>>Philip Thrift wrote:
>>"I consider this "microwave cooking is dangerous or unhealthy"
>>folklore to be like other quackeries like psychic phenomena or UFOs,
>>or at least other hoaxes that get internet circulation.
>>
>>Thanks to a reader for sending me this reference:
>>
>>http://rabi.phys.virginia.edu/HTW/microwave_ovens.html"


Mother Nature is far wiser than man.  The more technology and "scientific"
processing methods man uses to alter whole, live foods from their natural
molecular structure, the more foreign these molecules become to our bodies.
Fresh/raw foods are best.  Frozen, heated, or any other form of processing
is a distant second.

This is not to say that I reject all technology with nutrition.  I think a
good multi, cod liver oil, intestinal microflora pills, Metabolic Thyrolean
by Prolab, creatine, herbal supplements, etc are all useful supplements.
But, as the word indicates, they are supplemental to a diet - the primary
source of vits, mins, phytonutrients, bioflavinoids, essential aminos, EFAs,
etc must come from whole, unprocessed foods.  Mother Nature has given us a
few methods to heat our food.  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.  I doubt the HG's used microwaves to cook their meats.  I think
there's a reason for this.  A reason that Mother Nature fully understands,
but I do not.  I trust Mother Nature more than I do any scientist, no matter
how intelligent he/she may be.  Until we have the power to create and
sustain life in the delicate manner that Mother Nature has done successfully
for millions of years, I don't believe it's logical to argue that we are
wiser than Her.

Moving along.  I myself have never claimed to be a paleo purist or even a
serious health nut for that matter.  I, albeit rarely, cheat on occasion.  I
do this because it suits my lifestyle.  I think free-range round steak is
delicious raw and bloody, but I can't eat my organic chicken raw, at least
not yet.  I have to brown it in the oven at a low temp.  Although this still
leaves the chicken cooked rare when I eat it, it's not as healthy as just
eating the chicken raw.   (By the way, I'm talking about a high quality,
organic chicken.  There's no way I'd eat the chicken at the store raw
because the risk of bacterial and parasitic infection is just too high.)

My point is this.  Cooking chicken is a choice I will probably continue to
make.  Credit it to my miseducated taste buds I guess.  But then again, I'm
not claiming that cooking chicken is healthy.  What I do have a problem with
is some people claiming that microwaving meat is not unhealthy.  There's
nothing wrong with microwaving meat, especially if it's convenient for your
life, the life you have chosen for yourself.  But it's foolish to believe,
and, even worse yet, tell other others that it isn't unhealthy in the least.

Making unhealthy decisions is one thing.  Many of us (myself included) make
unhealthy decisions everyday.  Making unhealthy decisions and then trying to
deny your unhealthy actions is a whole different ballgame.

My 2 cents,
Justin Hasselman

Ps. On the other hand, my particular stance on this issue could always be
rebuttled with a few statements about a hoax just like psychic phenomena or
UFOs in an attempt to get internet circulation.  Although this wouldn't be
much of a cogent argument, it seems to work just fine for some.
________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com