Throwing Away Your Aluminum Pots and Pans
A Non-Toxic Kitchen
Our family went on a health kick some time back. I started buying organic produce and free-range, grass fed beef. We invested in a counter-top water filter to remove chlorine and fluoride from our tap. This was all well and good, except for the fact our aluminum-clad cookware was leaching heavy metals into our food.
One thing that really had to go was our cheap Chinese wok. We used it to make "healthy," vegetable stir-fries with a little meat for flavoring. I hate to think of how much aluminum was added to the recipe.
What to Do?
I don't know how exactly much aluminum we ingested, but, suffice to say, it was probably too much. Aluminum, unlike iron, is not needed by the body. It is a toxin, and there may be no safe level.
Excess aluminum can lead to kidney damage. It's also been implicated in Alzheimer's disease and other serious maladies.
Essentially, I was going through a lot of trouble buying organic foods, and then, inadvertently, adding aluminum during the preparation.
First, I tried replacing my aluminum pans with expensive marble-coated cookware, which was very prone to pits and scratches. The black-and-white-specked marble coated flaked off, revealing an aluminum base.
Although I liked my small cast-iron skillet and an over-sized cast-iron skillet, these were heavy and difficult to clean. Happily, I also acquired a small stainless steel Cuisinart skillet and then added a larger Cuisinart skillet. We use these every day and we're very pleased at how well they've held up.
An Amazing Skillet
This very durable skillet is the perfect size for cooking stews and sauces, and it's not so large that it's unwieldy. Food is easy to remove, even if you overcook it. The pan can be used either on the top of the stove, or you can put it in the oven. It's also dishwasher safe. It normally retails for far more than this Amazon price.
Aluminum Can Be Deadly
Many health-conscious people are saying "no" to aluminum cookware because of concerns this heavy metal can leach into food. Naturopathic practitioners also recommend getting rid of aluminum cookware, as well as Teflon-coated pots and pans. Teflon releases toxic fumes when heated.
More Reasons to Get Rid of Aluminum Pots and Pans
Aluminum is widespread throughout the environment. Chances are it's a main ingredient in your deodorant, unless you are buying a brand made with all natural ingredients. Aluminum is also in our water supply and it's present in many baked goods. If you wrap a sandwich in "tin foil" you are wrapping your food in aluminum. (You might want to rethink this one as well.)
One easy way to reduce your everyday exposure to aluminum is to use non-toxic cookware, such as stainless steel, cast iron or ceramic cookware, with one caveat. You'll have to be careful that the brand of ceramic cookware you choose isn't coated in lead.
There's growing evidence that aluminum does contribute to dementia. One study at the University of California at Irvine found this heavy metal can cause brain inflammation. Canadian researchers have also found Alzheimer patients have elevated levels of aluminum in their brain tissue.
Aluminum also builds up in other vital organs, such as thyroid, kidneys and liver.
