If you grew up like most people while utilizing an aluminum foil, your mother used it for culinary, to cover sandwiches for college & to store waste at the house. You perhaps still use aluminum foil as it is so adaptable.
Aluminum is not a harmless product, and you can use several alternatives to aluminum foil that are also effective without having a risk to your health.
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History of Aluminum Foil
Aluminum foil primarily created an appearance to switch tin foil. The initial patent for the industrialized procedure of aluminum foil was in 1910. Then it started acting in food wrapping, for example, stock dices and chocolate bars.
By the 1920s, it was a home principal in America and Europe. With its capability to suppress light and avoid moisture accumulation, it became a standard food usage option. It very rapidly generated accessibility that families naturally contained.
Why is aluminum foil bad?
Aluminum is a neurotoxin that has been associated with health problems, for example, Alzheimer’s disease and failure of certain portions of your brain: loss of memory, coordination loss, and loss of body regulation.
Aluminum builds up in your skeletons and can replace calcium, declining quality of your bones. People having an excessive amount of aluminum in their skeleton will show an increase in blood calcium as that calcium is not set down in their bones. This stops bone mineralization and causes osteoporosis.
As stated by the WHO, the safest level of aluminum to ingest is around 40mg per kg. But, if you are suffering from kidney problems, then you must avoid everything related to aluminum.
You can find aluminum food flavors, antacids, astringents, make-ups, shielded aspirin, and antiperspirants. Aluminum can be present on kitchen utensils, containers, pans, and on some wrapped foods. It stores in our body, so decreasing exposure is very vital for our overall health.
Aluminum does not appear to leak if you consider the foil only to covering food. But, the main problem comes from cuisine with aluminum foil. If you cook food at a higher temperature, then aluminum will seep into your food. Acidic foods let the aluminum leak into your food. Stop using aluminum foil around citrus, flavors, and tomatoes.
The researchers discovered the quantity of an aluminum engrossed by the food, but the food influenced by several factors, comprising the fat content, the cuisine temperature, the time of cooking, and the food ph. High temperatures, prolonged cooking intervals, and acidic creation enhanced the volume of aluminum immersed by the food.
Generally, the study determined that aluminum foil, when used in culinary, offers an easy way for the metal to go in our bod. Furthermore, aluminum foil is not appropriate for food, particularly with acidic food. Using an excessive amount of aluminum foil for baking food may bring a serious health danger.
Impact of aluminum foil on our environment
Many individuals accept that aluminum foil is good for our environment compared to plastic wrap material. Unluckily, this is not true. Calculations indicate that aluminum foil is more harmful than a plastic wrap for energy from fossil fuel used, greenhouse gas productions, human health influences, and water toxicity.
Production of aluminum foil contains a massive influence on our environment. Primarily, the raw material, which is bauxite rock, needs to be extracted from the soil. This is then processed to generate blocks of aluminum.
The manufacturing process of aluminum requires lots of energy and triggered damage to the earth, plants, and territory for animals. There are also minor effects from the left-over products that the method causes.
Unluckily, wrapping a potato using a block of aluminum (or something else, for that matter) is not very easy. Thus, the blocks of aluminum need to be hard-pressed and then converted into thin sheets of foil.
This needs a huge volume of energy, which would generally obtain from burning our inadequate provisions of non-renewable fossil fuels. Eradicating both plastics covering as well as aluminum foil is a big step to start if you want a zero-waste living.
Several ways of exposing to aluminum
According to researchers, everyday exposure to aluminum for most of the people is entirely safe. Your ease level with aluminum contact for loved ones and yourself is your demand. If you are interested in ways you can be unprotected to aluminum, then read the information below.
Aluminum is often added to:
- Anti-caking agents
- Flour
- Baking powder
This report contains thorough information on the normal aluminum concentration for each kg of several kinds of food. Customer products are one of the potential sources of aluminum pollution. You can be visible to aluminum from:
- Make-ups
- Antiperspirants
- Antacids. They can have almost 104 to 208 mg concentration of aluminum for each dose.
- Buffered aspirin. It can have 10 to 20 mg concentration of aluminum per dose.
- Workplace as well as environmental pollution.
How to minimize the exposure to aluminum?
You must avoid using aluminum in your everyday routines. Remember that you won’t prevent exposure all together as aluminum is everywhere; however, by not keeping it in your kitchen and using for preparation of food, you are decreasing a significant amount of unwanted aluminum exposure. Some things you must do now are given below:
- Throw away your aluminum foil. When you need to use aluminum foil, stop using it for culinary & do not wrap tomatoes, flavors, and citrus.
- Switch aluminum pots as well as pans. Remember that, several aluminum pans are layered so that the aluminum becomes unable to leak into your food. With extended use of aluminum pans, this covering is removed as we use them with high temperature, and your risks of aluminum leakage into your food are higher. So, this is better not purchasing any aluminum pans as well as pots.
