my teacher told me that iron in pots and pans can not be good for you more......?

Question

My teacher told me today, that iron in cooking appliances can be not good for your health because pots and pans that we use to cook can have iron in it. This doesn’t sound safe at all, I know that iron is good for your health but too much of it can have some negative effects on you. What do you guys think about this?

Answer 1

Found this on a site (http://www.dietitian.com/iron.html), it may help..

Question:
I read in a parent's magazine that cooking spaghetti sauce in a cast iron pot adds a lot of iron. Is that iron the kind that is absorbed?

Answer:
It is true that foods cooked in cast iron skillets are higher in iron. However, the form of iron is not absorbed as well. Laboratory nutrient analysis techniques do detect the iron contributed by food cooked in cast iron pans, but the techniques are not able to separate out how much iron is absorbed. Also, absorption varies from individual to individual.

Non-heme iron (ferric) is highly variable in its availability for absorption. Foods high in non-heme iron are grains, vegetables, fruits, eggs and some iron supplements. Absorption of non-heme iron increases in the stomach's acidic environment and the presence of vitamin C in foods. Also, the present of meat would increase absorption of non-heme iron four times. However, oxalates and phytates found in dark green leafy vegetables and whole cereal grains decreases the absorption of iron because they bind with iron in the gastrointestinal tract.

Heme iron (ferrous), found in red muscle meats of animals, is far more effectively absorbed. The absorption of heme iron is influenced by other foods in the diet such as foods containing vitamin C and an acid environment like the stomach.

In contrast, cast iron pans degrade vitamin C. Another consideration is that the amount of hydrochloric acid, which would also favor better iron absorption, decreases with aging.

I would not recommend you depend on cast iron skillets for a significant amount of iron in your diet.

If you feel the need to take an iron supplement, take a ferrous sulfate supplement. I would recommend that persons avoiding red meat or any vegetarian take an iron supplement to prevent iron deficiency anemia.

Answer 2

Perhaps the teacher got it wrong. I have never heard of iron pots and pans being bad for your health however aluminum cook ware is definitely bad as over a period of time the particles collect in the cerebral area and have been proven to be a contributing factor to Alzheimer's. You should avoid any deodorant which is aluminum based as the aluminum is absorbed through the skin also. A good way to "debug" the cerebral area is to take Ginko Baloba (I think thats how it is spelled) its available from your corner health food store of Chemist.

Answer 3

You don't want to OD on iron, but cooking in even cast iron cookware won't add enough to do that.

Answer 4

No problem with iron cookingware. It's aluminum that many think you need to avoid. I have hear enough to be wary of aluminum myself.

Answer 5

Iron/steel is fine. Aluminium is bad.