In many people’s homes, or at least in the impression, there is an old aluminum pot passed down from the ancestors. Maybe it was made by the grandfather’s generation with excess aluminum melted? Even if you don’t have an old aluminum pan, there are small aluminum spoons.
Why specifically mention the common metal element “aluminum“? That’s because the aluminum content in the Chinese body is seriously exceeding the standard. As early as 2012, my country’s food safety risk assessment report mentioned that there are 400 million people in China whose “aluminum intake” exceeds the standard.
So why do people still cook with aluminum pots to this day?
一. the hazards of aluminum products
In 2012, my country’s food safety risk assessment said: “About 32.5% of the residents in China have aluminum intake exceeding the safety standard, and 400 million people in the country have exceeded the aluminum standard.” This incident was like a bolt from the blue, surprising the whole of China people.
In fact, as early as the late 1970s, Chinese scientists have noticed the harm of aluminum to the human body. At that time, people in rural areas generally used cans or other aluminum to smelt into pots, and then stir-fry and eat them, which also shows the universality of aluminum elements around people at that time.
After more than ten years, those who are in close contact with aluminum generally suffer from various incurable diseases, including diseases of nerves, bones, respiratory, cardiovascular, liver and gallbladder, endocrine, urinary, hematopoietic, reproductive system and other aspects.
Scientists pointed out that the accumulation of aluminum in the body is likely to affect the memory function of the brain, and is suspected to increase the probability of Alzheimer’s disease.
So far, experts have determined that excess aluminum can inhibit the absorption of calcium ions in the body, which can lead to the impact of osteoblasts, osteoclasts, and people will suffer from cartilage or osteodystrophy.
In addition, aluminum is also nephrotoxic, it will destroy normal kidney function, prevent the kidneys from normal heme synthesis, and eventually lead to nephrogenic anemia. What’s more dangerous is that the excessive amount of aluminum will also cause a devastating blow to the male reproductive function and kill the spermatogonia.
All in all, after the excessive aluminum element is widely absorbed by the human body, it is difficult to metabolize, and finally causes indelible consequences.
二. Why do Chinese people love to use aluminum products?
So why do Chinese people like to use aluminum products?
First of all, because aluminum is widely present in nature, it ranks very high in the element table, the difficulty of obtaining aluminum is relatively low, and its chemical properties are very active, and it is relatively better to refine.
The reason why aluminum is extremely active is that it is an amphoteric metal that can chemically react with acids and alkalis, but in general, aluminum is not so easily released.
Because in the oxygen environment, the surface of the aluminum element will be oxidized into a dense layer of aluminum oxide, which is very stable and can prevent the aluminum element from reacting with acid and alkali, but in life, the protective effect of aluminum oxide is not so strong.
Speaking of our aluminum pot, although it has aluminum oxide on the surface, it is inevitable that there will still be aluminum elements that will be eaten by us. Many years ago, a survey was conducted on more than 500 people with cardiovascular disease in Beijing, and it was found that people who used aluminum tableware were more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease than those who did not use aluminum tableware. About three or four times higher!
It can be seen that aluminum tableware does bring some aluminum elements into our body.
Secondly, aluminum products have great advantages. Copper, iron, gold and other elements have been used in human history. Some of them are too precious, and some are not easy to use until aluminum is discovered by people.
It was found that not only the thermal conductivity of the aluminum pot is four times that of the ordinary iron pot, but also its density is only 33% of the iron pot, which means that the aluminum pot is not only light, but also easier to heat, so it is very Soon to be popular all over the country.
三. In addition to aluminum pots, what other things are rich in aluminum?
So how to use aluminum tableware to avoid the infiltration of aluminum elements?
First of all, avoid the stewing of acid-base objects. When cooking things with high salinity and high pH, the exudation of aluminum in the aluminum pot will increase; when cooking main foods such as rice and noodles, the amount of aluminum exudation will increase. reduce.
But don’t panic, because the aluminum element oozing out of aluminum tableware is pitiful, otherwise the country will not allow aluminum pots to be sold in supermarkets.
Secondly, high-protein items such as meat, milk, and beans are not suitable for stewing in aluminum pots, because animal protein and vegetable protein are easier to combine with aluminum and then enter the body’s circulation.
So in daily life, what other things are rich in aluminum?
The first is the food “youtiao” that people all over the country like. Fried dough sticks are rich in aluminum. Its aluminum content reaches 860mg/kg. The international recommendation is that the daily intake of aluminum content for adults should not exceed 60 mg. Therefore, basically one or two fried dough sticks every morning will already exceed the standard.
The second is food additives such as alum. In order to increase the fluffy feeling of bread and steamed buns, some merchants constantly increase the amount of leavening agent in the dough, such as potassium alum and ammonium alum, which are rich in aluminum elements, which lead to excessive aluminum in our bodies. one of the culprits.
Now, the state has come forward and issued a “ban on aluminum“, hitting many businesses hard. However, since the price of aluminum-free additives is often three to five times that of aluminum-containing additives, many small workshops still do the trick and use cheap aluminum-containing additives.
Post time: Feb-17-2022