If you regularly read our content, you know that we strongly encourage people to make healthy, dietary changes. In addition to highlighting foods that are beneficial for you, we also try to illustrate why certain foods are detrimental to the body. When it comes to overall health, however, a lot of elements, which can do harm to the body, are often overlooked. In this specific case, we are referring to cookware.

A lot of people don’t take the time to familiarize themselves with the potential dangers of certain cookware. So many people purchase nonstick cookware because these items are sold based on how easy they are to clean. People almost neglect the fact that popular nonstick cookware products contain a harmful chemical that can increase one’s risk of cancer.

Most nonstick cookware is made with poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These substances can release perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a carcinogenic chemical when heated, into your food. Other chemicals can also flake off into your food during the cooking process.

So How Do You Choose Cookware?

When it comes to buying pots and pans, you need to keep an eye out for certain words. Aluminum and Teflon should always be avoided when you are buying cookware. According to research, elevated aluminum levels have been linked to ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, and problems with the central nervous system. Teflon is a material used in most nonstick cookware and can emit toxic chemicals at high heat. This is both dangerous for the cook and the person who eats the food.

Don’t let toxins leach into your food. We recommend the following nontoxic cookware items to keep your kitchen healthy.

Cast Iron Cookware

In the olden days, almost everyone used cast iron pots and pans. Most health experts agree that cast iron cookware is one of the safest options on the market. Not only do cast iron pots and pan retain heat well, but they also handle higher temperatures better than nonstick cookware. People who have low iron levels can also use cast iron cookware to naturally boost iron levels, because some of the iron from the pan can end up in your food (this is totally safe, by the way). Make sure you read up on how to properly season and clean your cast iron cookware.

Regular Stoneware

Stoneware is typically used for baking, as opposed to cooking on the stove. Stoneware is better than using aluminum baking sheets, roasting, pans, or muffin tins. While they can be tricky to clean, they give your food some great flavor and they help to evenly cook your food. Don’t use soap to clean the stoneware because the stone can absorb the soapy flavor.

Stainless Steel

Next to cast iron, stainless steel is considered to be one of the safest, nontoxic cookware options. Stainless steel cookware can resist corrosion and it doesn’t flake off into your food. The important thing to remember is that there are many grades of stainless steel, so make sure you buy food-grade cookware. Stainless steel is a combination of carbon, chromium, nickel, and manganese. Make sure you don’t use an abrasive cleaning device to clean your pans because damaging the lining makes it possible for metals to leach into your food.

Glass

While you won’t use glass on the stove, glass cookware is nontoxic, eco-friendly, and extremely durable. There are no PFAS or fluorinated chemicals in glass cookware, but make sure that you buy oven-safe glass! This is of vital importance because you don’t want to spend time making an elaborate dish, only to have your glass break in the oven. As long as you are using glass cookware, you may as well use glass containers instead of plastic ones to avoid the toxic effects of BPA.

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If you are cooking your food in those convenient, non-sticking Teflon pans, you should know that you are cooking your food on fluoride.

Fluoride is a very harmful man-made substance that can compromise your health.

Chemicals

Fluoropolymers, the substances used to make Teflon pans, release a persistent gas when heated to high temperatures. They release compounds called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), trifluoroacetate, (TFA) and polyfluorocarboxylic acids (PFOs).

Even though these breakdown chemicals are generally considered non-toxic, it can be dangerous because they may cause long-term health effects as they accumulate in the body.

The good news is that Teflon will only breakdown into these harmful compounds if the cooking temperature exceeds 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Normally, home cooking does not often get that high but we should always take a precautionary approach when using Teflon frying pans and other non-stick cooking ware.

Alternatives

Look for cookware that holds heat well, prevents scorching and sticking, and has a heavy bottom.

Cast iron has been known as the first nonstick surface, requiring minimum fat and less cleaning. Some iron is actually released into the food but this isn’t always a bad thing. Most Americans are low in iron so this isn’t usually a health concern.

Stainless steel is another great alternative to Teflon pans. It is durable, long lasting, and is great for healthy cooking. Stainless steel is very accessible and there are many varieties of shapes and sizes.

Made of a combination of metals, stainless steel is durable and long lasting. Stainless steel cookware may have aluminum in the bottom of the pan but it is not a health problem as long as it is not in contact with the food.

Anodized aluminum cookware is sealed so the base metal (aluminum) doesn’t enter the food prepared in it. The only drawback is that it must be hand-washed, even after the toughest, messiest cooking, as the anodization is corrupted when it comes in contact with commercial brand dishwashing machine detergents.

Ceramic cookware can be useful in some circumstances, such as baking and slow cooking. It’s a nice alternative for people who like the heat distribution of cast iron, but hate the long seasoning process.

Be careful not to scratch the stainless steel because it can result in the harmful release of nickel or chromium.

Thank you for reading !

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