About Aluminum Pots.
February 17, 2019
Aluminum cooking pots are not really my topic.
But I'm going to tell you what I think about it all the same.
Aluminum has a bad reputation, following a discovery in the 1970s that showed problems in dialysis patients. Moreover, this story emerges in many articles online when we talk about the toxicity of aluminum.
In fact, these patients were on dialysis with water containing too much aluminum.
By filtering the water for dialysis, doctors have seen a marked improvement in the health of their patients.
The toxicity of aluminum cooking pots was launched! Like finding a culprit quickly.
But it does seem that the greatest contribution of aluminum to the human body comes from elsewhere!
That coming from aluminum pots seems much less important.
See here :
https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante-canada/services/produits-menagers/batteries-cuisine-user-sans-risque.html
"On average, Canadians absorb about 10 milligrams of aluminum per day, mostly from food. Barely a milligram or two comes from pots or pans."
In short, one can read anything and everything about the toxicity of aluminum cooking pots.
One thing is certain, aluminum is dangerous for health if the maximum doses are exceeded.
We know that aluminum is everywhere and in almost everything!
So when people read the articles online, what scares them the most?
Fruits, vegetables, bread, water or the aluminum casserole dish?
Of course, it's the aluminum casserole dish!
Why ? Because we see this large mass of aluminum, our eyes cannot deceive us! It's very dangerous !
If we look at fruits, vegetables, water, bread, our eyes see beautiful colors, we smell good smells, the appetite opens and the sense of danger is forgotten.
Yet, above, they do say that aluminum pans provide 5 times less (or even 10 times less), aluminum in the body, right?
Find the mistake...
Once again, it seems that some so-called specialists have found the solution: eliminated the aluminum pots!
Of course, we are not going to tell you to stop eating fruits, vegetables, bread and drinking water!
And yet I repeat:
"On average, Canadians absorb about 10 milligrams of aluminum per day, mostly from food. Barely a milligram or two comes from pots or pans."
In France, a maximum dose of 200 micrograms of aluminum salt per liter of water, set by the World Health Organization, is authorized for addition to drinking water from the tap. Which appears to represent 5% of the aluminum intake in the human body.
So, this water used for drinking, for cooking, for brushing our teeth, for sprinkling herbs in pots at home, for showering, for bathing, etc ... how much aluminum does it bring to our body? Mystery… Safe?
But all this remains invisible to us! The aluminum casserole always seems to us the most dangerous!
Nothing to do !
Other examples: Mushrooms, spinach, radishes, breads, cookies, cold meats, dried fruits, 5 to 10 mg of aluminum per kg.
If we add to this the doses in toothpastes, beverage cans, preserves, coffee capsules, drugs, etc ... what level do we reach?
Does the aluminum pot deserve its place at the top of the toxicity podium?
We are told not to leave acidic foods such as tomato sauces, rhubarb, wine sauces, etc ... in aluminum or copper pots (tinned or not) after cooking.
I completely agree. We eat, quietly and then (or before) we pour what remains in a suitable container. We do not panic either, without waiting for hours, we are not in the extreme of urgency to do that!
But what do people say about the acidic sodas in aluminum cans? It is not hours but days, weeks, months and even more of contact between aluminum and food. What think about whoever got rid of their aluminum casserole dish and drinks 5 sodas a day!
So frankly, are aluminum pans so dangerous for your health?
Here in my area (and I think this is valid in a lot of regions and countries), aluminum cooking pots are very common.
Our mothers, our grandmothers were already cooking in it.
From generation to generation, we have been treated to stews, soups, tomato sauces, couscous, etc ....
In school or worker canteens, millions of people ate the food from the aluminum pots.
It's the same in army canteens.
In thousands of restaurants, the same.
Millions of people for decades!
And if the law took care of reducing the use of aluminum pots in many catering services, I can assure you that some school canteens and many restaurants still use them today!
Once again, have you ever heard of severe poisoning from the use of aluminum pots?
The numbers speak for themselves! The accumulation of aluminum in food products, packaging, cosmetics, medicines, drinks, etc. scares me much more than the soup in the aluminum pot!
Do not leave the recipe in the pot for ages, do not use metal utensils that could peel off aluminum particles are good attitudes to adopt.
Everyone does what they want, but you have to stop looking in the wrong direction.
I think you will have understood that by eliminating the aluminum pots from your habits, you are far, very far from having eliminated the supply of aluminum in your body.
By putting your pot at the back of the cupboard, you have just eliminated the visual. This famous visual which showed you a large quantity of aluminum in the shape of a pan which aroused in you a kind of danger.
But the real amount of aluminum, the really dangerous one, is still there! In everything that surrounds us and that we consume every day! But for most people this is invisible, so safe!
Shall we get rid of the aluminum pot and can we rest easy? Well let's see, of course, it's effortless. Researching what we consume and which contains the most aluminum is much more tiring, restrictive and few people will do it.
Having a good conscience sometimes takes on heights of hypocrisy that we do to ourselves!
So, the next time someone says to you, "What? You make the soup in the aluminum casserole dish ???? You're crazy !!!! It's super dangerous !!!!".
Ask him to explain to you why he is telling you this? I doubt he can clearly explain his reasons to you!
For my part, I like tinned copper pots but I do not denigrate other pots without knowing.
And concerning aluminum pots, I don't think they are the most dangerous in cooking!
Come on, it's soup time!
Regards, T.J.
