During pregnancy, we want to be giving our little ones the best start possible.
I bet you never questioned the food safety risks of eating honey or drinking coffee until now.
So, what about using your microwave to heat foods? Is it going to result
in brain tumours like some bloggers have suggested or is it completely safe? Well,
stay tuned and I'll explain the facts about how safe is microwaving during pregnancy....
Hello! If this is the first time you're watching one of my videos, let me introduce
myself. My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm a specialist fertility and prenatal dietitian.
I love helping new mum's and dad's navigate the ins and outs of everything nutrition related.
I post new videos every week, so if you don't want to miss them,
go ahead and subscribe by pressing the red subscribe button below.
Almost everyone has a microwave oven in their home, at work or even at school. It's
a convenient way to heat up leftovers or make a bag of freshly popped popcorn. It's not uncommon
for most of us to use our microwaves daily or at the very least, walk past one on a regular basis.
Most people wouldn't give this a second thought, but when you are pregnant you want to make
absolutely sure that you do nothing to harm your unborn bub. So let's take a look at the facts...
First of all, how does a microwave oven work?
Microwaves work through using electromagnetic radiation to increase the temperature of
water molecules in your food, this is why foods with a higher water content cook more quickly.
The microwaves don't heat items that have no water in them, like the container that
you're cooking in. But don't be fooled into thinking that the container won't get warm,
it can still get pretty hot from the heat of the food cooking inside. It's really important to
understand that the microwave energy is converted to heat as it is absorbed by the food, so cooking
your food in the microwave doesn't contaminate your food in any way or make it radioactive.
Can I cook my food in any type of container?
This is where we start to see some safety issues. Some containers are not suitable for microwave
cooking because they'll melt from the heat of the food or because the container is made of metal,
which reflects the microwaves (and can potentially damage the oven). In other cases,
certain plastic containers may contain a substance called bisphenol-A
or BPA. This is a known endocrine or hormone disruptor which can leach out when the plastic
is heated (from the hot food). So always check to see if your container is microwave safe,
or better yet try to only heat up foods in a microwave safe glass container.
Now thirdly, can microwaves escape from the oven?
Being in direct contact with microwaves is not safe. The microwaves will heat your body tissues
in the same way that it heats food meaning that it can leave you with a very nasty burn.
In addition to this, your eyes are particularly vulnerable and high levels of microwaves can cause
cataracts. In both these circumstances, this will only happen when you are exposed to high
levels of microwaves, which is unlikely if you are using a microwave that is in good condition.
In general, microwaves are allowed to leak a very small amount but this will only reach you
if you are standing less than two inches from the microwave and the amount leaked in any case
is unlikely to cause you or your bub any harm. If this scares you a little, simply walk away when
you are heating something up. The further you get from the microwave, the less exposure there is.
Manufacturers are responsible for making sure that the lining of the door is designed in
such a way that it minimizes leaking as much as possible. If you have an old or damaged microwave,
this seal may be compromised. In this case, the amount of microwaves that can
reach you becomes higher, to the point where it could theoretically harm you or your baby.
The bottom line is that using a well-maintained microwave is generally safe, even for pregnant
women. You'll be okay if you only use microwave safe containers, be careful not to burn yourself
on any hot contents and remember not to use a damaged microwave under any circumstances!
For additional information about what's safe and what's not during pregnancy,
please feel free to head on over to our social media page where we've got tons
of helpful information that will make your pregnancy journey as healthy as possible.
See you soon!