Non Stick Spray and Non Stick Pans are NOT worth "STICKING" to....

I cooked up some gold old fashioned eggs this morning, so I could give my usual oatmeal a break. ;) Anyway, as I sprayed my pan with olive oil, I was excited to find yet another simple smart exchange you can make that will be beneficial to your health.

Are you an avid user of non-stick sprays like PAM or Baker's Joy?










These Sprays contain chemicals and additives that may be harmful to your health. For more information, please read the following information I found from the following website.
http://www.examiner.com/sustainable-foods-in-boston/5-reasons-not-to-use-commercial-cooking-sprays



5 Reasons not to use commercial Cooking Sprays:


1. Cooking sprays contain unhealthy additives


Home cooks typically don’t intend to add dubious ingredients like soy lecithin, mono and diglycerides, dimethylpolysiloxane, dimethyl silicone, or artificial flavors to their carefully selected meals, especially since the long term effects of these chemicals are still unknown. Nevertheless, many varieties of cooking spray contain exactly these things, especially when opting for artificially flavored varieties, like butter.


2. Cooking sprays contain genetically modified ingredients (GMO’s)


While things like soy, corn, or rapeseeds (canola) in and of themselves may not sound bad, the problem lies in the origin of the crops. Sadly, the vast majority of these foods (over 90 percent according to GMO Compass) are derived from genetically modified seeds, which have been altered so that growers can use more pesticides (without killing the plant itself) and therefore yield more crops.


According the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, animal studies have repeatedly shown serious health risks including infertility, auto-immune disorders, diabetes, and changes in major organs including the gastrointestinal system. The AAEM even went so far as to ask physicians to advise patients to avoid GM foods.


To further compound this problem, GM foods contain markedly higher levels of pesticides than conventional crops, increasing the risks of these already dangerous chemicals.


3. Cooking sprays contain soy


Although soy is typically viewed as healthy, people are consuming more of it today than at any other time in history. This is namely because it is an additive in just about every processed food available, leaving many experts fearing that there could be unintended health consequences to such overconsumption.


A Harvard University study, for example, reported that eating as little as one half serving of soy per day resulted in problems such as infertility in males and increased breast cancer risk in females. Other experts propose that the soy laden diet of today may also be a contributing factor in the increased incidence of soy allergies, which have increased by 50 percent since 1998, according to Nexus Magazine.


4. Cooking sprays may negatively impact lung health


In 2007, Seattle PI conducted studies on 22 leading cooking sprays. They found that even small amounts of the sprays, when heated, released high concentrations of diacetyl, a chemical that causes serious and even fatal respiratory disease under repeated, long-term exposure. Although manufacturers have since removed products containing diacetyl from the market, some health advocates fear that using aerosol products is still risky since the long-term effects of inhaling the particles and vapors of other artificial ingredients isn’t known.


5. Cooking sprays are bad for the environment


Cooking sprays are environmentally unsound on a couple of fronts. First, all of them contain unspecified propellants, usually nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas and, according Science Daily, “the largest ozone depleting substance emitted through human activity.” It also doesn’t break down easily, so nitrous oxide released into the environment now is expected to continue to do damage for decades to come.


The second problem is the amount of unnecessary waste created by the packaging. If every household in the U.S. used just one can of cooking spray per year, this would amount to 115 million cans that end up in landfills annually. While one could argue that they are recyclable, one must keep in mind that the recycling process also requires a great deal of energy, in the form of heat, electricity etc.


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So what is the solution? Do what your grandmother did and simply wipe down your pots and pans with organic, cold-pressed cooking oils such as olive, canola, or grape seed. Or, if you simply must have a spray, most home goods stores sell hand-pump spray bottles designed to fill with any cooking oil you choose. You won't get that disgusting buildup on your cookware, and your body and the environment will be better off. And believe me, there are plenty of other ways to clean your shower.

Here's what I use...


Pilippo Berio






Now! If you are thinking...well, I don't USE non stick spray because I use a NON-STICK pan.





Well, I hate to burst your bubble but you may want to consider trading out your non-stick for some cast iron. Read the following article to find out more...


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1244883/Non-stick-pan-chemical-linked-thyroid-disease.html
Non-stick pan chemical is linked to thyroid disease





Thyroid link: Non-stick cookware contains the chemical


A chemical found in non- stick cookware and food packaging has been linked to thyroid disease.


The substance, PFOA, which is found throughout the home, has previously been branded potentially carcinogenic.


Now it has been further called into question by research which shows that those with higher levels in the blood have higher rates of thyroid disease.


Women - who are more susceptible to thyroid problems - are at double the risk, according to the study. PFOA is used in industrial and consumer goods including non- stick cookware such as Teflon-coated pans - where it becomes unstable at very high temperatures - fast-food packaging, and flame-resistant and stain-resistant coatings for carpets and fabrics.


It appears to get into the body by being swallowed or breathed in and there is no way of lowering levels in the blood.


Researcher David Melzer, a professor of epidemiology and public health, said: 'There have long been suspicions that PFOA concentrations might be linked to changes in thyroid hormone levels.


