Question: Is it true that using aluminum cookware can increase the chance of developing Alzheimer's disease? What about the coating from nonstick pans, can it cause a problem if you happen to eat some of it?
Answer: According to an article by Dr. Liz Applegate in the latest issue of Runner's World (January 1994), there is no evidence that the aluminum consumed from using aluminum pots or pans is the source of the aluminum seen in the brain of Alzheimer's patients. Until more research is done, she suggests that you continue to cook with your aluminum cookware.The inert surface of Teflon and other coated cookware apparently doesn't react with foods, and even if you scratch the surface or chip away some of the coating, it will pass through the intestines without being absorbed by the body.
According to Applegate, cooking with unlined copper pots or those with worn linings can lead to copper poisoning, as this mineral leaches readily into food. Copper poisoning is characterized by vomiting and diarrhea. She suggested using worn or unlined copper pots as wall hangings.
Cooking with cast-iron cookware is completely safe. Unlike copper, only small amounts of iron leach out of this cookware and this small amount can provide nutritional amounts of iron.
Stainless steel pots are usually lined with nickel, which can leach into acidic foods. Though nickel is harmless to most people, it can cause an allergic reaction in some. You will know if you are allergic to nickel if you get a reaction from wearing a nickel-coated ring.
Ceramic pottery can be hazardous to your health if made with a lead-based glaze. Generally, you should be wary of old ceramic dishes and those made in Mexico, Hong Kong and India. Dangerous amounts of lead can leach into foods, and chronic lead intake has been shown to cause memory loss, slowed reaction time, high blood pressure and lowered IQ in chil-dren.
Applegate also discussed how cooking affects foods. She mentioned that the most important reason to cook food is to make it safe from bacterial contamination. Certain foods, particularly raw meats, can become tainted with harmful bacteria if packaged or stored improperly. Heating to an inside temperature of 160 degrees will kill this bacteria.
Cooking also changes the texture of food, often making it easier to chew and digest. Boiling beans, for example, softens the carbohydrates so that your digestive enzymes can break them apart to fuel your muscles. In addition, cooking enhances and even creates flavors in many foods.
On the negative side, the heat that makes food safer, more digestible and taste better, can also make it less nutritious. In vegetables and fruits, vitamins C, B6, folic acid and thiamine, are especially vulnerable to high temperatures. You can combat some of this loss by quick cooking methods such as stir-frying or microwaving. Foods cooked in water also lose water-soluble vitamins and minerals. Use this water to improve the nutrition of gravies, sauces or soups.
Merry Christmas! I hope you receive Christmas gifts that make you healthier and more active in the coming year.
Garth Fisher is director of the Human Performance Research Center at Brigham Young University.