Alternative Medicine -- In the Kitchen

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Alternative Medicine--In the Kitchen

 

By its very nature, food has limitations. It needs to be stored and prepared

with care. Overcooking vegetables can cut their vitamin B1 content in half and

destroy their enzyme content. Exposing milk to light can do the same thing to

its B2 content.

 

Cleaning and Storing Your Foods

 

Thoroughly wash produce in cold water, preferably filtered, says Dr. Levin. Use

a vegetable brush with natural bristles to scrub the skins of sturdier

vegetables to remove dirt and any residual surface toxins, but don't remove the

skins as they contain vital nutrients.

 

The main vitamin thieves in your kitchen are heat, air, and light. Vitamins A, B

complex, C, and D are susceptible to damage by UV light. Vitamin E is damaged by

oxygen. In general, the less exposure your food has to air, light, and heat, the

better. Garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots, beets, and other root vegetables

store well in cool, dark, dry places. Spices hold up well under refrigeration or

even in the freezer, especially if purchased in large quantities and used over a

period of months. Purchasing spices in whole seed form and then grinding with a

mortar and pestle when ready for use is highly recommended. Better yet, grow

your own. Parsley, basil, oregano, and thyme grow well on the windowsill in

small pots and will provide fresh spices every night. Oils tend to store best

under refrigeration, and dark glass containers are recommended to minimize

exposure of fat-soluble vitamins to light.

 

Enzyme Therapy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choosing Cookware

 

Glass (or Pyrex?), ceramics (including clay, terra-cotta, enamel, and

porcelain), cast iron, and stainless steel should head your list for cookware

materials. At the bottom of the list should be aluminum, plastic, and cookware

featuring synthetic nonstick surfaces. According to Dr. Levin, here's why:

 

 

Glass is your best choice. It does not interact with the food prepared in it and

works well in the refrigerator, in the freezer, on the stove top, in the oven,

and with the microwave.

 

 

Ceramics are porcelain-covered metals, like cast iron, that combine the

excellent heating capacities of metal with the friendly cooking surface of

porcelain. Clay or " earthenware " pots are excellent for oven baking, but be

careful about the glazes. Some contain lead or cadmium, both known to be

hazardous.

 

 

Cast iron is heavy, and requires the extra step of curing. (To cure cast iron,

wash in hot, soapy water, rinse, towel dry, rub with refined oil, and place in

an oven preheated to 300 degrees for three hours.) In exchange for the extra

weight and care, your cast iron cookware may help prevent you from becoming

anemic. One-half cup of spaghetti sauce prepared in a stainless steel skillet

will provide you with less than one milligram of iron. Prepared in a cast iron

skillet, the same sauce gives you six milligrams.

 

 

Stainless steel adds neither the positive nutrient value to cooking food that

cast iron does, nor does it add any of the negative elements found in aluminum

or plastic. However, stainless steel offers the chef an excellent and easy

cooking surface along with hassle-free cleaning.

 

 

Aluminum cookware can release traces of aluminum into the food which may make

their way into the bone matrix, and may create changes in cognitive

functioning.38 Exactly how much aluminum is able to migrate from aluminum

cookware into your food? Studies have shown that foods cooked in aluminum pans

can pick up the element, but the quantity is disputable.39 This debate is

particularly fierce with respect to anodized aluminum. Anodized cookware is

constructed of aluminum which has been placed in an electrolytic solution and

subjected to an electrical current which changes its molecular structure. This

process seals the pores of the aluminum and lessens-and some say eliminates-its

interaction with food. In conclusion, there's at least a question mark

associated with aluminum and its stability in cookware.

 

 

Plastics for food preparation, particularly in the microwave, are controversial

at best and they could be dangerous, as many of the resins used in plastics are

cancer-causing substances. Molecules from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene

(PE), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), and plasticizers like di- (2-ethylhexyl)

adipate (DEHA) in plastic wraps have been conclusively shown to migrate into

foods at the high temperatures achieved in microwave ovens. The worst culprit in

this regard is cyclic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trimmer-the thin,

mirrorlike, grey stripping which absorbs microwave energy and is often used to

make microwave pizza crusts brown and microwave popcorn crunchy. You'll want to

avoid microwave cookware containing these materials. Stick with glass and

unleaded ceramics instead.

 

The results of studies that explore the immediate risks associated with food

cooked in microwave ovens indicate the need for further research into the health

risks of continuous microwave use.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Microwaving Foods

 

A microwave oven cooks by generating heat in the food itself. It contains a

magnetron tube which converts electricity into electromagnetic radiation. The

food is not irradiated nor does it become radioactive. Microwaves tend to

diminish the formation of nitrosamine chemicals that can be formed in cured

meats such as bacon and ham.40 If you intend to eat these meats, cooking them in

the microwave may be better than baking in a conventional oven or frying.