'Our analysis shows that in the "ordinary" adult population there is a solid statistical link between higher concentrations of PFOA in blood and thyroid disease.'


However, other experts pointed to research into workers with consistently high levels of exposure to the chemical that has not found a link with thyroid disease .


Concerns over PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and a similar chemical PFOS since the 1990s led U.S. safety chiefs to link them to cancer. Manufacturers have agreed to phase them out by 2015.





The British researchers, from the University of Exeter and the Peninsula Medical School, analysed blood samples from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.


Samples from almost 4,000 adults taken between 1999 and 2006 were analysed for chemicals including PFOA and PFOS, the journal Environmental Health Perspectives reports.


The researchers found those with the highest 25 per cent of PFOA concentrations were more than twice as likely to have thyroid disease than individuals with the lowest 50 per cent of PFOA concentrations.


The study also showed that 16 per cent of women in the top quarter had the disease compared with just 8 in the bottom quarter.


The type of thyroid problem, whether over-active or underactive, was unknown.


Previous animal studies have shown the compounds can affect the function of the thyroid hormone system.


This is essential for maintaining heart rate, regulating body temperature and supporting many other body functions, including metabolism, reproduction, digestion and mental health.


Tamara Galloway, a professor in Ecotoxicology at the University of Exeter and the study's senior author, said: 'Our results highlight a real need for further research into the human health effects of lowlevel exposures to environmental chemicals like PFOA that are ubiquitous in the environment and in people's homes.'


But Dr Diane Benford, Head of Toxicology of Food at the Food Standards Agency, said: 'Studies of workers with higher exposure to these compounds have not shown consistent evidence of increased risk of thyroid disease, which would be expected if effects are occurring in the general population.'

Apparently PFOA's are the Culprit and have been found to cause cancer cells. Here is another interesting article.

http://www.befoodsmart.com/blog/risks-of-non-stick-cookware-too-great-to-ignore/#more-120



Risks of Non-Stick Cookware Too Great to Ignore




You have a wonderful assortment of organic, local vegetables that you are ready to cook. You pour a little olive oil into your non-stick pan and saute your veggies. What do you get? Delicious sauteed veggies with a side of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Wait, what?
What is PFOA?


PFOA is the chemical used to make the non-stick coating on cookware (pots, pans, muffin tins, baking sheets, etc.) and electric cooking appliances (griddles, indoor grills, sandwich makers, etc.). Products with Teflon can contain levels of the chemical or similar chemicals (such as Polytetrafluoroethylene or “PFTE”). PFOA is widely used in other products such as carpet, fast food wrappers, stain-resistant clothing, and in water repellents for fabric and upholstery.


We are exposed to PFOA through drinking water, air, dust, food packaging, breast milk, umbilical cord blood, and microwave popcorn. When non-stick cookware is exposed to high heat, the chemical gets into the air and there can be a risk of PFOA exposure.

Why Does PFOA Pose a Risk to my Health?

On the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, this is what they have to say about PFOA:

“Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as “C8,” is a synthetic chemical that does not occur naturally in the environment… EPA has been investigating PFOA because it:

Is very persistent in the environment
Is found at very low levels both in the environment and in the blood of the general U.S. population
Remains in people for a very long time
Causes developmental and other adverse effects in laboratory animals.”


When tested, the chemical has been found in all or virtually all people’s blood, including newborn infants. Many animal and human studies over the years have shown that PFOA may cause a multitude of health concerns. These include, low birth rates, developmental delays, various forms of cancer, tumors, and liver toxicity; although the makers of PFOA maintain that the chemical is safe for humans and there is no reason for concern.
PFOA and Children


A recent September 2010 study from the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center studied 12, 476 children and was titled, Compounds in non-stick cookware may be associated with elevated cholesterol in children and teens. The study found PFOA and a related chemical, perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), at higher levels than expected. In addition, the children and teens with these higher blood levels, “…appear more likely to have elevated total and LDL cholesterol levels according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.” While the study does not definitively prove a causal effect between PFOA and elevated cholesterol levels, the results should be enough to make any parent think twice about the chemical.
What Should I Do?


It is impossible to completely avoid PFOA exposure since it is found everywhere. When possible, avoid clothing, fabrics, upholstery and furniture that is stain-resistant as the item likely contains PFOA. It is difficult to find alternatives, but more options are now available to concerned consumers.


Reduce exposure in the kitchen, by moving away from anything non-stick. In the spirit of self-disclosure, I personally have non-stick cookware in the house. We got rid of our non-stick pots and pans a few years ago, but I realized we still have non-stick muffin tins, baking dishes and loaf pans. However, after doing the research for this article, I will be switching away from using these items. While clean up with non-stick cookware is a breeze, the health implications associated with PFOA are just not worth it.


Be Food Smart will be profiling other cookware options in the coming weeks such as stainless steel and cast iron

If you want to research more about what TEFLON/NONSTICK cookware may be doing to your health, just do your research. Google PFOA. Go ahead...just read what the EPA has to say about it.


So next time you're out...pick up some olive oil spray and a cast iron or stainless steel skillet. It'll be worth your while!

Cheers to health!


I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving!