Do you know the utensils you use on a regular basis to cook food actually impact your health? Well, this is true, the cookware has a direct connection with your health. We generally tend to cook in non-stick pans, aluminum utensils, pressure cookers which actually leads to serious health problems such as PCOD, memory loss, thyroid problems and heart-related issues in the near future. This adulterated market is filled up with things that directly and indirectly affect our health. Obviously, not all are bad but yes most of them are. In making things cheap in these competitive markets, brands generally substitute quality materials with cheaper ones. So today in this article, we will be looking at the best cookware for health along with the other cooking materials that we use on a regular basis that causes serious effects on our health.
We all know the importance of eating healthily, but unconsciously we do not focus on the material of the utensil we are cooking the food on. A cooking utensil plays a major role in retaining the nutrients of the food. The choice of the cooking material is very important when it comes to staying healthy as various studies already prove that wrong cooking materials will cause serious damage to your health. If your cooking utensil is toxic it will lead to constipation, skin problems, liver problems and heart complications.
Best cookwares for health in India
Clay cookware is the best cookware for health
Clay cookware can be claimed as the best cooking material for health and is scientifically proven. Any utensils made up of clay are actually healthy. This is because clay possesses porous and insulation properties that allow heat and moisture to spread evenly. As a result, there is no loss of nutrients. In fact, clay cookware is the only cookware that retains 100% nutrients of the food that you are cooking on it. These clay cookwares are made from earth and actually don’t affect our health. Side by side clay cookware is filled up with various minerals such as magnesium, iron, manganese and so on in the right quantities. Anything cooked on clay cookware is tasty and healthy at the same time. And all these are theoretically proven.
The only downside of clay cookware is that the cooking takes longer time compared to a pressure cooker or aluminum cookware. The time difference may not be more than 10 minutes though.
So if you are trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle you should always cook in clay cookware.
Bronze cookware is the second-best on this list
Bronze cookware also regarded as Kansa is another great cookware that is considered great for your health. Any food cooked in bronze cookware retains about 93% nutrients of the food. Previously In India Kansa cookware used to be very popular but now it got replaced by aluminum and non-stick ones.
The only downside of Kansa cookware is that it is very tough to find one right now. But if you do find one don’t think twice before buying it.
Brass utensils are another great option for cooking food
Brass cookware used to be in a trend many years ago in India. Brass cookware also known as pital utensils is actually great and considered safe for your health. Brass utensils need to be re-tinned for use. This method is also known as kalai.
The food cooked in brass utensils retains about 93% nutrients of the food whereas aluminum utensils retain about 13% of the nutrients.
The downside of brass utensils lies when you are trying to wash them. It needs to be washed with a specific powder (recommended pitambari powder).
Cast iron cookware – another better choice
Cast iron cookware is another great choice of cooking utensils. Cast iron cookware is safe for your health and does not have any side effects. In fact, various studies show eating cooked food in iron cookware fulfills your iron deficiency if any.
But cast iron cookwares are heavy and are very prone to rust if not well-maintained. It is never recommended to cook in rusted cookware. Cast iron cookware needs to be oiled to prevent rusting.
Ceramic cookware
You should choose 100% ceramic cookware if you are buying ceramic cookware. Ceramic is a type of hardened clay and does not have any side effects on your health. It is relatively very similar to clay cookware but the downsides are many.
Ceramic cookware is extremely rare and very expensive in the market. Also, you need to maintain the ceramic cookware if you are buying one as you can break them easily. If you are buying ceramic cookware make sure to check that it is made up of 100% ceramic and not a mere coating of ceramic over aluminum.
Stainless steel cookware
Stainless steel cookware is considered affordable cookware that does not have any side effects. But make sure that is 100% stainless steel.
Many stainless steel cookware brands in India use nickel to provide extra shine to the utensil. Nickel is a very toxic material and should be avoided. The chromium-nickel ratio determines the grade of the stainless steel cookware. The less the nickel content in the stainless steel cookware the better it is. So make sure to check this always before buying one.
Which cookware should you avoid?
Non-stick cookware
The most famous non-stick cookware is the worst choice of cookware for your health. 90% of urban homes in India use non-stick cookware. In fact, non-stick cookware is the most sold utensils in the market because of its misleading promotions. Non-stick cookware is easy to use, maintain, requires less oil to cook and is not heavy. But this is the most dangerous one, especially for your health.
Most non-stick cookware contains a layer of poly tetra fluoro ethylene, which is a plastic polymer that is also known as Teflon. When you cook something on Teflon-coated cookware, it releases fumes that are extremely toxic. These toxic flames cause serious damage to your brain and lungs.
Some cheap non-stick cookware also contains PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) which is a type of chemical that remains deposited in our body for a long time. Various researches prove that it can even lead to cancer. It is a sad fact that despite so many health disadvantages non-stick cookware is not banned in India.
Granite cookware is also bad
If you think granite cookware is better than non-stick cookware you are mistaken. Both fall in the same category.
Granite cookware contains a coating of PTFA (polytetrafluoroethylene) which is again very toxic. Rather you can choose glass cookware that is used in microwave cooking instead of these two.
Aluminum cookware is also bad
Aluminum cookware is another common and popular cookware in India. The main reasons for its popularity are its easy availability, cheap pricing, lightweight, versatility in nature and a good thermal conductor.
It is the most used commercial cooking utensil. But Alumunium is somewhat toxic. Whenever we are making food in aluminum cookware, the aluminum gradually leaches into the food.
To understand this you can do a simple experiment. Just buy aluminum cookware and weigh it. After three years of daily cooking weigh it again. You will be shocked to know that now the aluminum cookware weighs very less. This is because the aluminum from the aluminum cookware has already leached into your food gradually.
Alumunium is a thyrotoxic material that gets deposited in your body. Nowadays various doctors say that aluminum cookware can be a possible reason for the increasing thyroid cases. Continous use of aluminum utensils for a longer period of time can cause liver problems, constipation, heart problems and even brain disorders. So it is better to avoid aluminum cookware.
So here are the best and worst choices of cookware that we can choose on a regular basis. Your health is very important and one should never risk it for minor reasons. HealthAndHealthier goes through various researches and studies to supply facts that every reader should know.
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