Most people do not give their cookware a second thought and
up until the last few years, I didn't either. Six years ago my wife was
diagnosed with Parkinson 's disease.
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central
nervous system that impairs motor skills, cognitive processes, and other
functions. PD is the most common cause of chronic progressive syndrome
characterized by tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia and postural instability. Among
non motor symptoms are autonomic dysfunction and sensory and sleep
difficulties. Cognitive and neurobehavioral problems, including dementia, are
common in the advanced stages of the disease.
A diagnosis like that can cause a lot of things to change in
your life. There is no cure for Parkinson's and the treatment is one of masking
or limiting the symptoms as much as possible. It is also a progressive disease
that moves at different rates in each person.
Few things are known for sure about Parkinson's but the
general feeling is that some people are more genetically prone to get the
disease than others and that the environment is the trigger. As they say,
"Genetics loads the gun and the environment pulls the trigger."
Possible environmental causes or triggers tend to skew
towards the absorption of metals and pesticides in the body. Is this the cause?
No probably not, but it may be factor worth considering. At this stage of the
game, I am looking for ways to slow the problem, not compound it. So when I
heard that aluminum cookware may leach aluminum into the food I took notice and
did a little research.
I found that the first stamped and cast aluminum cookware was
manufactured in 1892 by a company in Pittsburgh which later became known as
ALCOA. Believe it or not, it was not a big hit. In fact it was not well
received at all because of quality concerns. I was surprised to learn that it
took over 50 years before aluminum pots and pans actually gained acceptance
with the general public.
Of course today, the concerns raised are not about quality,
they are medical concerns. The main worry is that toxic levels of aluminum
could be absorbed into the body when cooking with the metal, possibly even
causing Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
That's a pretty strong concern to have and my research shows
that cookware is not the only exposure to aluminum that we have on a daily
basis. In fact to be fair, it's almost impossible to avoid it in the
environment. It is the third most abundant element in the Earth's crust and can
be found in our air and water. It is also found in medicines, deodorants and,
of course, in aluminum cookware. Scientists that measure such things tell us
that the average person intakes anywhere from 3 to 50 mg of aluminum each day.
Those of us lucky enough to also use aluminum cookware can expect to ingest an
additional 3 to 6 mg each time they cook with the pots and pans.
So exactly what do we know about metals and the human body?
Well obviously the aluminum is toxic in excessive amounts. For example, the
intake of too much aluminum might impair the kidneys, which excrete the metal.
Toxic levels of aluminum have also been linked to anemia, decreased liver
function, poor coordination, calcium deficiency and memory loss among other
health issues.
Although both are serious neurological diseases, Alzheimer's
is a much better known disease than Parkinson's and therefore one of the
biggest worries of our aging population is that using aluminum pots and pans
might cause Alzheimer's. The facts are, that researchers conducting autopsies
on many, but not all, Alzheimer's patients discovered higher levels of aluminum
in their brains.
The facts are that there is no definitive proof that aluminum
is the smoking gun or even a contributor to Alzheimer’s or Parkinson's and the
FDA says it's safe. To top that off, it's lightweight, low-priced and a great heat
conductor and Aluminum can be found in about half of manufactured cookware
today.
So why have I decided to opt out and avoid aluminum cookware?
Here are my reasons:
1.
Aluminum is
highly reactive. Cooking acidic foods such as tomatoes or tomato sauce can
cause leaching. The food actually absorbs the aluminum from the pot or pan,
which means you will be swallowing aluminum particles traced back to the
cookware. In addition to avoiding cooking acidic foods in aluminum cookware, it
is also advisable not to store them in aluminum products. I even avoid using
aluminum foil.
2.
Try this
experiment. Take a clean aluminum pot and put a half glass of water in the pan
and use a clean scouring (soap-less) pad to scrub the inside of the pan. Now
pour the water into the glass and look at the residue in the water. Try the
same experiment with stainless steel cookware and you will find no residue.
3.
I do not
trust the FDA. It's not that they are lying to me on purpose, but they
sometimes don't know what they don't know. How many times have you heard them
tell you something is safe only to find it pulled off the market later because
they were wrong. Right now they do not think adding another 3-6 mg of aluminum
to your body each time you cook is bad for you. Really! They also do not think
that overtime it could build up and present a problem. But here' the thing,
they do not know for sure. It's not personal to them but it certainly is to me.
As they say in the south, "They don't have a dog in this hunt but I
do".
4.
There are
alternatives to aluminum cookware out there so why gamble. Should I risk it
because it's cheaper or some bureaucrat says, "they think it's safe enough
to use". Should I use it until someone proves it's linked to a disease?
No, it's easier, smarter and safer to buy an alternative cookware set. It may
not be the whole answer, but it is a proactive thing that I can do with the
knowledge and the facts that I have.
I chose
to go with waterless cookware for a variety of reasons such as, low heat
cooking, higher nutrition retention, lifetime guarantee, surgical stainless
steel construction and more. There are many companies selling sets for a
variety of prices. I found no real difference in the high priced ones except
their advertising costs. If you want a good set of waterless cookware, you can
buy direct and get some great deals. I recommend that you check out Vapo-Seal
Cookware I did.
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