{"id":3282,"date":"2021-12-03T18:05:08","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T18:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/?p=3282"},"modified":"2021-12-03T18:31:14","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T18:31:14","slug":"3-scary-reasons-to-ditch-aluminum-foil-and-what-to-use-instead-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/03\/3-scary-reasons-to-ditch-aluminum-foil-and-what-to-use-instead-2\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Scary Reasons To Ditch Aluminum Foil (And What To Use Instead)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Liivi Hess<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You\u2019re probably getting a little tired of people telling you that the things you\u2019ve been eating or using for years are bad for your health. Some you\u2019ve accepted; you do your best to stay away from gluten and you eat organic when you can. Some you\u2019ve strategically chosen to ignore; your favorite dairy-based ice cream<\/a>, for example, or that supposedly toxic non-stick frypan which makes the best <\/em>pancakes.about:blank<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s one you should probably avoid like the plague: aluminum foil. Believe it or not, every time you use aluminum foil in the kitchen, it\u2019s seriously harming your health. Here are three reasons to keep aluminum foil out of your kitchen, and some healthier alternatives to use instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Aluminum foil is a neurotoxin<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aluminum has long been scrutinized by the scientific community for its potential role as a neurotoxin. Researchers maintain that, due to the fact that aluminum has no physiological role in the human body, it has the potential to cause significant detrimental effects when consumed.about:blank<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This theory was unequivocally proven when a 2014 study<\/a> showed that a 66-year-old man who died with Alzheimer\u2019s disease had significantly elevated aluminum content in his brain, following eight years of occupational exposure. While the study noted that it was the respiratory system that was exposed to aluminum dust, we now know that there is a direct link between aluminum ingestion and Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a>, a debilitating neurological disorder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact also remains that aluminum foil is not fully inert; food cooked or prepared in it has been shown<\/a> to have significantly higher levels of aluminum than if they were prepared in another medium. The takeaway is simple: aluminum foil has the potential to cause neurotoxic effects, including Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Aluminum foil can contribute to bone disease<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research shows that aluminum from sources like foil can increase a person\u2019s risk of developing bone disease. A study<\/a> that examined the effect of hemodialysis, which causes buildup of aluminum in the blood, found that 37 percent of dialysis patients had developed aluminum-associated bone disease. The study proponents concluded that \u201clong-term oral aluminum intake in hemodialysis patients results in a high prevalence of aluminum-associated bone disease.\u201d It was theorized that aluminum either directly or indirectly impacts osteoblast production, which in turn leads to bone wasting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key here is that little statement about \u201clong-term oral aluminum intake.\u201d Many would argue that using aluminum foil regularly for years would equate to long-term oral aluminum intake. This means that using aluminum foil in the kitchen can contribute to bone disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Aluminum foil can promote pulmonary fibrosis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using aluminum foil to prepare, store or cook food can increase a person\u2019s risk of developing pulmonary fibrosis, a form of lung disease. A study<\/a> that performed lung tissue analysis of nine workers exposed to aluminum oxide found alarmingly high levels of aluminum in the lung tissue, suggesting that aluminum exposure contributed to their development of pulmonary fibrosis.about:blank<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While aluminum foil might not contribute to lung disease at the same rate as breathing in aluminum oxides, there is still a very real risk that cooking with aluminum foil may cause pulmonary fibrosis and other diseases of the lung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why aluminum may be leaching into the food you eat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a 2012 study<\/a>, a faculty of engineering team from the University of Ain Shams in Cairo examined the different ways in which aluminum foil and other cookware interacts with food. Leaching of harmful aluminum compounds was by far the highest when acidic foods like lemon juice or tomatoes were coming into contact with aluminum foil, and this was often further exacerbated by the use of spices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In essence, aluminum foil is not inert. When exposed to certain foods, it has been shown to leach a portion of its metallic compounds into the food, whereupon people ingest it. From here, it can build up in the blood, muscles and organs and contribute to all manner of health problems. Science is only just starting to understand just how negative these consequences may be.about:blank<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The onus is simple: keep aluminum foil out of the kitchen, and well away from the food you eat. Here are some healthier alternatives for cooking and storing your food that won\u2019t have any ill health effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthier alternatives to aluminum foil<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I\u2019ve never been much of a fan of aluminum foil and aluminum cookware anyway. If I want to store food in the fridge or pantry, I\u2019ll almost always use glass storage containers. Glass is completely inert and doesn\u2019t transfer any harmful chemicals or metals into food, no matter how acidic they are. This way, we\u2019re also minimizing waste, as the glass can be used over and over again\u2026 unlike aluminum foil!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For cooking, where one might use foil to enclose baked potatoes or fish, I simply used a\u00a0ceramic<\/a>\u00a0dish with a lid. The effect is exactly the same, it\u2019s just that ceramic doesn\u2019t leach compounds into our food! And for baking, I either use glassware or high-quality silicone bakeware that doesn\u2019t require any sort of lining. These materials are much nicer to use, usually produce higher quality dishes and don\u2019t create excess waste. That\u2019s a win-win, if you ask me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Heavy Metals Monster is addressed in What’s Eating You Kid? Get our program for your school. We are offering it free. email info@whatseatingyoukid.club<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Heavy Metals Monster copyright 2021 Fitadelphia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Liivi Hess You\u2019re probably getting a little tired of people telling you that the things you\u2019ve been eating or using for years are bad for your health. Some you\u2019ve accepted; you do your best to stay away from gluten and you eat organic when you can. Some you\u2019ve strategically chosen to ignore; your favorite dairy-based ice<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t Read more<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200,573],"tags":[572],"class_list":["post-3282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-metals","category-neurotoxins","tag-aluminum-baking-cooking-cookware-foil-food-health-kitchen-storage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3282"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3282\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3287,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3282\/revisions\/3287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fitadelphia.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}