Toxins in our environment play a huge role in our overall health and wellbeing. Some are obvious, as you are quick to realize when stuck in your car behind a diesel truck in traffic. Others are more subtle, such as common household items used for cooking and storing food. One of the toxins that fit that category, especially if you have been around for more than 50 years, is aluminum foil.

Aluminum foil is used to line a pan to cook fish or chicken wings on. It’s used to cover casseroles, such as lasagna, as it bakes. It is used to wrap food or cover a dish of leftovers to be eaten later. Personally, I don’t remember a time when my mother did not have at least two or three roles of aluminum foil around the house, as it was her go-to for so many uses in the kitchen. Aluminum is a metal that has absolutely no physiologic role in the human body and, contrary to traditional belief, it is reactive under heat and acidic foods and not fully inert, as once believed. It has been shown, with typical household usage, to cause bone issues and lung disease, and it is a well-known neurotoxin, meaning it negatively affects the brain and nervous system tissues. It is especially dangerous when it is used to cook under high temperatures or is exposed to acidic foods such as tomatoes or lemon juice. Continual use of aluminum foil for cooking over time causes a build of this metal in almost all of the tissues in your body.

Unlike so many toxins in our environment that are hard to avoid, this one can easily be gotten rid of. Throw away the aluminum foil in your kitchen and replace it with glass cooking and food storage containers. Glass is completely inert and will not release any dangerous chemicals into your food. It can be heated to high temperatures and used to cook/store acidic foods without any dangers. Not only that, but glass containers/cook wear can be used time and again, thus resulting in a great cost savings.

Removing toxins from your environment can make a difference in your health and quality of life and getting rid of aluminum foil in the kitchen is a no-brainer.

Dr. Warren Willey is a Pocatello physician. Visit his website at drwilley.com.