Non-toxic cookware
Buying high-quality food and cooking it in poor quality cookware is a common oversight. A great way to get the most benefit from healthy food choices is to prepare in non-toxic cookware.
Examples of non-toxic cookware
Nutri-Stahl waterless cookware–well priced pots and pans made from professional grade stainless steel. My favorite feature is that they designed the lids so that you can prop the lids in the handle (genius!), so that you don’t dirty your counter or stove or burn your hands figuring out where to put the darn lid.
Also, the lids have a built-in thermometer. When it points to the green zone, you know your food is done and you’ll have preserved more nutrients. I love my set and it didn’t break my piggybank either. Call Guy Herald and give him my name and he will hook you up (860-505/7057).
This cookware is endorsed by The Gerson Cancer Foundation & Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation.
Glass-works great for baking! Use this as a healthy alternative to teflon or “nonstick” baking dishes.
Unglazed ceramic/Stoneware–also a great option for baking
There are other options, surely, so do your homework and make sure to avoid aluminum (your brain will thank you), stainless steel that is coated with aluminum or other sketchy sounding alternatives.
Cooking with your health in mind
Some health risks and drawbacks to cooking with teflon and nonstick coated cookware is that they off gas (so you inhale some nasty chemicals) and bits of it flake off over time and get into your bloodstream.
Sean Croxton’s Underground Wellness blog is where I first learned about the Nutri-Stahl cookware. He writes, “According to Randall Fitzgerald in his book The Hundred Year Lie, ninety-percent of Americans have Teflon residue in their blood. One of these chemicals called C8 has been linked to a wide array of birth defects and developmental problems (from Edward Emmett, University of Pennsylvania research, August 2005).
And also “Bird enthusiasts and veterinarians have known for decades that Teflon-coated and other non-stick cookware, if heated to high temperatures, is acutely toxic to birds. The peer-reviewed literature contains numerous reports of bird deaths linked to the use of Teflon and other non-stick pans and appliances in the home, beginning about 30 years ago.”
Ew. Just ew.
Luckily there are better options available. Ditch the old, flaky teflon cookware and invest in some good stuff. It doesn’t have to be expensive and you can replace it bit by bit over time. Your health is worth it and you’ll get more out of the healthy food you’re already buying. 🙂