Kourtney Kardashian is vocal about her parenting approach, raising her four children on organic, dairy-free food and banning all single-use plastic from her home.
There's one strict rule The Kardashians star enforces with her four kids that may surprise you, however. The 44-year-old Lemme founder has banned microwaves from the Calabasas family home she shares with children Mason, 13, Penelope, 11, and Reign, eight, whose father is ex Scott Disick, and baby Rocky, who she raises with Blink-182 star Travis Barker.
Kourtney previously revealed in a post on her lifestyle website Poosh that once she had her eldest child, Mason, she banished the common household appliance from her abode.
"One kitchen appliance I never use is a microwave. If anything needs to be heated up, I prefer to use the oven, stovetop or toaster oven instead," she previously wrote.
© Instagram"I read that toxins from plastic containers can be transferred to food when reheated (this applies to BPA-free plastic containers too)."
Explaining that "when it comes to my family I play it safe," Kourtney added that her toaster oven does the job just as well.
Food is reheated evenly instead of the risk of parts of it being cold, which Kourtney worries would potentially pose a threat to her young children.
© InstagramWhat are the dangers of using a microwave oven at home?
HELLO!'s Chief Content Officer, Sophie Vokes-Dudgeon, is another mother with a fear of microwaves. For Sophie, the concerns lie around the nutritional value of food potentially being reduced after usage.
"We got rid of our microwave ten years ago and I honestly don't miss it. We were renovating our kitchen and I was on a huge health drive after a cancer scare and so I was reading a lot of studies about food and nutrition. One study I read suggested that the nutritional value of foods was reduced by microwaves, for example, microwaving was found to remove 97% of the flavonoids in broccoli – these compounds reduce inflammation, a major factor in immunity," she explains.
© Photo: Instagram"There are other studies that show there are ways to use microwaves to retain more nutritional value, if you're very strict on the timing of the cooking, but I'm not a precise chef, so for me it seemed sensible to avoid. After a small adaptation period of making porridge on the hob, and reheating things in the oven, I realised I preferred how things taste cooking them properly, so I've never gone back."
However, the World Health Organisation reveals there is no risk to humans from eating food cooked in a microwave oven, and it boasts the same nutritional value.
"Food cooked in a microwave oven is as safe, and has the same nutrient value, as food cooked in a conventional oven," they explain.
© Sean ZanniUsers should pay attention to cooking/defrosting their food properly and allow the dish to rest for a few minutes before consuming it.
The website warns: "Microwave energy does not penetrate well in thicker pieces of food, and may produce uneven cooking. This can lead to a health risk if parts of the food are not heated sufficiently to kill potentially dangerous micro-organisms. Because of the potential for uneven distribution of cooking, food heated in a microwave oven should rest for several minutes after cooking is completed to allow the heat to distribute throughout the food.
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"Because of the potential for uneven distribution of cooking, food heated in a microwave oven should rest for several minutes after cooking is completed to allow the heat to distribute throughout the food."
