Your family kitchen may be the heart of your home, the place where you spend hours preparing food for your family, and the place where the family gathers informally to share a meal or to just talk. Nevertheless, it's not the safest room in your house: Dangers including bacteria and chemicals lie in wait in every corner and crevice.
How safe is your kitchen? Here are common places danger lurks and what you can do to make your kitchen a safe haven:
• Cookware. If you have aluminum or Teflon pots and pans in your kitchen, you are gambling with your family's health. Aluminum cookware was very popular until some studies linked it to Alzheimer's. Cookware made from ordinary aluminum easily leaches into cooked foods, especially when foods are acidic, like tomatoes.
"Aluminum is cumulative, and even small doses over time become highly toxic," says neurosurgeon and leading holistic doctor Russell Blaylock. "It’s a powerful neurotoxin."
Teflon and similar coatings, such as T-Fal and Silverstone, emit a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which has been linked to cancer and reproductive problems. A study by the Environmental Working Group found that heating a nonstick pan to 680 degrees on an ordinary electric stove released six toxic gasses including two that are known to cause cancer. Replace aluminum and nonstick items with stainless steel or ceramic cookware.
• Tap water. Many experts advise not drinking water straight from the tap. An activated carbon filter will remove chlorine, pesticides, and solvents. If you're concerned about fluoride, which some studies have linked with numerous diseases including Alzheimer's and cancer, you can use reverse osmosis filtration to remove fluoride.
"Fluoride is a powerful brain toxin, especially when combined with aluminum," says Dr. Blaylock. "You should avoid fluoridated water."
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• Sponges. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that food poisoning sickens 48 million Americans every year. Salmonella and E. coli, two of the most common bacteria, hide on kitchen surfaces and in sponges.
Keep countertops clean, wiping them down after preparing food and paying special attention to surfaces touched by raw chicken, and clean or replace sponges on a regular basis. To sanitize wet sponges (never dry — they can catch fire), microwave them for a minute or two, or place them in boiling water laced with a couple of tablespoons of vinegar for three or four minutes.
• Refrigerators. Practice good storage habits in your refrigerator and never put wet foods over salad ingredients, and keep raw meats completely separate from produce. The U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests putting raw meat into containers or plastic bags to prevent juices from contaminating other foods.
Clean your refrigerator frequently — experts offer advice that ranges from every two weeks to once every three months. To avoid using chemicals, use warm soapy water, a mixture of apple cider vinegar in water (two tablespoons mixed with one quart of hot water), or mix water with apple cider vinegar in a three-to-one ratio. A paste made from water and baking soda will remove stains.
• Plastics. Be careful heating plastic containers or plastic wrap in the microwave. Rolf Halden, the director for the Center for Environmental Security at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, told the Wall Street Journal that heating leftovers in plastic could leach chemicals such as the endocrine disrupters bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates into food.
In addition, microwaving can leave cold spots that harbor bacteria. Halden advised against using plastic and suggested opting for glass or ceramic — or skipping the microwave altogether and reheating in the oven or on the stove.
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