Some 30 years ago, American kitchens received the gift of the microwave and quickly became dependent on it for lightning-fast heating. Younger generations can't even imagine making oatmeal, hot chocolate, or popcorn without it. And yet so many of us are using the microwave incorrectly for reheated foods. Sure, we know to never zap aluminum foil, metal, or plastic, but there are equally dangerous risks involved in nuking certain foods.
For starters, a microwave does not cook food evenly, which often means that any bacteria present in the reheated foods will survive. Then there's the problem of microwave blasts directly contributing to the production of carcinogenic toxins. To minimize the microwave risks, don't use it to cook or warm these ten foods:
Hard-boiled eggs
Shelled or unshelled, when a hard-boiled egg is cooked in a microwave, the moisture inside creates an extreme steam buildup, like a miniature pressure cooker, to the point where the egg can explode! Even scarier, the egg won't burst inside the microwave while it's being heated, but afterward, which means the scalding hot egg can erupt in your hand, on your plate, or even in your mouth. To avoid turning your egg into a steam bomb, cut it into small pieces before reheating, or better yet, avoid putting it in the microwave altogether.
Breast milk
Many new mothers freeze and store their breast milk for later use, which is great, as long as it's not reheated in a microwave. In the same way that microwaves heat plates of food unevenly, they can also warm a bottle of breast milk unevenly, creating "hot spots" that can severely burn a baby's mouth and throat. Then there's the carcinogen hazard that comes with reheating plastic. The FDA recommends that breast milk and formula be thawed and reheated in a pot on the stove, or using hot tap water. As a workaround, you could heat a cup of water in the microwave and then drop the bag or bottle of breast milk in it to thaw.
Processed meat
Processed meats often contain chemicals and preservatives that extend their shelf lives. Unfortunately, microwaving them can make those substances worse for your health. In microwaving processed meats, we might unknowingly be exposed to chemical changes such as oxidized cholesterol in the process, according to research in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. A study in the journal Food Control suggests that reheating processed meats with a burst of microwave radiation contributes to the formation of cholesterol oxidation products (COPs), which have been linked to the development of coronary heart disease. Compared to other meal-prep methods for reheated foods, microwaving processed meats is far more likely to introduce COPs into your diet.
Rice
Rice, really? Well, according to the Food Standards Agency, microwaving rice can sometimes lead to food poisoning. The issue with rice involves the common presence of a highly resistant bacteria called Bacillus cereus. Heat kills this bacteria, but it can have produced spores that are toxic, according to findings in the International Journal of Food Microbiology—and surprisingly heat resistant. A number of studies confirm that once rice comes out of the microwave and is left out at room temperature, any spores it contains can multiply and cause food poisoning if you eat it. (The humid environment of the warm rice makes it an ideal breeding ground.) As is explained on the U.S. government website Food Safety: “B. cereus is a type of bacteria that produces toxins. These toxins can cause two types of illness: one type characterized by diarrhea, and the other, called emetic toxin, characterized by nausea and vomiting. Sources: a variety of foods, particularly rice." To avoid contaminated rice, heat it to near boiling and then keep it warm (above 140 degrees F) to keep it food safe.
Chicken
The most important thing to realize about microwaves is that their heat does not always kill bacteria, because microwaves heat from the outside in instead of the inside out. As such, certain bacteria-prone reheated foods will have higher risk of causing sickness when these bacterial cells survive. Bearing this in mind, you can see why chicken, which is at risk of salmonella contamination, could be a dangerous food to microwave. Before eating chicken, you have to cook it thoroughly to eliminate all present bacteria. Since microwaves don’t fully or evenly cook all parts of the meat, you’re more likely to be left with surviving bacteria, such as salmonella. In one study, out of 30 participants who reheated raw meat, all 10 who used a microwave became ill, whereas the 20 who used a skillet were fine. This goes to show how much bacteria can survive in meat when microwaved, compared to other cooking methods.