- Do not purchase kitchen utensils made up of aluminum. There is bamboo, timber, glass, and stainless steel alternatives available in the market now. Most of them are, in fact, reasonable and do not harm human health.
- Go for a water filter that sieves out aluminum. You must go for a water filter; this is the best thing we can do.
Is Aluminum Foil Biodegradable?
As is frequently the case with new goods, some of the disadvantages of using aluminum foil were not unblemished in its early usage. Aluminum is extracted, then converted into foil and is deliberated as a one-use product. The environmental influence of these procedures is high enough.
Increase in the complications of so readily consuming a one-use item, and we have an issue. While aluminum foil does enhance suitability, but it is not the most biodegradable selection.
The disadvantages of using aluminum foil do not finish there. Aluminum can seep into your food once you use aluminum foil for storage or culinary. The effects of aluminum foil are not yet completely understood.
However, using aluminum foil in our daily lives might mean we can be exposed to higher levels of aluminum than those suggested by the World Health Organization. When you do not want to relinquish the foil completely, there are numerous things you should do to make goods more biodegradable.
Go for using your aluminum foil over once by washing after usage and letting it dry, arranged for next time. Once re-claiming is no longer a choice, do not overlook that aluminum foil can be reprocessed. Save it till you obtain a fist-sized ball of squeezed up foil & place in your reprocessing with your boxes and cans.
Best Alternatives For Aluminum Foil
Are you ready to use some eco-friendly alternatives to aluminum foil? If yes, here are some best options to encourage you.
1- Glass storage containers
Suitability is everything. Because of this reason, aluminum foil is very common. Much like once we all dumped glass milk jugs for plastic containers when aluminum foil came alongside, the same thing occurred.
Several families happily exchanged their old-fashioned glassware for one-use foil. That custom has remained with us, and we ponder glass too burdensome for everyday use.
However, as using plastic, everyone now distinguishes the environmental influence of such a one-use culture. In addition, as we hear further about the health dangers of one-use wraps (foil & adhere film), glass creates a retaliation.
Long-lasting glass products for storing food are in all places. They are non-porous; thus, they do not influence the taste buds or our food quality. And more, they are heavy enough to repel breaking throughout regular daily usage.
They are available in a range of designs as well as sizes to meet all storage requirements. Several can be used in stoves and microwaves and are dishwasher resistant.
2- Silicone lids
Silicone also contains a role in packing waste food. Silicone covers are available in several sizes and can be hard-pressed over containers to retain your food fresh. They are non-porous and resistant to stain, and you can use these lids in the freezer as well as an oven. They are easy to use and clean quickly.
When buying silicone products, ensure they are made for food usage and prepared by using food-grade silicone.
3- Fabric covers
Fabric covers are an excellent choice for left-overs. They are made to fit tightly over serving dishes. They are ideal for already prepared food. And they are appropriate for the storage of food in the fridge.
You will get these covers prepared using different fabrics; thus, ensure you follow separate care directions. Some fabric covers contain coverings that are not appropriate for usage within a dryer. However, these frequently require little more than a wash in advance; they are set for use once more.
4- Beeswax wraps
They are an excellent option for lunchboxes and storing food for a short duration. And more, they are excellent for exchanging one-use aluminum foil as well as plastic wraps.
Beeswax wraps are prepared by cotton fabric layered in beeswax. These wraps are considered to be used several times. You must wash these wraps after use, do air dry them, and now you can use them often.
A natural substitute for retaining your food fresh, you must use them to cover sandwiches and store waste food. There are no dangerous derivatives that can create their way to leach into your food. As an alternative, they are eco-friendly while helping you decrease food left-over.
Vegan-friendly and plant-based wraps also come in the market, but beeswax wraps are the best substitute for aluminum foil.
5- Parchment paper
Although not a high tech alternative to aluminum foil, parchment paper is a distinctive biodegradable choice. It is a good option to store your food for a short duration, such as a lunch box with wrapped sandwiches.
It is also appropriate for usage in the stove during the preparation of food. Choose to use an eco-friendly parchment paper in agreement with your eco-standards; meanwhile, this is a one-use selection.
6- Silicone baking sheets
Do you like your baking trays made out of aluminum foil to expurgated while washing up? You can catch the same outcomes by selecting to use silicone baking sheets. They are thin, require less space for storage, and are easy to take care of.
The honest investment will stop the continuing costs of purchasing foil and help you cut down on left-over. If you are anxious about spending on silicone for your kitchen, do not be panic anymore. When we talk about silicone and plastic, silicone is the best option for the preparation of food.
Final thoughts
In today’s hectic world, it is essential to get the right stability. We all should keep things simple while still undertaking what we can to decrease our environmental effect.
The good news is, accepting eco-friendly picks does not mean losing convenience. Pick the right alternative to aluminum foil and save your cash, keep your loved ones healthy, and support you all consume and live further sustainably.
Finally, whatever your motive is for getting aluminum foil replacements, I am confident that this article will help you a lot!
