From: Justin Hasselman
>I'd imagine that many Paleoithic cultures
> stuck their meat on a stick and held it over a fire.  And although this
> isn't as  healthy as eating the meat in it's raw form, it's much better
than
> microwaving.

Cooking meat over an open fire is far more hazardous than microwaving.  The
smoke coats the meat and is both eaten and inhaled by the chef.  This smoke
contains many different known carcinogens and even radioactive particles.
Even infrared radiation (heat) produced by fire causes molecular changes
similar to those caused by higher frequency radiation ( ask Phil Thrift
Ph.D.. - senior scientist at Texas Instruments).

But even this the greater risk produced by fire pales in comparison to such
common things as living in a house made of brick or one with plasterboard
interior walls (Radon).  If you use a fireplace you might as well cook on it
as it adds little risk to that produced by it's normal operation.  Cooked
meat is still far safer than raw due to the reduced risk of bacterial
contamination.  This risk of contamination is far less serious for a
hunter-gatherer's system ( I consider salmonella to be a mild laxative) but
still is uncomfortable enough to dissuade many from adopting a slightly more
natural diet.

Ray Audette
Author "NeanderThin"
http://www.neanderthin.com