Do you love cooking? Use aluminum foil in making various recipes. Have doubts if using aluminum foil is safe for your cooking or not? Then you are at the right platform. Here present our best assignment help Australia experts would help you to find out if relying on aluminum foil is safe or not.
What Do You Mean by Aluminum Foil?
Aluminum foil, or tin foil, is a thin, shiny sheet made up of aluminum. These foils are made by rolling large slabs of aluminum metal till the time these sheets become thick by 0.2 millimeters.
The usage of aluminum foil is vast and it is used for various purposes. These include – packing, cooking, transportation, etc. In the grocery section, we find the use of aluminum foil is vast. Now, we find its use in our households too.
At home, we use aluminum foil to store food, cover a baking surface, and wrap various foods. i.e. meats, it helps the food retain moisture while cooking. Besides these, aluminum foil is used to wrap and protect more delicious food items, like a vegetable while grilling them.
At present, aluminum foil is used to cover grill trays, gas ovens, etc, to keep them tidy and for scrubbing cooking utensils to remove stains and relics.
Does Our Food Contain Aluminum?
Our food contains very fewer amounts of aluminum. But the irony is, aluminum is considered to be one of the most abundant metals that are available on the earth.
In the natural state, you would get it in other elements, like phosphate, rocks, and clay. On the other hand, we get very less quantities of aluminum in the air, water, and in our food. But you would get aluminum in various foods like – fruits, vegetables, fish, food grains, various types of meat, dairy products, etc.
There are many food items that absorb and accrue a good quantity of aluminum than other foods, these include – tea leaves, spinach, radish, mushrooms, etc. There are many processed food additives that contain small amounts of aluminum, such as preservatives, anti-caking agents, colouring agents, etc.
In that regard, you must know that we get more quantities of aluminum in commercially processed foods that contain food additives than in the food that you cook at home.
The amount of aluminum present in the food that you eat largely depends on some key factors, these include –
- Soil: the soil in which the food was grown
- Packaging: if the food is packaged and stored using aluminum
- Absorption: how fast a food absorbs and holds the aluminum
- Additives: if the food contains certain additives that were added during processing
Sometimes, aluminum is used as medication and it is given in the body through injection too. Medicine like antacids contains a high quantity of aluminum.
But in this regard, you don’t need to feel worried about the amount of food that you consume from food or medicines, because whatever amount of aluminum you consume from various sources, a very lesser amount of aluminum is absorbed by our body. The leftover part is removed from our body through feces. Besides this, aluminum is removed from our urine too.
In this regard, you must know that the amount of aluminum that we consume on a daily basis, is safe for our bodies.
How Does Aluminum Affect Your Body?
If you are using aluminum foil in cooking, then it may increase the aluminum content of foods. We can’t avoid it anyhow. According to our research help experts, if you use utensils made up of aluminum. Then it may increase the amount of aluminum in your food. In this regard, you must remember that there are certain factors that affect the food while cooking in aluminum foil, these include –
- Food: if you are cooking foods like tomatoes, cabbage, or other acidic food
- Ingredients: if you are using various spices and salt in your food
- Temperature: if you are cooking at a higher temperature
In a study, it is found that, if we cook red meat in an aluminum container. Then it increases the amount of aluminum in our food by 90% to 380%. So, if you use aluminum foil in cooking on a regular basis, then it may cause harm to your health.
Health Risks of Consuming too Much Aluminum
Though till now, there is no such record that exposes any health hazard to your body for excessive consumption of aluminum just because whatever quantity of aluminum our body absorbs, it is excreted through urine and feces.
But the people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease are suggested to consume less amount of aluminum. Now you may have doubt that Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological condition that affects our brain cells. Then what is its connection with aluminum? Then let me inform you that, in research, it is found that, the brain of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease contain high levels of aluminum. But there is no such evidence that dietary aluminum is the cause of this particular disease or not.
On the other hand, dietary aluminum can be the reason for inflammatory bowel disease. But, still now, any such study has not proved whether aluminum has any direct link with inflammatory bowel disease or not.
How Can You Lessen Your Exposure to Aluminum While Cooking?
You can’t avoid the intake of aluminum completely, but you can minimize the amount for sure. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), levels below 2mg per 1 kg body weight in a week do not cause harm to the human body. Below, we have listed some tips to lessen your exposure to aluminum while cooking, these are –
- While cooking in aluminum foil, prefer to cook at lower temperatures
- Try to reduce your use of aluminum foil while cooking, especially while cooking citrus foods
- Prefer to use non-aluminum utensils while cooking, like – glass, steel, porcelain dishes, etc.
- Try to avoid commercially packaged food and rely on home-cooked foods in order to reduce your aluminum intake.
Should We Stop Using Aluminum Foil?
There is no such study that has proved that aluminum foil is dangerous. But the factor is, it may increase the amount of aluminum in your food. If you are aware of it, then you may want to stop cooking in aluminum foil. But here you must remember that aluminum foil contributes very less amount of aluminum in the food. And you are consuming very less of the amount of aluminum that your body actually needs.
Conclusion:
According to our assignment help in Ipoh experts, no need to feel worried about it. Using aluminum foil at a moderate level is not at all harmful to us.