Aluminum Foil/Trays…What’s All the Fuss? Inexpensive and Healthy Cooking Options
Yes, the fuss is real…Aluminum foil has serious, health harming concerns. Just because it’s on the store shelf, doesn’t mean you should be using it and bringing it into your home. Here are three reasons to keep aluminum foil, trays, cookware, and utensils out of your kitchen along with some healthy alternatives. Keep reading to understand some of the risks for using aluminum.
Aluminum is a neurotoxin. It is just that…it’s toxic to your neurological system. In a 2014 study a 66-year-old man died of Alzheimer’s disease with significantly elevated aluminum in his brain. Another 58-year-old man, without previous medical history, was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Both men worked in an industry where they breathed aluminum dust particles for eight years. Aluminum accumulates in the brain as we age, and long-term exposure contributes to this accumulation. Exposure is also associated with a number of neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson’s and dementia. Foods prepared in aluminum had significantly higher amounts of the same compared to cooking in other means. Harmful levels are even higher when acidic foods like lemon juice or tomatoes come in contact with aluminum. Spices further compound the issue and levels. I don’t know about you but this information alone was enough for me. A few years ago, we eliminated allowing aluminum to touch our foods in our home. Why take the risk when there are other options that are without the compromising effects on your health and brain?!
Aluminum increases bone disease risks. Research shows that “long-term oral aluminum intake” results in high prevalence of aluminum-associated bone disease. Many would argue, and I agree, that cooking with aluminum foil regularly for years or even decades is long-term consumption of aluminum. Ingestion is one way you increase the amount of aluminum that enters your body. Through personal care products applied to your skin, like in some deodorants, is another. Aluminum builds up in the blood, muscles, organs and brain, and contributes to many health issues as already mentioned. Avoid using aluminum foil, trays, cookware, utensils and ultimately minimize your risks. Today, we have so many environmental exposures that our ancestors were without. As a result, minimizing exposures where you can is a must, if you want to try to be as healthy as possible. There are some environmental concerns we can control, and avoiding aluminum exposure is one of them.
Aluminum and Pulmonary Fibrosis ~ Research has shown a correlation between lung disease and high levels of aluminum. Nine workers exposed long-term to aluminum oxide at high levels were diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. The aluminum foil, pans, cookware used in your kitchen may not contribute to lung disease at the same rate as those working in a saturated environment, but there is real concern that aluminum can cause pulmonary fibrosis and other diseases of the lung. And, when we are using aluminum products for years and even decades, this is long-term exposure. Why risk it when you have safe, cost effective options available?
GOOD NEWS…
Here are some awesome, inexpensive alternatives that I use in my home. If you haven’t made the switch already, you can have total confidence by making one change at a time, limiting so not to increase your toxic exposure found in foods.
Cast Iron Cookware ~ This is my personal favorite. There are many benefits to using this cookware. For starters, you add iron to your foods, they heat evenly and are naturally nonstick. You can choose from many options from skillets of various size to a Dutch oven and a wok to name a few. Most come pre-seasoned. I use, love and recommend the Lodge brand. Look at those prices for cookware! It’s an inexpensive, healthy option! We’ve been using ours on our glass top stove for years. Just don’t drag them across its surface as they will scratch. We season ours periodically as needed with either avocado or olive oil. It’s a matter of coating the pan with oil and baking it in the oven for an hour. One downfall…these pans are heavier than other pots and pans. Personally, I use two hands when handling them, especially when full of food. This is the only negative we’ve experienced. Otherwise, I really love them.
Glass Cookware ~ We’ve used these for years, and they’re still going strong. They too are inexpensive. Look here! Pyrex, Anchor Hocking and others are using the same glass these days. There are also good options for storage with glass. They won’t transfer harmful chemicals or metals to your foods, regardless of how acidic your ingredients are. Benefits…they too are naturally nonstick. You can see what’s in your pot as you cook. We haven’t any issues with breakage. We also use Corelle dishware and stick with the plain white as the colored decals can have lead and cadmium in them.
Ceramic ~ In addition to cooking with ceramic pots and pans, you can also store leftovers. Many ceramic bowls and plates are able to go from refrigerator to oven to table. Benefits…no metals or toxic chemicals to leach from the ceramic into your foods. As with all suggestions here, there are no toxic chemical coatings to flake off and get into your food to ingest. Nonstick coated pans do just that. Following the cancer diagnosis I had in December 2013, our Teflon, nonstick-coated pans were the first to be removed from my kitchen. They aren’t environmentally friendly either. Additionally, ceramic, quality pans can withstand temperatures up to 2,700 degrees F as they are fired in a kiln. Your foods are safe in your own oven, cooking at lower temperatures. FYI…Ceramic cookware is a bit more costly than cast iron and glass. I do use and love CorningWare cookware and use their bowls too for leftovers and take them from the refrigerator to oven to table.
Unbleached Parchment Paper ~ If you’re using cookie sheets that have a questionable surface, this inexpensive option may be right for you. We use this paper for roasting veggies, as it makes for easy clean-up too. Unbleached parchment paper is a bit more costly than bleached but it’s worth the couple extra dollars. It lasts a while, and you won’t leach dioxins into your foods like with the bleached parchment paper, when heated. Dioxins are highly toxic chemicals that cause issues for your reproduction, development and immune system. This unbleached paper is readily available and can be found by different makers and at a variety of stores.
Most of these suggestions are inexpensive. If you’re overwhelmed on where to begin and all your pots and pans are adding toxins to your food, choose one pot or pan to replace first. Which one do you use most frequently? Start by replacing this pan. Consider your healthy options and choose one that works best for you. Remember, this is a process to healthier living and not an event. Starting slow can help you avoid being overwhelmed.
Do you already use any of the above? What’s your favorite and why? Please share below!
