I’m a big believer in prepping meals and pre-determining what you’re going to eat as one of the secrets to successful fat loss. It’s why my B-Fit B-Fabulous 21 Day Weight Loss plan works for so many of my clients – all your meals laid out in a simple plan with easy to follow recipes, shopping lists and ingredients.One of my friends told me about something that seems to be gaining popularity for busy professionals in Liverpool – pre prepped meals. These are cooked and prepared by nutritionists and trainers and you receive a week’s worth of meals and snacks. A typical week costs over £100 and the meals are delivered to you. Great in principle, but there’s one huge problem in my opinion with this service… the instructions tell you to microwave all the meals to heat up.
I don’t have a microwave. And I’m not here to preach and tell you to get rid of yours (I’ll let you make your own informed decision). This came up in conversation this week so I thought I would take this opportunity to share my reasons why I won’t have a microwave in my home and why I think that these ‘healthy’ meal services are a real waste of money.
I have read many studies, articles and researched a number of scientific papers about the potential hazards when it comes to microwaving what we eat.
In a nutshell (without boring you with reams of scientific jargon and data) the reasons I believe my family and I are best living without one include;
- Microwaves change the molecular structure of some foods
- Microwaves can denature a lot of the nutrient density in many foods ( 1 study showed that 97% of antioxidants in broccoli were lost in a microwave compared to less than 11% in steaming)
- Microwaves change the protein chemistry in food
- Carcinogenic compounds have been found in microwaved foods
- Unknown by-products are created in microwaved foods and the body cannot metabolise them
- When my dad had cancer the first time , his consultant told him not to use a microwave! (this was my trigger to start doing some research on microwaves)
There are many studies on all of the above and some even cite the potential increase cancer risk of long term exposure to microwaved foods, not to mention the hormone disruption it can cause. And what does this mean? Hormone disruption leads to increased FAT storage!
Did you know? Microwaves are used by scientists in gene altering technology, specifically to weaken cell membranes and actually break cells apart. Doing so causes cells to become more susceptible to viruses, fungi and other microorganisms. Do you want that for your food too?
So, what is the solution?
We are ALL busy people and I know that a microwave may seem convenient and quick. All of the recipes on my blog and that I post each week on my newsletter take no more than half an hour. Most of my recipes take no more than 15 minutes from start to finish, which is really no time at all.
I find that batch cooking and prepping meals helps my clients to avoid that ravenous urge to quickly shove something in the microwave to eat. If you prep your meals, eat regularly throughout the day, then you should be able to exert some self control at dinner time and cook something nutritious and healthy. Once you get in the habit of this, it really does become second nature.
- Plan meals
- Shop online for all ingredients
- Carry handy healthy snacks in your handbag
- Eat more raw produce (no need to heat anything then!)
- Batch cook big meals and store/freeze for a later date
If you’d like to read further information and studies about microwaves and the effects on our food please take a look at some of the studies and articles below.
http://www.mercola.com/article/microwave/hazards2.htmhttp://www.aaimedicine.com/jaaim/apr06/hazards.php
