How to Avoid Heavy Metals in the Kitchen

This is a topic I have been meaning to attack for some time. After reading an article in the Weston Price Foundation Quarterly discussing heavy metal poisoning I got to thinking about how I can reduce my family's risk. Environmental factors are difficult to control, but I knew I could do something in my own home.

At this point, most people know that cooking with Teflon (or any non-stick surface), aluminum, copper and plastics are unsafe- I did not realize that stainless steel could also leach heavy metals, especially when cooking acidic foods. Here is a good general article detailing the dangers involved with cooking in different types of pots and pans:
http://www.enotalone.com/article/10251.html

I was slightly overwhelmed at the thought of giving my kitchen an overhaul, especially because I am not on such a big budget, being a stay at home mom. But I thought this was very important because it is connected to what we are ingesting on a daily basis and therefore I decided to look into some solutions.

-Cooking with glass is an excellent way to go and is very budget-friendly. Corning used to make a line of amber-colored glass cookware called "Visions". You can buy one item or a whole set for a great price on Ebay. Just remember to tell the seller to pack carefully and write "Fragile" on the outside (hmm...wonder how I know that!). They are just great to cook in and extremely durable.

-Baking with glass is also easy to accomplish by buying Pyrex pans. I love the ones with tops that snap right one. They go from the oven to the refrigerator so easily. Just do not leave the tops on the oven while baking- they melt. (Personal experience of course!)

-Baking with Corning enamel pans is another very good option. You can get those with snap on tops as well.

-Cast iron cookware is yet another choice. I have a griddle that I really enjoy using for burgers and home fries. I also have another pan which has become rusty. Truth be told, I am not so good at maintaining cast iron. Many people swear by it and will not use anything else, but I have trouble seasoning it. If properly seasoned it is a really fabulous nonstick surface, but for most of my daily use, I just find glass easier.

-Broth is a very important base for our diet, but my stockpot was stainless steel. I found an enamelware pot (lightweight speckled) for around $15 at Target. So far it has worked just fine. You could also use graniteware as well.

-Pyrex glass mixing bowls are nice to use because they come with snap on lids- so you can also use them for food storage.

-I've seen a lot of glass bowls/jars/plates and more at IKEA for very good prices.

-I also "recycled" all my Tupperware. Although this does not have to do with heavy metals, plastics are dangerous too, so I replaced them with glass storage containers of various sizes. Both Pyrex and Anchor makes them- I recommend Pyrex because although the Anchor brand is cheaper, the tops have cracked on me. The neat thing about these storage containers is you can bake with them, freeze food in them, or stick them in the toaster oven/regular oven to heat up the food inside (without the lid on, of course).

-I peel the labels off old mayonnaise, sauce, and salsa jars or the like and use those for storage. It is nice because they are free! You can also freeze food in some of them, but make sure they are the Mason variety. Sometimes if the glass is too thin, they will crack in the freezer.

-My son was really never into drinking from a bottle, so I have used my sets of Evenflo glass baby bottles with the flat storage tops to store homemade salad dressing, spices and to mix homeopathic remedies.

-I have replaced Thermoses with stainless steel inside to the ones with glass inside. They sell them on the Thermos website. And of course my husband just lost our big one on his last trip abroad!

-I try to use bamboo utensils for cooking. To Go Ware sells bamboo cutlery, but at this point it is too expensive for me. It is really cool though!

-I got rid of my crock pot. From what I have read, Hamilton Beach is the only brand that does not use lead in their glaze. All other brands do- and while the lead content is suppose to be within the "safe" limits, I am not sure how much I trust the FDA on anything.

-I am attempting to find a glass sippy cup. My son can drink with a straw, but for travel it is either plastic or stainless steel. Any ideas are welcome- I am still working on a solution. For the time being I am using a stainless steel one and putting the water in and dumping it after he drinks.

I think this is a fairly good synopsis of the changes I have made- it has taken a few months and a lot of analysis, but I finally feel pretty good about the kitchen. If you are able to make small changes as you feel comfortable and can afford it, it does not take too long to make your food preparation space safe.

*** I want to note that although this does not have to do with the kitchen, amalgam fillings leach mercury directly into your mouth. If you have them, do some research about the dangers and how to remove them. Composite fillings are plastic, which is not great, but you might want to weigh your options. Of course, another HUGE source of heavy metal poisoning is vaccines. Avoid them for that and other reasons. ***