Anyone out there afraid of alum. foil??

[Sara Emily]

For a long time now, we have been advised against aluminum cookware that has not been coated, as it can react with acidic foods and possibly contribute to Alzheimer's and other ailments. I also don't use alum. pans or foil to cover "reactive" foods if it will be in direct contact with them for the same reason.

Last Saturday, on a radio program, I heard Martha Stewart warn against using alum. foil to directly contact ANY of your foods! She says that she uses parchment around the foods first, and then covers that with alum. foil for cooking purposes and also for storage. At first thought, that seems to be a bit obsessive and without foundation (this IS, afterall, Martha Sewart speaking!!!), but then got to wondering. With all the health magazines y'll read and the good health info you stay on top of, can you see ANY justification for this position? It's just so convenient and economic to use foil on my breads, pies, etc. I'm looking for justification NOT to change my old habits! Can you make me fell better about this?

[DmOrtega]

I recently read somewhere (I can't remember where) that plastic wrap was also bad to use over food in the microwave and refridgerator. It breaks down somehow and gets into the food.




[This message has been edited by DmOrtega (edited 03-27-2001).]

[MrsReber]

I still use foil, but I do think about it everytime I take out the roll of foil. I heard or read somewhere a few years back that you shouldn't use the shiny side? Don't know how true that it, but since I still use foil, I put the dull side next to my food. How much of a difference could that make? Especially since it's rather thin? I guess it makes me feel better. I use it under food when I warm things up in my toaster oven and to cover things when I bake in the oven. I guess I don't use it all that much, though. What's the alternative? The parchment paper?

[SandyM]

The only fear I have of aluminum foil is a recollection of how it felt biting into it with my back teeth (I know, don't ask......)

[donleyk]

Sandy! That hurt. A little warning next time, huh?!?!??! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I can't chew a piece of gum without checking it twice!

[SandyM]

Oh, believe me.......in the dead of summer, when the gum has been in the car and the foil has sort of melted into the gum, I double and triple check that bad boy before putting it in my mouth.

[donleyk]

I get goose bumps just thinking about it!

[Andrew]

I read somewhere, some time ago that aluminum cookware was banned in Scandinavia. I've stayed away from the foil and cookware for a long time now.

[donleyk]

This is really interesting. I haven't read or heard anything regarding the foil cooking pans nor foil. I am just going to have to nib around. Can Reynolds Wrap have that much control????

[hka]

I too, have never heard about the aluminum foil debate. I had NO idea! I actually don't use foil or plastic wrap that often. I usually put leftovers in tupperware type containers and heat them up as individual servings on either paper plates, if I'm feeling lazy, or regular dishes. Another thing for me to ponder upon! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[Michael Smith]

As far as alum foil is concerned, it's a similar argument with alum cookware - there has been a link proposed between aluminum leaching into foods and high levels of aluminum found in the brains in some alzheimer's patients. Nothing definitive yet. Personally, I'm concerned when I have seen baked/grilled foods wrapped in foil that has actually reacted with foil and caused it to tarnish/break down where it contacts the food directly. Pretty scarey.
Per the plastic wrap, the FDA recommends against direct contact with foods at high temps (as in a microwave). Certain brands like Reynolds tend to leach some carcinognic compounds at high temps.
Best bet is to freeze/refrigerate food in plastic and then cover with foil or put in a ziplock bag before freezing. Always microwave in a microwave safe container. You can cover the container with plastic wrap, but don't let it contact your food.

[funnybone]

I am more worried about the preseratives that go in some foods, rather than the wrap that goes around it temporarily.

[mandarin2j]

It's so funny that someone brought this up. My husband was just saying the other day that it's odd that we are so careful about avoiding aluminum cookware but not foil around our foods. It got me thinking about how we use foil in the kitchen. For the most part, the nature of our use does not put food in direct contact with foil. I haven't yet decided if any contact at all is unacceptable. Campfire stew just wouldn't work without tin foil, and that fine dish is synonymous with car camping in our family.