Leafy greens
If you want to save your celery, kale, or spinach to eat later as leftovers, plan to reheat them in a conventional oven rather than a microwave. When blasted in the microwave, naturally occurring nitrates (which are very good for you on their own) may convert to nitrosamines, which can be carcinogenic, studies show.
Beets
The same chemical conversion that happens to spinach holds true for reheating nitrate-rich beets and turnips! Good thing they're just as delicious cold.
When hot peppers are reheated in the microwave, capsaicin—the chemical that gives them their spicy flavor—is released into the air. Airborne, the chemical can burn your eyes and throat. In fact, one Rochester, New York, apartment building was evacuated after a microwaved pepper caused residents to start coughing and have trouble breathing.
Fruit
Microwaved grapes won’t make raisins, but they will make plasma, which is a form of matter that’s created when gas is ionized and lets electricity flow. In a video, Stephen Bosi, PhD, physics lecturer at the University of New England, shows nuking two pieces of a plain ol’ grape in a microwave can create enough plasma to melt a hole through a plastic container. Plasma might not be produced from other fruits, but you could still be left with a mess. Whole fruit traps steam under the flesh, meaning it could burst while it’s heating.
Potatoes
Thankfully, you’re still safe to nuke a raw spud for a quick and easy side dish. The danger comes when you try reheating cooked potatoes. Cooking potatoes in aluminum foil protects the bacteria C. botulinum from the heat, meaning it can still thrive if the potato stays at room temperature too long, and potentially cause botulism. Popping that contaminated tot in the microwave won’t kill the bacteria, either, so play it safe by cooking them on a baking sheet instead of wrapped in foil and refrigerating leftover potatoes as soon as possible.
There's more than 100 different types of autoimmune diseases and according toJohn Hopkins Medicine, an estimated 23.5 million Americans have one. "Any disease caused by a person's immunity attacking healthy cells and tissues is autoimmune disease. The immune system is our personal army whose job is to keep invaders out. If the army starts attacking its own, we end up suffering the consequences of this destruction," Dr. Suman Radhakrishna, Director of Infectious Disease with Dignity Healthy California Hospital tells us. Oftentimes autoimmune diseases can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms are subtle and easily overlooked or ignored, but knowing signs to look out for is key to finding a quicker diagnosis and getting treatment. Dr. Radhakrishna shares with us signals to pay attention to and who is at risk for an autoimmune disease.
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Autoimmune Diseases Can Be Difficult to Diagnose
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Dr. Radhakrishna says, "Our immune system is part of us, except for several abnormal/rogue cells which can be found in healthy asymptomatic individuals as well. Symptoms of autoimmune diseases can be very nonspecific and could occur due to many reasons, not all of them suggesting illness. Diagnosis is based on the presence of several of these abnormal immune cells in the setting of symptoms suggestive of autoimmune diseases. Sometimes the symptoms of autoimmune disease can be vague. Suffering with no end in sight is frustrating and lack of validation often results in the wrong impression that this is a mental health issue. Persons suffering from crippling disease and multiple organ damage feel trapped in their bodies. In addition to physical restrictions these diseases take a mental toll as well. Autoimmune diseases also increase risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, lung disease and cancer. Regular follow-up with your health care provider and with specialists when appropriate will prevent complications from developing."
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Who is at Risk for an Autoimmune Disease?
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Dr. Radhakrishna explains, "Some of the risk factors for autoimmune diseases include female sex (~ 80% in women), genetics (other family members more likely to have autoimmune diseases), previous diagnosis of autoimmune disease (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and others can overload), certain infections (Epstein Barr virus, COVID, Group A Strep infection), obesity, smoking and exposure to toxins (air pollutants, organic solvents), medications (certain blood pressure medications, cholesterol medications, antidepressants, etc)."
