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Most people suffering from Lyme disease, and these days, many people who comprise the general population, are aware of the dangers of toxins that are produced as a result of the post-industrial lifestyle that people in 1st world countries enjoy. The list of toxin-producing consumer products we use on a daily basis is too long to reproduce here. Several examples include:

Needless to say, these are just a few examples of the problems we face in modern industrialized society. One of the toxic exposures we encounter is a result of the cookware we use. Pots and pans used to prepare the food we eat are particularly troublesome because they are heated to very high temperatures during use, which renders their materials much more unstable. Furthermore, since these products are in constant contact with the food itself, they have a direct ability to contaminate our food. Finally, this is an important topic because we use cookware not just infrequently, but nearly every single day!

What strikes me as most fascinating, however, about the problem of finding non-toxic cookware is that fact that the issue seems so unsolved. For example, when it comes to many of the other toxin-saturated products on the bulleted list above, the way by which an individual can attain a cleaner, healthier lifestyle is much more obvious. For instance, let's take toxic bedding and mattresses. No problem, use natural latex materials for your mattress (this is what my family uses). How about air pollution. Easy, move to the mountains (this might not actually be easy to do, but at least it is an  available option to those who can pick up and move). Take synthetic fragrances for example - just don't use them!

With cookware, however, there doesn't seem to be a very easy solution to the problem. Let's look at some of the options and why they may not be ideal:

1. Aluminum cookware: aluminum has been tied to Alzheimer's disease and other health problems. The health community has generally agreed that deodorant with aluminum is dangerous. Therefore, aluminum cookware is less than desirable.

2. Iron cookware: this can be a good option for some, but for those with chronic infection, iron levels promote the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and oftentimes, iron levels are already too high. Since iron cookware is known to release small amounts of iron (in fact, vegetarians who lack iron in their diets often use it for this reason), iron cookware is not the most desirable option.

3. Glass cookware: a good idea, but I haven't seen many products and reviews note that this kind of cookware can be easily breakable and very difficult with sticky foods.

4. Teflon coating: the worst, period! Teflon is a synthetic material that can offgas and be absorbed into your food.

5. Ceramic: OK, but what about the paint or coatings they put over this? Dr. Joseph Mercola recommends (and sells) ceramic cookware, but I do not know what kind of coatings it has.

Stainless steel is one option which I believe to be promising. However, does this material have adverse health effects when small amounts of it end up in food? I don't know the answer to that question. Additionally, most stainless steel pots and pans have aluminum cores encapsulated within the stainless steel to facilitate heat transfer. Does the aluminum leak out into food? In the event that this option turns out to be the best option, I like this product here: 10-piece stainless steel cookware set by Cuisinart.

The purpose of this page is to facilitate a discussion about this topic. Please contribute your thoughts and knowledge below.