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Writer's pictureRyan Bresnahan

STOP cooking with these: 4 types of toxic cookware, and 4 safe and healthy alternatives

I just read an article from "Dr. Axe", whom I have heard of before, and watched/listened to in the past. He is someone who definitely practices what he preaches, and lives it out. You can tell just by looking at him! I love that.


First of all, I hope you are doing great reading this. You are awesome!


I have always heard of, and was first exposed to the quality of our cookware mattering, since 2015, when I was in high school, finishing my senior year of High School. I had an environmental science class that was taught by someone who actually impacted my life in multiple ways. She would be considered what one may call a "hippie", as she got really into the details of what we ate, did with the environment, and our own energy, and how it affected the environment around us (the world). It was so cool.


Anyways, she brought up one day about the quality of our non-stick pans that we use, and how these chemicals "teflon" being one of them, leach into our food when we cook with the pans. The summation of the science behind this is that at high temperatures, the chemicals on the pan leach into our food with the movement of molecules occurring, (think when water gets hot it turns into a gas and the molecules are moving fast, versus when water is cold, it turns into a solid, with molecules moving extremely slow).

Does that make sense?


Well the petroleum-plastic based chemicals in the non-stick coating moves more when it reaches a certain heat, and over time of use, scraping, washing, etc. It starts to move more and more, and leach into our foods. It is no surprise that the rates of plastics in the human body have gone up to about 500 particles of plastic a day from many different sources and causes, that would take up this whole website to explain... Cookware can definitely be one of them, which is the focus here.


This infographic was taken from Dr. Axe's website (Thank you, Dr. Axe),


Which goes over the good quality cookware to use based on current and past research, and honestly a lot of common sense.. The cast iron and copper and particular make sense to me.


Now, with the TOXIC type of cookware, or ones that are more pre-disposed to releasing these chemicals that can cause child developmental delays (ADHD, autism, child-born diabetes have all striked through the roof since the 1960's), high cholesterol, neurotoxicity, cancer, thyroid and immune system issues.


I don't want to sound like a broken record, but honestly from what I have seen, and I assume you too, these have all SHOT UP, within the last 50 years. Not a causation directly so to say just from this one source, but definitely a correlate..


Okay, here it is.


1.Non-stick cookware

The chemicals used in it are questionable, and usually these forms of cookware are the cheapest. Not a good sign. There have been tests done by the Environmental Working Group that have shown direct links to human illness, and deaths in animals from prolonged use of these pans. Sad, but good knowledge to have.

2. Aluminum Cookware

This one is known to be a neurotoxic chemical, I remember learning about this, and the effects it has on our thyroid, and brain in particular from the studies I have read. When leached directly into our bodies at the heats we cook with, this can pass into our body and be a direct toxin. Any idea why Dementia/Alzheimer's, and auto-immune disease have both shot through the roof in the past 60 years?

3. Speckled Metal Cookware

This is what I think of, when I think of the spotted cookware. I didn't actually know the real name for it, so I looked it up, haha!

Here is a picture of it below.



4. Silicone Cookware

I am not going to lie, I was surprised at this one, and yet not surprised at the same time. I remember hearing "medical grade silicone" for the first time about 8 years back, and I was like what is that? It was explained to me that it was safe at extremely high temperatures, and that it wasn't fragile/easy to break. I thought cool, and never really had use for it.

According to Dr. Axe, this has some promising benefits, but I share his opinion on it, that there isn't that much research on it, and it hit the market/world by storm when it came out for wide use. I tend to wait until things are proved more, and like to look at the past for jumping on things that we are told are safe. (Leaded gasoline, non-stick cookware being a recent one, and many others).


I have a lot more I could say about this, but I want to keep this post generally short. I prefer to use cast iron, glass, and stainless steel. It is nice that the instant pot I make so many meals in too comes with a stainless steel cooking bowl inside.


If you have any questions regarding cookware, or what to make with it, please contact me above by hitting the apply button, and typing "cookware and eating" in the text box, and I'll get in contact with you, I also teach more of this in my coaching programs, since nutrition is such a huge building block for the success of our health and wealth in life!


Have a WONDERFUL day!


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