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How Can an Autoimmune Affect Daily Life and Overall Health
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"Yes, autoimmune disease can affect both the quality of health as well as overall health," Dr. Radhakrishna states. "Pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, and fever can cause a person to feel drained and unable to work and carry on with daily activities. Irreversible damage to organs such as joints, kidneys, and the brain can leave a person crippled and on dialysis."
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Fatigue
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Dr. Radhakrishna says, "Fatigue – this is almost universal and very frustrating to patients and doctors. This symptom is very difficult to quantify and there are many causes of fatigue that are not attributable to autoimmune diseases. Lack of sleep, stress – physical and mental are commonly experienced by all of us and usually improve after the stressor is removed and sleep deficit is corrected. However, if fatigue persists in the setting of other symptoms, it is best to discuss it with your healthcare provider."
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Joint Pain and Swelling
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"Joint pain and swelling, which is often felt in the hands and large joints, can indicate an autoimmune disease," Dr. Radhakrishna explains. "Stiffness in the morning which improves during the day is also common. Difficulty holding the toothbrush and brushing hair is uncommon. Please consult your healthcare provider. Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent crippling arthritis and maintain quality of life."
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Rash
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Dr. Radhakrishna shares, "Rash on skin – Can be limited to sun-exposed areas or the entire body. It can be flaky resembling psoriasis, intermittent or constant. If you notice a rash that recurs or persists, please discuss it with your healthcare provider."
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GI Issues
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According to Dr. Radhakrishna, "Abdominal pain and digestive complaints including diarrhea and constipation, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite can be quite common due to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Fluctuation in weight can be a consequence of this."
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Fever and Swollen Glands
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Dr. Radhakrishna tells us, "Intermittent fever and swollen glands are often experienced. These symptoms are again nonspecific and can be commonly seen. Please talk to your healthcare provider if these are recurring."
You most likely hear about"empty calories"all the time, but we bet you default to thinking about cupcakes and donuts. Well, it's better you uncover the truth now—there are actually a whole host of useless foods out there. And by useless, we mean void of nutrition.
When talking about "nutrient density," it's all about the vitamins, minerals, and fiber—in other words, the things that work to fuel and repair your body. Each meal or snack that you consume should be seen as an opportunity to nourish your body and fill it with as many nutrients as possible. This is particularly true if you're following a weight-loss or fitness plan because nutrient-dense foods will help you achieve your goals much faster.
"I think of 'nutritionally empty' foods as those that can either be higher or lower in calories, but that offer few or no nutrients," says Isabel Smith, MS, RD, CDN, registered dietitian and founder of Isabel Smith Nutrition. "Generally, these foods are also fairly refined or processed."
Resist grabbing the following foods the next time you're at the grocery store—trust us, they're not doing your body any favors.
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Tortilla Chips
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This classic party food doesn't contain a long list of ingredients, but none of those ingredients contain a high dose of nutrients.
"Generally speaking, for most crackers and chips, much of the nutritional value of the grain has been removed during processing—especially when these foods are white rather than whole-wheat because the husk and outer layers of the grain have been removed. They aren't necessarily bad but they just don't offer much with respect to nutrients," Smith says.
Eat This Instead: For a more nutrient-dense alternative (that still offers crunch without those empty calories), try air-popped popcorn with your own added herbs and spices or crackers made from whole-wheat with four to five grams of fiber per serving.
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Soda
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Not only is soda void of vitamins and minerals and packed with empty calories coming from sugar, but it also contains a ton of ingredients that can do some harm to your body.
"Regular and diet sodas are loaded with artificial chemicals like colorings and sweeteners. Both calorie-containing and zero-calorie (these, in particular, may negatively influence feelings of fullness and satiety) should be avoided. Also, dark-colored sodas often contain additives like phosphoric acid that can be dangerous to bone health," Smith warns.
Drink This Instead: Sometimes that fizzy pop craving just won't go away, though. Instead of soda, experiment with sodium-free, sugar-free sparkling water with either a splash of low- or no-sugar juice, freshly-squeezed juice, or a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon. If it's the flavor rather than the fizz you're after, Smith also recommends infusing regular water with fruits and vegetables.
