more than enough to terrify people; be it drinking raw milk, demonizing chips and cookies or claiming vaccines are just as deadly as the diseases they fight. Microwaves and the false stigmas around them originate from a similar sphere of health-based fear.
When we feel weak, gain weight or get sick easily, we act out of fear. We look towards complex machinery to fix our problem, either through blame or overuse. We cut foods, appliances, cooking practices out without actually knowing what we’re doing. The radiation in microwaves is the same as the kind in light bulbs, phones, televisions and other common household items. There is no need to be afraid of that appliance unless you wish to use candlelight and carrier pigeons as well.
