Are Your Pots and Pans Poisonous?

Sometimes it’s not what you eat, but how you eat it…

When people were asked why they eat organic foods, the most common answers given were about improved health outcomes and the safety of foods.  Unfortunately, researchers are discovering that common cookware may be negating some of those benefits.

Common cookware like plastics and non-stick products can release dangerous hormone-disrupting chemicals into food when heated.  Many companies have created new products as an alternative – one of the most common is melamine.

Used for its durability, melamine can be found (and proudly advertised) in the most common tableware.  A simple search revealed over 1000 melamine products from Crate & Barrel, and many child-related products from Target.

You may remember melamine as the chemical that tainted baby formula and killed dozens of children in China.  Researchers are now discovering that melamine can leach off cookware and tableware when they hold hot foods.

In a small study, healthy young adults who ate hot soup from melamine bowls had elevated levels of melamine in their urine for the next 12 hours.  Researchers did not investigate potential health effects, but did note that “Although the clinical significance of what levels of urinary melamine concentration has not yet been established, the consequences of long-term melamine exposure should still be of concern.”

Potentially dangerous chemicals can be found throughout the home, including in carpets, cookware, and clothing.  While we can’t always eliminate exposure, we can make smart decisions to protect ourselves and our families by reducing our chemical exposure.  Here are a few tips:

• Visit EWG.org – Empower yourself and learn more about chemicals, exposure, and how to avoid them.

• Don’t heat – If you insist on using plastic or melamine, don’t heat them or put hot foods in them – and NEVER microwave them.

• Switch it up – Choose ceramic, stainless steel, or cast iron instead of non-stick products like plastics or Teflon.

• Get adjusted – Environmental stress (like chemicals) impact the health of your nervous system. Chiropractic helps the nervous system adapt to added stress so the body can continue functioning at its best.