It's funny to think about all the places aluminum is present, though. I don't drink soda pop, but I've heard about the corrosive properties of colas. I wonder what it does to have cola from an aluminum can? Aren't most canned foods canned in steel? Well, there's one less worry! Of course, there's aluminum in most anti perspirants. When I realized that, I tried switching to Tom's of Maine and also a crystal-type thing sold in natural food stores. Unfortunately, I "glisten" a bit much for either to do me any good. Oh well, guess I have to live with some aluminum in my system.

[lanie]

Interestingly enough, there was a program on TV last night 'Trade Secrets: A Moyers Report' - stating that the chemicals in saran or similar wraps is not a healthy thing to do??????????? Apparently, good old wax paper is the item of choice.

[hka]

Mandarin2j, I can relate to the anti perspirant dilemma. I tried switching as well and found that, I too, "glisten" (that cracked me up) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif too much for the ones you mentioned. As for the soda cans, they actually have this layer of protection on the inside of the can so whatever is in coke won't eat through the can! I don't know what the name of the layer is but my friend had a teacher in college who helped invent it. Crazy huh? After I heard that, my coke drinking is almost non-existent!! Not that I drank a lot of it anyway but I definitely think twice before opting for it. I pretty much stick to water or tea these days!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Julie O]

Oh, gosh, where should I begin? Well, Martha Stewart is not a scientist, so she's probably not a reliable source of info. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif If you think about it, she uses parchment paper for just about everything.

Most of the recent evidence I've seen about Alzheimer's is that there is probably a genetic link. It's something that's either a part of your DNA when you're born, or something in your environment is causing the change in DNA. (I'm not a biologist, so I can't explain this part very well.) More recent studies that I've heard about are discounting aluminum as the cause of Alzheimer's-it's not the environmental trigger.

Now, you shouldn't put aluminum foil on acidic foods, such as tomato sauce & fruits. The aluminum will react with acids to form an aluminum salt. The aluminum salt probably won't hurt you, but it probably won't taste very good, & it sure won't look pretty. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif

There have been studies about how much aluminum is leached out from cooking pans & from aluminum foil. The amounts are miniscule, so you really probably don't need to worry about it.

Plus, your body NEEDS aluminum, just like it needs iron, vitamins, & other minerals. It just doesn't need a lot of it.

Yes, they do put a coating on the inside of aluminum cans for soft drinks so the aluminum can't react with the cola. There's a coating on the inside of most every food package you buy. The coatings protect the food from lots of different environmental problems, like UV light; they also protect the food from the package. That way your food stays fresher for a longer period of time.

The FDA requires extensive testing of any coating, plastic, or container type for any food product. They have special tests to determine if bad by-products leach into your food. If there are bad leachates, the product will not be approved for food use. The testing for some microwave products wasn't started until the 1990's so we're still learning about some of the plastics. As somebody already mentioned, you might not want to have plastic wrap touching food while it's being microwaved (it should be fine if it doesn't touch the food). You also shouldn't heat food on styrofoam (including those nifty carry-out boxes) or hard polystyrene plates (has recycling code 6 on the bottom). These melt in the microwave after about 45 sec. with contact with food. Yucky! :P

Oh, about the acidity of colas, yes it's very acidic. It's about the same acidity as orange juice, but it's less acidic than lemon juice. So, if you're not afraid of drinking orange juice or lemonade because of the acidity, then I probably wouldn't worry about colas either. (Although there's a huge amount of sugar in colas, so you might want to worry about that, especially if you have kids who like colas. It's probably a major contributor to obesity in the US, especially with kids.)

It's frightening how much misinformation there is in the media. There's so many news programs now that seem to have a primary mission to sensationalize every story so it attracts viewers. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif I've stopped watching all news programs except CNN. They seem to still have some ethics in reporting. Watch out for websites too; after all, any person can put together a website, regardless of their qualifications on the topic.

Hope this has been helpful. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[makedah]

Thanks so much, Julie!

[donleyk]

Julie,

Thanks so much for the post. It will be very helpful. My husband insists on using foil when grilling.... I was really concerned regarding this until your post. Thanks again.

[Andrew]

"Plus, your body NEEDS aluminum, just like it needs iron, vitamins, & other minerals. It just doesn't need a lot of it."

