Fitness influencer Ashy Bines reveals the bizarre health reason she refuses to use a microwave – but does science agree?

Controversial fitness influencer Ashy Bines has revealed the peculiar reason why she hasn’t owned a microwave in over a decade.

The Queensland mother-of-two shared her concerns about the home appliance with fans during an Instagram Q&A on Saturday, saying she believed microwaves ruin the nutritional value of food.

‘Personally I believe they kill all living nutrients. (There are) much better, healthier options for reheating food. Also radiation,” she replied to a fan who wondered why she didn’t have a microwave.

‘It’s been 13 years now since we’ve had one (there was one on our last rental that I used maybe three times). To each their own, and I know most families use them and they’re super useful, but I would encourage you to look into them more as well. No judgment here; do what works for you!’ she continued.

Ashy went on to say that she “loves” using her air fryer and a pan to heat up her food.

While social media is awash with claims that microwaves strip nutrients from food, in reality all cooking methods – such as steaming, roasting or frying – cause some nutrients to break down because heat can change their chemical structure.

This is especially true if food is cooked for too long or at a very high temperature.

Because they cook food faster, microwaves can actually preserve vitamins better than other cooking methods Harvard research.

The Queensland mother-of-two shared her concerns about the home appliance during an Instagram Q&A with fans on Saturday, saying she believed microwaves ruined the nutritional value of food.

‘Personally I believe they kill all living nutrients. (There are) much better, healthier options for reheating food. Also radiation,” she replied to a fan who wondered why she didn’t have a microwave

Microwaving is also better at retaining fiber, which is essential for gut health, compared to pressure cooking vegetables, according to a study published in 2002 in Food Chemistry.

Ashy’s fear of ‘radiation’ has also been debunked.

Microwave ovens use microwaves – a form of electromagnetic radiation – to direct and excite the water molecules in food.

Because they cook food faster, microwaves can actually preserve vitamins better than other cooking methods, according to Harvard research

The food heats up quickly due to the rapidly rotating water molecules.

Although long-term exposure to radiation can be harmful – there are rules about how much emissions can come from a microwave oven – and this is significantly lower than any dangerous level.

Furthermore, there has never been any research that proves that microwaves cause long-term harm to humans.