 

Microwave oven radiation is not very powerful. It drops off quickly as one moves

away from the appliance. Yet, medical science has uncovered disturbing news

about the effects of microwave radiation on health-including eye damage and

carcinogenic effects.

 

There may be another more disturbing side to this modern convenience.

Microwaving may cause chemical changes in foods beyond those associated with

being exposed to heat.41 Researchers reporting in the journal The Lancet

discovered that microwaving infant formula for ten minutes alters the structure

of its component amino acids, possibly resulting in functional, structural, and

immunological abnormalities.42

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen Cleansers

 

Many dishwashing liquids, bleaches, chlorinated scouring powders, all-purpose

cleaners, and drain cleaners contain petrochemicals that do not belong in the

kitchen. Nontoxic, environmentally safe alternatives are available in every

category of cleanser and detergent. In general, look for products that are

water-based, free of phosphates, biodegradable, and free of propellants. Baking

soda makes an excellent scouring powder, and vinegar added to water can be used

for cleaning windows.

 

 

 

 

 

Water and Water Filters

 

Drinking pure water is very important. It is also important to use pure water in

the preparation and cleaning of food. Unfortunately, the public water supply is

not always capable of providing optimally pure water. According to the

Environmental Protection Agency, the tap water of 30 million people in the

United States contains potentially hazardous levels of lead.43 In addition, one

out of every four public water systems has violated federal standards for tap

water.44

 

America's water can contain many different contaminants, including pathogenic

(disease-causing) bacteria, radioactive particles, heavy metals, industrial

wastes, and chemical residues. Even chlorine and fluoride, intentionally added

to public water supplies, are considered by many to pose a risk to health. While

adding chlorine-type compounds to drinking water protects the public from

several kinds of potentially deadly bacteria such as typhus, chlorine has been

proven to form cancer-causing compounds in drinking water. Fluoride added to

water to prevent tooth decay seems to also have negatives effects on the bones

and even the teeth. Studies suggest that fluoride can cause mottling of the

teeth45 and can make bones more brittle in the elderly, leading to an increased

rate of fracture.46

 

See sidebar on Fluoridation in Biological Dentistry. See Osteoporosis.

 

 

 

Drinking water containing lead can create health problems for both children and

adults, including hypertension, mental deterioration, impotency, birth defects,

and learning deficiencies. Unless a house has newer copper water lines, lead can

leach out of the older water pipes and plumbing into the water.

 

In determining the quality of water in the home, ask the local water department

for standards and analysis. It is also important to verify your home's water

quality yourself. Easy-to-run tests usually cost about $100 and are worth every

cent.

 

Bottled water is also a viable alternative, but be careful about the source.

Many waters are simply repackaged city supplies. Choose only those products that

provide a full analysis of their contents upon request. Also, look for waters

that have been purified through deionization. Many such brands are known as

purified or distilled.

 

The best step is to buy a water filter. The cost can range from $150 for an

under-the-sink model, combining carbon filtration with reverse osmosis, to

$1,500 for a whole-house filter that will purify even the water for your shower.

There are three basic types of filtration systems:

 

 

Solid block carbon filters appear to be much more effective in removing organic

chemicals such as solvents and trihalomethanes than do activated carbon filters,

which use granulated or powdered carbon. If you prefer to leave dissolved

minerals in your water, carbon block filters are a recommended choice since they

do not remove these inorganic compounds.

 

 

Reverse osmosis systems force water through a membrane under pressure. They are

most effective against inorganic pollutants like nitrates, and against metals

like lead. (Deionization resins are also used to accomplish this purpose.)

 

 

Distillation purifies water by boiling and condensing it. Metals and inorganic

compounds are effectively removed in this way because they are heavier than the

water, but all organic compounds are not heavier than water and they may not be

removed from the supply.

 

The best systems combine several methods of filtration for optimal pollutant

removal. Carbon block filtration combined with reverse osmosis units are

effective against organic and inorganic pollutants, as are carbon block and

distillation combinations.

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

43. Environmental Protection Agency. " 819 Cities Exceed Lead Level for Drinking

Water. " EPA Environmental News Publication no. A-107 (May 11, 1993):R110.

 

44. Steinman, D. Diet for a Poisoned Planet. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990,

203.

 

45. Woltgens, J. H.; Etty, E. J.; and Nieuwland, W. M. " Prevalence of Mottled

Enamel in Permanent Dentition of Children Participating in a Fluoride Programme

at the Amsterdam Dental School. " Journal de Biologie Buccale 17 no. 1 (Mar,

1989): 15-20.

 

46. Danielson, C.; et al. " Hip Fractures and Fluoridation in Utah's Elderly

Population. " Journal of the American Medical Association 268 no. 6 (Aug, 1992):

746-748.

 

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