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| Here's where I spend a lot of my time!- My Kitchen |
Update
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Better Kitchen Tools and Appliances
I believe in making every effort to promote a healthful lifestyle by what food I provide for my family and how I prepare it. There are certain appliances and tools I will steer clear of. I would like to explain why.
Microwaves
I have a microwave in my kitchen and use it periodically- but not for any of the food I or my family eat. I had it installed for the resale value of my house. The first reason why I limit use of my microwave is because of the electro-magnetic radiation that it emits. Manufacturers can always make claims as to the safety of their products, I usually do not take their claims into consideration. The second reason is because whenever anything gets nuked, all nutrition is lost. Consider a fruit or vegetable and how it is grown this day and age. It is first treated with pesticides, chemicals and many times genetically modified. Consider the time in transit when being shipped to the grocery store. Then we would add the time we store it before we eat it. You can begin to understand how nutrition steadily declines. If we are trying to nourish our bodies, why microwave and zap the last bit of nutrition out of our food? I have heard of people microwaving baby formula (I just cringe at the thought!) Microwaving will actually change the molecular structure of our food. I heard of a story of someone who had saved blood in a blood bank before surgery. The blood was warmed in a microwave before it was given back to the patient. The patient died as a result. Here is an excellent article which addresses these topics in much greater detail.
I purchased a double oven which is very handy. The top oven is smaller and is what I use to reheat food. It takes all of five minutes to reheat a plate of food in this section of my oven. A counter top convection oven would also be a good alternative to the microwave oven.
Non-Stick Teflon
I avoid using Teflon because of the harmful gases they emit when heated to high temperatures. Manufacturers will always claim that their products are safe to use, however studies show that the gases emitted will cause harm. Small birds die when they inhale the gases and there is such a thing as Teflon flu in humans. There is also the concern of how the chemical Perfluoro-octanioic Acid or PFOA can be found in human blood samples, not to mention how it has polluted our water supply. Here is an article worth reading in regards to this topic.
A better alternative is to use PFOA- free ceramic pans. When they first became available for sale, they were very expensive. I have noticed that they are more widely available and reasonably priced.
Plastic Cutting Boards
I once believed that plastic cutting boards were superior to wood boards. I figured since plastic has a hard non-porous surface, it would become thoroughly cleaned when run through a dish washer. I have been corrected on this topic. Plastic becomes scored when used frequently which creates endless striations and fibers which are practically impossible to clean completely. Wood on the other hand, has properties that kill bacteria over time. It's completely amazing! Read this article which covers the studies that have been done on this topic. I am a firm believer that you can't improve upon what has already been done in nature. The more I read, the more I'm blown away by the amazing attributes found in natural things all around us.
Have a great day!