My Doctors would faint if they saw that comment.

Aluminum isn't a mineral, vitamin or iron.

Many people including myself get an allergic reaction to deodorant with aluminum in it.

I'm wondering where you got this information?

Thanks

Andrew

[MrsReber]

Okay, here's a little info that I found on aluminum:

London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), located in Southwestern Ontario, is one of Canada’s largest teaching hospitals. It is dedicated to excellence in patient care, teaching and research. In 1995, LHSC was cited among North America’s top-rated hospitals.
The Trace Elements Laboratory is a fully licensed clinical laboratory which was established in 1973. It offers a wide test menu of trace metals and other elements and participates in four national and international trace metal quality assurance programs. Trace elements testing is used to assess nutrient needs and the presence of toxic levels of elements acquired through occupational or environmental exposure.


Because of the ubiquitous distribution of aluminum compounds, natural human exposure is unavoidable, and moderate amounts of the element enter the body constantly through inhalation of atmospheric dusts and ingestion of food and drink. Despite an oral intake ranging from 5 to 10 mg daily, little Aluminum is absorbed and serum levels of 0.07-0.30 mmol/L are usually found. Tissue Aluminum levels are very low. No biological function for the metal has been found. With normal renal function aluminum is readily excreted in the urine

Moreover, life has evolved in an environment so rich in aluminum that it would be surprising if human beings could not tolerate substantial variations in exposure without ill effects. Under most circumstances this tolerance appears to hold. Industrial aluminum toxicity is rare and tissue concentrations of the metal have apparently been little affected by extensive use of aluminum products and cooking ware. The application of thousands of kilograms of aluminum products as antiperspirants has not caused toxicity except for occasional local irritation. Indeed, a considerable body of experimental data gathered over many years suggests the presence of formidable epithelial barriers to aluminum absorption in the lung, the gastrointestinal tract and the skin.

Notes: The usual diet contains 2-10 mg/d of aluminum of which <1% is absorbed, but may be higher depending upon the food consumed. For example, 250 mL of tea contains approximately 0.3 - 1.3 mg of aluminum, and 100 g of chocolate contains approximately 1.2 mg of aluminum. Antacids which contain aluminum (250 mg/tablet) show greater intestinal absorption in the presence of citrate (e.g. from citrus juices). None of the above, with normal renal function, usually cause elevated levels in the blood. Despite man's environmental and dietary exposure to aluminum, the lung, skin and GI tract act as almost complete barriers to aluminum absorption. The small amount of aluminum that is absorbed is excreted up to a rate of 0.5 mg/d.

here's where I found that one- http://www.lhsc.on.ca/lab/metallab/

Not saying it's right or wrong, just some info since I was curious myself http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Sara Emily]

V-e-e-e-r-y interesting, MrsReber! Now I'm left to wonder if I'm consuming 10 times my body weight in aluminum from chocloate alone - I'm a chocoholic, you see!!! (Just kidding!! - about worrying, that is - NOT about being a chocoholic!) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Thanks for taking the time to look this up and pass it along!

[sherri]

I asked my husband the same question about Al Foil a while back and he said that Al foil is not going to cause Alzheimer's (he is a medical doctor).

[MrsReber]

It doesn't seem that there's any real risk unless you are exposed to very very high amounts of aluminum. I would think that most of us are not. I thought it was pretty interesting. I learned something new today!

[Julie O]

Andrew,

What you're describing is not an allergic reaction. It's contact dermatitis. It's caused by the complex the aluminum is in when it's in deodorant. You may be surprised to hear this, but aluminum-zirconium complexes in deodorant are specifically designed to cause your skin to become irritated. This irritation causes your sweat glands to close, so you won't sweat. But, sometimes the irritation can be very severe in some people. Then, you see what most people call an allergic reaction. Contact dermatitis is a localized reaction on the skin caused by some irritant. Lotions, perfumes, laundry detergent, clothing, and deodorant can cause rashes, redness, and probably even welps if it's really severe. Avoiding contact with the irritant substance will prevent irritation.

This is also why you ladies should avoid putting deodorant under your arms right after shaving. You're much more likely to develop a rash from the deodorant.