10 Tips for a Healthier Kitchen
At Cancer Schmancer, we stress Prevention. Like Fran says, "Let's not get sick in the first place. How's that for a cure?" We know that 90% of cancers are environmentally stimulated, which means that you can reduce your risk by cleaning up your lifestyle. One of the best ways to do that is to start with your kitchen.
Using the correct food storage and cookware is essential to keeping a healthy kitchen. In this list, you will find ten easy tips to keep your kitchen healthy, including what types of pots and pans to use, recommended oils for cooking, and how to clean your oven.
- Use stainless steel, glass, ceramic, or cast iron pots and pans instead of Teflon®, other nonstick cookware, or anodized aluminum without a coating.
- Make popcorn in an air popper or use a pot on the stovetop. Microwaveable popcorn bags (as well as pizza boxes and other food boxes) may be lined with non-stick chemicals such as PFASs.
- Replace Teflon® (and similar) coated ironing board covers with safer materials, such as cotton or towels.
- Avoid using safflower and avocado oils when cooking with Teflon®-type coatings. Their higher smoke points (above 500 degrees F) may cause you to exceed the safe temperatures recommended for cooking with Teflon®-type coatings.
- Have gas stoves and heating systems regularly checked for safe use.
- Clean ovens with a natural cleaner instead of the self-cleaning option. The self-cleaning mode should not be used. See the Toolkit for a link to wellnessmama.com, which provides natural cleaning recipes.
- Avoid spray-on oven cleaners—they may contain lye or ammonia and can be very caustic. Be skeptical of oven cleaners labeled “eco-friendly.” Be sure to read the ingredients label and consult ewg.org/cleaners for more information.
