Are you sabotaging your efforts to eat clean? Buying organic food and eating clean is great, but it shouldn’t stop there. You should also be thinking about what you are using to cook with and on.
Think about it if plastic melts at high heat then don’t you think some of that is latching on to your food when you are cooking with it? And nonstick is great in theory, but have you thought about the fact that Teflon is a chemical coating that they spray onto those pans?
Same goes for storage, you want to be mindful of which container you are storing your food in, especially if it is a food container that needs heating in the microwave. Why heat a “microwave safe” plastic container when you can heat up a glass container with no risk at all.
5 Swaps for a Nontoxic Kitchen:
1 . Cooking Pans
Teflon is a famous nonstick chemical and it is just that… a chemical, it’s actually made by DuPont, the world’s largest chemical manufacturer. Most nonstick pans are made with Teflon.
When using nonstick pans at a high temperature it can break down the chemical coating. Nonstick coating can become scratched and the particles end up in the air and release toxins.
When you think about eating healthy or clean something about cooking on a chemical filled surface and heating that chemical up doesn’t sit well.
Instead of non-stick pans try:
Stainless Steel, they are perfect to heat things in because they are nonreactive.
Cast Iron Skillets are awesome! They are one of my favorite cooking pans because they heat evenly. The heat distributes so well that it actually helps things cook more quickly. Cast iron is versatile and can be used in both the oven and stove top. They just need a little bit of care, but they last forever.
Glass Baking Dishes, Pyrex pans are great to cook or bake with and are always a nice option to have.
2. Utensils
Wood utensils are an affordable and safe alternative to plastic. Plastic is not only bad for the environment, it’s bad for your health. Think about it, how many plastic spatulas have you seen melted because someone got it too close to the hot pan?
Instead of using plastic utensils try:
Wood utensils, they last forever and you don’t have to worry about toxins being in your food. I got a variety pack of wooden cooking utensils from the thrift store, it was the best $3 I’ve ever spent.
Stainless Steel, they do well with high heat. You will never have to worry about a stainless steel utensil melting.
Wood or Bamboo Cutting Boards, If you have a plastic cutting board I’m sure it has knife marks on it. Where do you think that microscopic plastic is going? I switched to bamboo cutting boards years ago and I love them!
3. Plates & Cups
Swap plastic plates and cups for glass. Glass is really nice to have on hand or ceramic, they last awhile and won’t give off toxins when reheated. Yes glass can break every once and awhile, but it is really less common than you’d think.
When I bought my house I knew I wanted glass plates so I decided to go to the thrift store and I found a plate set that looks exactly like this one.
4. Storage containers
As far as Tupperware containers go, BPA and other harmful toxins can latch on to your food when you are reheating things. Even if it is marketed as “microwave safe” I truly believe the only thing safe to microwave is glass containers. Heating your food in plastic can increase your risk for cancer and other medical conditions.
Here are some great options for glass storage containers. Pyrex has a bunch of variety sets with different size options, here’s one I really enjoy.
5. Cooking oils
When cooking you also want to think about what oils you are using. For any high heat cooking you should use avocado oil because of its high smoke point. It is healthier for you to use the proper oil for the proper temperature.
Olive oil is a popular oil to cook with, but it has a medium to low smoke point so it should be used for lower heats. If you cook in high heat with olive oil it can produce harmful fumes. Avocado oil is a great choice for any temperature cooking. It is also a very healthy fat to add into your diet.
There are more than these 5 swaps, but it’s a nice starting spot that you can slowly incorporate. Like I mentioned many of these items can be found at a great discount from your local thrift store. Buying on Amazon is another great place to look before checking another retailer.
If your health and well-being is something of importance to you then it’s a good idea to be mindful of not only what you ingest, but everything that goes into the process of cooking your food.
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