"A few of my favorites are mint and orange, cucumber on its own or with orange, and strawberry with pineapple," Smith says.
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Pretzels
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Pretzels seem like a relatively harmless snack. They've got the crunch and saltiness that many of us crave, and they're not really full of sugar or harmful artificial ingredients. The problem? They don't fuel your body. If you have fitness or weight loss goals, a bag of pretzels' empty calories aren't going to help you get over the finish line any faster.
Eat This Instead: Smith recommends kale chips as a healthier alternative.
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White Pasta
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It seems as though pasta is always condemned to the "diet-don't" list, right? The truth is, it can offer some nutrients if and only if you choose the right kind. It's also very important to pay close attention to portion size if you're watching your weight. "It's better to choose whole grain because it contains more fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein since the husk of the grain is left on," Smith says. Psst! Pair your whole-grain pasta with a healthy pasta sauce to avoid added sugars.
Eat This Instead: While we like whole-grain pasta, the healthiest way to get your noodle fix is with substitutes like spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles. Both are rich in potassium, as well as vitamins A and C!
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White Flour
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As a rule of thumb, it's always healthier to choose whole-wheat and whole-grain options over products made with white flour. To get white flour, wheat grains are heavily refined and processed, stripping food of the fiber that our bodies love so much. Whole-wheat flour is made from the same grains but retains its fiber content because it hasn't undergone that heavy processing. Getting enough fiber is important in any diet because it helps lower cholesterol, boosts weight loss, and aids waste elimination.
Eat This Instead: If you know that quitting white flour foods—bagels, cereal, crackers, baked goods, etc.—will be a particularly tough adjustment for you, look for 100% whole-wheat bread, or choose pastas or crackers that contain a mix of white and whole wheat flour.
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Heat-Pasteurized Juices
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Different from those cold-pressed green juices that you see popping up everywhere, heat-pasteurized juices aren't as healthy as they may appear. Juices, like orange and cranberry, often have to be heated at very high levels and have to be higher in sugar—many contain added sugar—in order to undergo processing. "The pasteurization process can kill some of the nutrients because the temperature is so high," Smith explains.
Drink This Instead: Try to choose cold-pressed or non-processed juices that contain a higher ratio of vegetables to fruit in order to avoid spikes in blood sugar and reap the most health benefits. Also, keep in mind that fruit juice can often dismantle weight-loss efforts rather quickly—so don't even bother with a juice cleanse!
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Sweet Wine
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Yes, wine has some antioxidants—most notably the resveratrol in red wine, which may help prevent damage to blood vessels, reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), and prevent blood clots. But typically, the sweeter the wine, the more calories it contains. Dry wines have about 106 calories per glass, whereas sweet dessert wines have around 225 or more. Three glasses of wine with dinner could easily add up to an extra 400 calories. You'll get some of that resveratrol but not much in the way of nutrition.
Drink This Instead: "Studies suggest that red and purple grape juices may provide some of the same heart benefits of red wine," says Katherine Zeratsky, RD, LD.
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Coffee-based Beverages
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Now this is really where calories can start adding up. Though coffee itself has a negligible caloric value, plenty of beverages on your coffee shop's menu can pack a quarter of the calories you'd ordinarily require to meet your energy needs. A 16-ounce pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks, for example, comes in at 380 calories, 14 grams of fat, and 50 grams of sugar. Yikes.
Drink This Instead: Black coffee. Spend some time identifying the notes that float your boat, and you'll soon look at those fatty, sugary, calorically bloated liquid desserts as a thing of your past.
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Croissants
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We know, we know—biting into a buttery, flaky croissant can be a transcendent experience. Eat too many of them, however, and pretty soon your belly could transcend your belt buckle. A butter croissant from Starbucks has about 310 calories, more than half of which come from fat.
