PREPARING OUR HEALTHY FOOD IN A HEALTHY MANNER

Hi.   Now that we have our healthy clean food to eat, how do we prepare it?

Healthy Cookware

If you have nonstick cookware, I would recommend throwing it out.  It is loaded with chemicals that are released when it is heated.  Did you know that heating a nonstick pot could kill your bird?  It can't be very good for humans then either.  Also, when the nonstick wears, it flakes off into the food that is being cooked in it.  You are then eating the chemicals that go into making the nonstick surface.

Aluminum pots and pans are not much better, please get rid of those as well.  Aluminum gets absorbed into the food, and you don't want this metal to build up in your system.  Aluminum has been associated with Alzheimer's disease, and others.  Some dispute this and say that only a small amount of aluminum is absorbed,  and that it isn't harmful in that small amount.  I believe it to be harmful.  Do you want to risk it?

Iron ware isn't the best either, because unless you are anemic and need added iron you don't want to cook your food in it as it absorbs the iron from the pot.  Too much iron has been associated with cancer.

You could use a good stainless steel, especially a surgical grade, but cooking in any metal isn't the best choice for your health.  You really don't want to be bringing metals whether heavy or light into your body.

The best cookware to use is glass or a safe ceramic.  You may wonder where you can get them, and it can be a little difficult, but if you persevere you will be able to find them.  I found some on ebay, and I couldn't be happier with them.  I even found a pot with a glass steamer, because I steam all my vegetables. This is a very healthy choice.

You could use enamel cookware, which would be a good choice if you couldn't find the glass or ceramic, but the minute it is chipped throw it out.  If you continue to use it, enamel flakes will find their  way into your food.  The cheaper pots tend to flake more then a good enamel pot.

Acrylamides In Food

The next thing you want to be aware of is how you are preparing your food.  I only boil and steam as that is the healthiest, and the safest way to prepare food.  Use these methods for the majority of the foods you cook, and save other methods of cooking for special dishes on rare occasions.  The reason I strongly recommend this is that roasting, baking, grilling, and frying can have unhealthy consequences.

I posted previously about acrylamides, which cause cancer.  Swedish scientists discovered this a few years back in 2002, I believe.  They discovered that foods, mostly carbohydrates, when they are heated to a high temperature, form substances called acrylamides.  This even occurs in otherwise healthy foods, as it is a chemical byproduct that forms in the food, because of the cooking process.  The forms of cooking that cause this reaction are baking, roasting, grilling and frying. The only way to prevent this is by boiling or steaming.

You really need to cut down on the amounts of acrylamides you consume.  Some of the worst offenders are french fries, potato chips, toast, and coffee,  but even  cookies, cakes, breads and cereals can contain moderate amounts. Healthy vegetables prepared the wrong way, unfortunately, contain acrylamides too.  Browned and burnt foods contain high amounts, as do roasted foods, that's why coffee is so high.

I know it can seem discouraging, and that everything seems to cause problems and risks, but you just need to be aware and eat accordingly.  It is always your choice, I just feel that everyone is entitled to be informed.  I cook food that I really enjoy by boiling and steaming, it doesn't just have to be healthy, it can be very tasty too.  Only once a year, at Thanksgiving, do I bake for myself; I make a pumpkin custard, and I look forward to it and thoroughly enjoy it.  I'm not insinuating you should limit your favorites to once a year.  But armed with this knowledge you might want to limit the foods that you prepare in less then healthy ways, and try new recipes using healthy methods.  Eating a high percentage of raw foods is an excellent choice for your health. It really can be very simple.

Heterocyclic Amines In Cooked Meats 

One other thing I want to make all you meat eaters aware of is another chemical byproduct that is formed when you prepare meat and fish.  It is called heterocyclic amines (HCA).  They are also cancer causing substances,  and are formed when meat or fish is cooked at high temperatures, again meaning frying, baking, grilling, roasting and barbecuing.  If you choose to eat meat, try to limit the times you eat it, and don't cook it too well done.  Eating less meat is healthier for many reasons.

Remember, it is up to you what foods you eat, but while I usually recommend living in the present, I think that everyone needs to consider long term health.  Being a former nurse I've seen many people who have suffered with serious diseases, and if what you eat today will mean whether you will suffer tomorrow it seems like a no brainer to me.  And it does mean that.  Even conventional medicine is starting to admit that whether we get sick. is largely in our own hands.  This is good news, it means we have a lot of control over our own health, and recent discoveries by Dr. Bruce Lipton, concerning epigenetics, have proven that what we do can even override genetic tendencies.

Good Health and Wealth,

Jeanne