4 Steps to a less toxic kitchen.
We are continually bombarded by toxins. We are even getting exposed to them while we cook.
Most people don't even think twice about what they cook their food with. Recent innovations in cooking utensils and appliances are not as safe as we think of them to be. They get sold as “easy to clean, non-stick, time and lifesaving innovations” that you can’t live your life without. But they fail to inform you of the dark side. The silent killer that lurks beneath. wooooooo…..(scary music).
It is well known that non-stick pans and Teflon layers can cause various types of cancers and can have harmful effects on pregnant women as well. Cooking in non-stick pans emits toxic fumes, due to the presence of a carcinogenic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). These fumes part of the reason why people are developing cancerous tumors, flu-like diseases, and complications in pregnancy.
There are real life cases of people cooking on teflon pans in their kitchen in which they had a canary bird. The birds will literally die from the fumes should the pans get too hot. This is literally the canary in the coal mine situation. Yet, many people continue to ignore these findings things that since we are much bigger than a bird it will have no effect on our bodies.
NOT SO!
One of the earliest reported cases is that of Bucky Bailey, who was born in 1981 with a deformed eye and has lived a difficult life due to his physical appearance. When tested during her pregnancy, Sue Bailey, Bucky’s mother, was found to have high levels of ammonium perfluorooctanoate, known as C-8, which is found in Teflon. This problem is not just limited to the case of Sue and Bucky, as it also affects almost every American, as many have been found to have detectable amounts of ammonium perfluorooctanoate in their blood. This substance is responsible for organ damage, cancer, and other diseases. What is alarming is the high amounts of C-8 which is being found in children.
The risk doesn’t end at Teflon though. Your melamine dishware is also capable of giving you health issues. It can chip under high concentration and stick to your food, which upon consumption, can eventually lead to having kidney stones and renal failure. Though avoiding melamine dishes while heating food can lessen the risk of having these health problems, the possibility will still be present. Better safe than sorry is my motto.
These are just a couple of examples of why you must always make informed decisions when it comes to every aspect of your health.
Here are a couple of safe alternatives to start you on your journey to a less toxic kitchen.
1. I am a big fan of stainless steel cookware. You tend to get what you pay for in this category so take you time and do some research. All-clad tends to be one of the top contenders in this category.
2. For cooking I recommend either stainless steel or wood/bamboo utensils. There are a lot of new materials out there that look really good, but we don't know the health effects of these materials on the body just yet.
3. Get some non toxic plates. After the actual utensils and cookware needed to prepare our meals the next important non toxic thing you should consider is your plate. My favorite in this field tends to be Oneida plates. They do a great job and most of their product is lead free. Other options include, yep…you guessed it stainless steel and bamboo/wood.
4. After dinner is all done and your tummy is content, hopefully not full, then you have to think about storing that left over food. One of the worst products you can use is the typical plastic tupperware. The best choices are something similar to this stainless steal tupperwareor these glass nesting sets.
Happy non toxic cooking
Dr. Craig Mortensen