Eat This Instead: Grab some oatmeal. Oats have plenty of fiber and are a perfect breakfast. A serving of Starbucks Classic Oatmeal is just 160 calories on its own. You may find that the accompanying package of dried fruit makes the packet of brown sugar superfluous.
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Donuts
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We have to wonder—how did these things ever become a breakfast food to begin with? Some of the offerings at Dunkin' Donuts come close to packing 500 calories—and 0 grams of anything nutritious.
Eat This Instead: Satisfy your sweet tooth by making some energy balls to eat with your black coffee. Just blend any or all of the following: dried, unsweetened fruit; oats; honey; and ground flaxseed, which adds omega-3s for an energizing boost. Chopped nuts, dark chocolate pieces, nut butter, and unsweetened, shredded coconut are other nutritious options. Add some water, a little at a time, until the mixture is moistened enough to form into 1-ounce balls. If you use prunes, oats, honey, and flaxseed, each energy ball has about 100 calories, 3 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber.
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Ketchup
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Look at a bottle of ketchup, then imagine that one-quarter of that bottle is full of sugar—because it is! Don't be fooled into thinking that this omnipresent condiment has much to do with the goodness naturally contained in tomatoes. The sugar and salt override any cancer-fighting lycopene it contains.
Eat This Instead: Slightly more expensive, but well worth it, is organic ketchup. Research has shown that organically-raised tomatoes produce nearly twice as much lycopene.
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Mayonnaise
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Regular mayo ranks among the worst of empty-calorie condiments. Non-fat varieties of mayo aren't a whole lot better, considering the sugar and preservatives they contain. Plus, it's a mystery if mayo is even a food; after all, it's made with eggs but can happily sit, unrefrigerated, on a supermarket shelf for months without breaking down or separating. There's something not quite right about that . . .
Eat This Instead: You can make a healthier version of mayo at home by blending Greek yogurt, lemon juice, mustard, pepper, and spices. You'll save more than 200 calories and 20 grams of fat per quarter-cup serving. Plus, Greek yogurt is rich in protein and calcium.
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Cream Cheese
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Two tablespoons of regular cream cheese have 100 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 6 grams of saturated fat. What do you get nutritionally for all that? Not much. Cream cheese doesn't provide a significant amount of any good-for-you nutrients; even its calcium count is lame.
Eat This Instead: Neufchâtel is a cream cheese style cheese from France, which made its debut during the European Dark Ages. A 100 gram serving contains 253 calories—89 fewer than the same amount of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It also has 11 fewer grams of fat than its American cousin. Mon Dieu!
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Thick-Crust Pizza
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Cheese has protein, and tomato-based products have lycopene. That's the good news about pizza! The bad news? Well, it's all contained in a high-cal, low-nutrient crust. Pizza dough won't only impart very little nutrition to your body (as normally, it's made from refined white flour), but it will also spike your insulin levels, which means those empty calories will cause you to crave more simple carbs.
Eat This Instead: We're not going to ask you to stop eating pizza; we know that's impossible, as who doesn't love some pizza? However, we will suggest that you opt for a thinner-crust slice whenever possible. And here's a New Yorker's bonus tip: That stuff they call pizza in Chicago? Just go ahead and avoid those deep-dish slices.
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Beer
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There really is nothing that pairs better with chicken wings than a beer, but most beers aren't worth the calories. Beer amounts to little more than liquid carbs—and a growing gut.
Drink This Instead: If you're going to drink beer, choose Guinness. Despite its heavy, hearty dark appearance, this stout has 20 fewer calories per 12-ounce serving than a Bud. But there's more: A University of Wisconsin study found that moderate consumption of Guinness worked like aspirin to prevent blood clots that increase the risk of heart attacks. That's because the antioxidants it contains are better than vitamins C and E at keeping bad LDL cholesterol from clogging arteries.
