All of us are using aluminum foil in the kitchen, for cooking, and wrapping, and we are often using it to treat some common ailments. Yet, a recent study has found that there are some important things we do not know about this kitchen staple.
First of all, aluminum is a neurotoxic heavy metal that has a lot of side-effects on the function of the brain and has even been associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
According to medical experts, the exposure to this heavy metal might cause long- lasting adverse effects, including mental decline, and loss of balance, memory, coordination, and bodily control.
This study has found that cooking with aluminum foil affects the bones, as aluminum builds up inside the bones and takes the space of calcium, reducing its levels.
Moreover, researchers have related cooking with aluminum foil with pulmonary fibrosis and other respiratory issues as a result of the inhalation of aluminum particles. The same effects are achieved in the case of grilling with aluminum.
Numerous people are still unaware of the fact that when aluminum foil is exposed to high temperatures, it emits parts of the metal into the food, and the heavy metal might leech in it.
Dr. Essam Zubaidy, a chemical engineering researcher at the American University of Sharjah, has evaluated the effects of aluminum on cooking and found that a meal cooked in aluminum foil can include up to 400mg of aluminum.
This means that “The higher the temperature, the more the leaching. Foil is not suitable for cooking and is not suitable for using with vegetables like tomatoes, citrus juice or spices.”
The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for aluminum, according to the World Health Organization, is limited to 60mg daily.
Food Additives such asE173, E520, E521, E523 E541, E545, E554, E555 E556 and E559 contain aluminum compounds.
Unlike iron and other vitamins and minerals, our body does not need aluminum. Thus, it is not able to process it correctly. So what happens to it? It gets stored in our body and accumulates with time in our idneys, brain, lungs, liver and thyroid which potentially does detrimental damage to our health.
Powerful Reasons to Eliminate Aluminum From Your Life
Aluminum damages your central nervous system. Aluminum exposure in children has been linked to autism. Children may be exposed to high levels of aluminum from drinking water. Brain and bone disease have been seen in children with kidney disease. Bone disease has also been observed in children taking some medicines containing aluminum. In adults, aluminum exposure can lead to age-related neurological deficits resembling Alzheimer’s and the Guamanian variant, ALS–PDC.
Aluminum can damage your brain. Research has demonstrated that aluminum can produce toxic, oxidative stress in the brain. Your brain can store a lot of aluminum which can result in MS, chronic fatigue syndromes, epilepsy, ADD, Alzheimer’s, Guilliane-Barre’ syndrome (a common post vaccination injury) and other neurological disorders.
Aluminum robs the body of magnesium, calcium and iron. ”Trace aluminum levels cross the blood-brain barrier and progressively accumulate in large pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus, cortex, and other brain regions vulnerable in Alzheimer’s disease. More aluminum enters the brain than leaves, resulting in a net increase in intraneuronal aluminum with advancing age. Aluminum is responsible for two main types of toxic damage in cells. As a pro-oxidant, aluminum causes oxidative damage both on its own and in synergy with iron. Aluminum also competes with, and substitutes for, essential metals-primarily Mg2+, iron and Ca2+ ions-in or on proteins and their co-factors.”
Aluminum accumulates in bone tissue, which results in weakened bones. It is also believed to be a cause of osteoporosis.
Aluminum causes oxidative stress on cells throughout the body, causing damage to DNA and aging.
Reduce Your Aluminum Exposure
Even though aluminum is a heavy metal like lead, it can be toxic in excessive amounts. Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals on earth and it is really hard to completely avoid it. However, you can take certain steps to avoid it such as using aluminum free cookware, avoid hygiene products with aluminum hydroxide, avoid processed foods, etc.
Foods that remove heavy metals naturally:
Onions, Blue Green Algae, Garlic, Cilantro, Burdock, Bentonite (high grade), Carrot Juice and Green Tea. (Chlorella is also an excellent food that helps remove metals;
it helps the body to rebuild nerve tissues).