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. ***

Vinegar as a Rinse Agent for Dishwashers

Just a quick tip:

Instead of buying a "natural" rinse agent for your dishwasher (which just costs way too much!), just use white vinegar in rinse agent compartment instead.

And if you're looking for reasonably priced dish liquid or dishwasher detergent, Seventh Generation has an inexpensive and very "green" line out with lots of choices. Even Target is selling it now. Yes, I've looked into making those things myself too- but don't think I can handle that :)

Got Raw Milk?

Drinking milk straight from clean, pastured cows (or goats) is one of the best things you can do for you and your family's health in my opinion. I discovered what harm pasteurization and homogenization does to milk, beyond the hormones, antibiotics and confinement (even with "organic milk" cows), and I was really unhappy about how such a good thing could be turned so very bad. Now that we've started drinking raw milk, we can't imagine going back. It tastes amazing and it just so nutritious.

Interestingly, when talking to my mother (who does not consume any dairy) she noted that I used to have many colds, sinus problems, post nasal drip and bronchitis all the time growing up, especially in the winter. And as kids we were always made to drink our milk and eat many other dairy products. I stopped getting this sort of thing later in life- when I was in high school and didn't drink my milk and especially in college when I rarely drank any. She was linking dairy to my sicknesses early in life. And when I think of it, it really makes sense. Every time I eat regular dairy these days I feel all stuffy and mucousy. But with raw milk- never- it is totally different. I feel great.

So on that note, I'll urge everyone to read up on raw milk on the following websites. I'll go have my glass right now!

http://www.realmilk.com/where2.html

http://www.rawmilk.org/default.php

Gum O'Mile- Great for Teething

Lately I've been having problems with my son and teething. He just does not want to sleep when his teeth bother him- and sometimes that can be quite difficult. I will not resort to Tylenol or Oragel, but I have scoured the internet looking for something natural to help him...something I have not tried already. Homeopathy had not made an impact (although I may need to use 200c instead of 30c), I had bought wooden teethers (really cool) which he promptly threw on the floor and the list goes on and on.

I happened to find a great product by Herbs for Kids called Gum O'mile while searching. I actually tried it on my own gums and I think it would be good for after dental work. I was surprised that it is not that well known, so I thought I would have to share. It really did help my son more than anything else so far.

Here's what's in it:

(The clove oil is what helps the gums- but don't try clove oil alone, it needs to be diluted in a carrier oil so it does not burn when applied.)

INGREDIENTS PER SERVING: Almond oil, Willow bark extract, Chamomile flowers extract, Essential oil of Clove bud and Vitamin E oil

Just a little end note- I've been using the homeopathic remedy "cina" with good results to help my son go to sleep when his teeth make him wakeful. It is excellent for sleeplessness and irritability in children. Remember to give the remedy in water- one pellet in 4oz, a teaspoon at a time. Watch for results and if there is none succuss the bottle 10 times and give another teaspoon. Discontinue when there is improvement and if not continue with the succussing.

Probiotics and Third World Travel

OK, so I haven't blogged in quite some time. In fact, it was right before we went our our month-long trip to Egypt. And since we got back I've been super busy and really neglectful of blogging.

I was nervous to go to Egypt with our baby. I used to live there, but with kids it's different. You worry about them getting sick or you getting sick and not being able to take care of them. Egypt is kind of like Mexico- you're abt to get "Mummy Tummy". Or whatever the cute catch name is for the nasty stomach virus third world countries are famous for.

So I decided to exclusively nurse my son the whole time- and he did fabulously. Could I have bought organic baby food from the US and fed him that. Yes. Could I have bought organic veggies from Egypt and made his food. Yes. But I thought bringing tons of jars wasn't the best idea and I was too busy to make food. And come to find out, my son didn't really care. He was happy with breast milk. Clean, always available- worked perfectly.

I was afraid though, that I would get sick and it would be hard to care for and nurse my son. So a friend recommended that I take probiotics leading up to the trip and during. I thought it couldn't hurt. So I bought some Culturelle, which doesn't require refrigeration and took them a month before the trip and all throughout- amazingly I never got sick. I didn't drink the water, but I did eat out plenty (and I did eat raw fruits and vegetables, but only at home). Could it have been coincidental- sure. But every time I've been away from Egypt for awhile and come back I get a nasty stomach bug. And this time not even so much as diarrhea. Also on the plane ride back my husband's stomach wasn't feeling great, so he took two and felt better an hour or so later.

At home I get my probiotics from natural sources. I culture yogurt and kefir. I also lacto-ferment sauerkraut. But for travel, there's no way to take that kind of thing with you, so probiotics were the perfect solution. I recommend you try them on your next trip- especially to a third world country.

For reference, if you do not know what probiotics are. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/probiotics/AN00389

Garlic Curry Cauliflower

A wonderfully flavorful and easy recipe from Natural Solutions Magazine. And I thought cauliflower was bland!

Ingredients

• 1 large head fresh cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh gingerroot, minced (I used jarred- you could probably get away with dried too)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (I used regular black)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced (I didn't have this and it was still great)

Process

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. In an 8-inch-square glass casserole, coat cauliflower with olive oil. Roast 10 minutes.

3. Combine onion, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, curry powder, white pepper, and salt.

4. Pour coconut milk mixture over the cauliflower, cover loosely with foil, and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until cauliflower is tender.

Remove from oven and stir in cilantro.

Nutrition info per serving: 186 calories; 13.5 g fat; 6.4 g saturated fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 5.4 g protein; 15.6 g carbohydrates; 6.2 g fiber; 359.5 mg sodium

http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipes.display/ID/214

When Organic Isn't an Option

I thought this tidbit might be handy as recently there has been a substantial movement to buy organic fruits and vegetables (among other things). And for good reason. But sometimes you can't find what you're looking for or the price of a certain item is sky-high. I've definitely had one or two of those supermarket dilemmas- trying to decide how my husband will take it after he sees a $5 organic avocado on the receipt (which is where organic coops come in handy...more about that on another post)!

So here's a chart from the Environmental Working Group that lists produce from the most pesticides to the least. Print it out and take it with you to the grocery store so you can make an informed decision in a pinch. It's difficult to paste, so I'll link it here (scroll down):

http://www.foodnews.org/

If you're a visual person, there's a nice little printout from The Organic Center that is not quite as detailed, but along the same lines.


http://www.organic-center.org/reportfiles/TOC_Pocket_Guide.pdf