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Barbecue Sauce
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Just two tablespoons of barbecue sauce have 100 calories, more than 10 grams of sugar, and 22 grams of carbohydrates. That's enough to turn a piece of grilled chicken into a delivery car of empty calories.
Eat This Instead: You'll be doing your health and your waistband a solid by mixing low-sodium soy sauce with a little honey. Without going overboard on empty calories, you'll still get the sweet and tangy taste you crave.
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Processed Meats
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In its most natural state, meat packs lots of protein, vitamins, and minerals essential to health. But the more you tinker with meat, the more the bad stuff offsets the good. Processed and/or smoked meats like bologna, bacon, frankfurters, prosciutto, and salami are fatty, salty, and loaded with nitrates. Plus, 50 grams of processed meat a day—that's less than two slices of bacon—increases the chance of developing colorectal cancer by 18%, according to a report from the World Health Organization. Yikes!
Eat This Instead: Try Gravlax. Though it's still cured with salt, sugar, and dill, this Nordic salmon dish doesn't require smoking, a process that has been linked to cancer. Salmon isn't just a great source of protein and omega-3s—it also packs a lot of vitamin D.
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Ranch Dressing
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Ranch has two main ingredients: mayonnaise and sour cream. A quarter-cup of the stuff serves up 220 calories and 22 grams of fat. It's the fastest way to ruin an otherwise healthy salad or plate of crudites.
Eat This Instead: Hummus. It comes in a variety of flavors, and two heaping tablespoons will save you 55 calories and 8 grams of fat over Ranch.
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Pancakes
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White flour, sugar, salt, milk, eggs, and butter. There are too many low-nutrient-density ingredients (and not nearly enough eggs and milk) to make pancakes anything other than big ol' disks of empty calories. Adding chocolate chips, syrup, or more butter definitely won't help matters.
Eat This Instead: You can make this dish a tiny bit more nutritious by replacing white flour and sugar with a mixture of whole-wheat flour, oats, pecans, and cinnamon. Adding bananas or blueberries as a topping will help. If you're using syrup, opt for 100% pure maple syrup and not the fake stuff derived from high fructose corn syrup.
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French Fries
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Potatoes are vegetables. What's a French fry but a vegetable heated with a little oil? Sorry to burst your bubble here—a lot of the nutrients and fiber in a spud are actually contained in the skin. The skin, in most cases, is removed when making fries. Oh, and then there's the fat. A potato's worth of fries has way more surface area than the potato itself, enabling them to soak up plenty of fat.
Eat This Instead: Sweet potato fries will be your new best friend for your French fry cravings! You're not going to fry them; just drizzle a little olive oil on them and throw them in the oven. This will reduce the fat content, and you'll also get a dose of fiber and vitamin A.
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Ice Cream
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The fact is that ice cream must have 10% milk fat for it to even be called ice cream, and some varieties have as much as 16%. Milk fat is largely cholesterol, which is a saturated fat. When your blood cholesterol level is too high, it can build up as plaque, a fatty deposit in your arteries that interferes with blood flow and raises your risk of heart disease and stroke. Ice cream is also high in sugar, which makes up the majority of its carbohydrate content. You'll get a small dose of calcium, but ice cream is never worth the calories unless it's a once-in-a-blue-moon treat for your taste buds and not a daily indulgence.
Eat This Instead: Sorbet. It's made from fruit juice and syrup, so there's plenty of sugar in this ice-cream-related treat. Though it doesn't have the protein and calcium offered by its dairy-based cousin, it's low-calorie and fat-free.
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Onion Rings
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The onion ring is a great example of how everything that's good about a vegetable can be expunged. Some say they're even worse than French fries because onion rings have more calories, more saturated fat, more sugar, and less potassium.
Eat This Instead: A 3-ounce serving of fried calamari—a delicious onion ring lookalike—contains about 150 calories, 15 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat and, 6 grams of carbohydrates. Plus, it has plenty of zinc and B vitamins. Even better? Opting for grilled calamari instead.
