Mercola - Natural Health Products & Articles

The phrase "You are what you eat" emphasizes that your eating habits reflect the state of your health. But while eating organic grass-fed meat, wild fish and the freshest organic fruits and vegetables is good for you, have you given a thought if the cookware you've been using to prepare them is safe?

Safe cookware is a must in a healthy kitchen. The pots and pans you use on a daily basis are made from different materials which may contain harmful substances that can enter the food that you cook in them.

You've probably heard about the dangers of Teflon and non-stick cookware but find it hard to part with that shiny black pan because of the convenience it provides. But make no mistake about it - Teflon is a poison.

Non-stick cookware is made using a carcinogenic chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which makes Teflon pans slippery. After just five minutes at high temperature, Teflon cookware starts emitting toxic PFOA fumes that can kill birds.

How about aluminum, stainless steel or copper cookware? Aluminum is another popular choice because it is light, fairly inexpensive and conducts heat easily but it has also been linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Meanwhile, contrary to popular belief, stainless steel is not an inert metal. You can find alloys containing iron, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, carbon and other metals in stainless steel cookware, all of which can leach into the food that you cook.

Copper, on the other hand, also provides even heat distribution but when you use it as a cooking surface, it can leach out excessively, causing digestive discomfort.

So, what type of cookware can you use that's safe and free from toxic substances?

Natural health expert Joseph Mercola  believes that food preparation is as important as eating the right types of food. For Dr. Mercola, ceramic cookware is the ideal type of cookware to use. Ceramic cookware is a good conductor of heat, non-toxic, easy-to-clean and resists wear and corrosion.

Mercola has developed the 16-piece Mercola Healthy Chef Cookware, which is made from a lightweight ceramic Nano Glaze™ material, giving you the same non-stick convenience of a Teflon pan without the toxic chemicals.

Here are the top 5 reasons why the innovative Mercola Healthy Chef Cookware deserves a place in your kitchen:

• Safety - This amazing product is made using inorganic natural materials from the Earth's crust and is manufactured using clean burning natural gas, ensuring that no chemicals, toxins or gases get produced while cooking. There's also no danger of metals leaching into your food.
  
• Performance - Uses a far-infrared heating process that cooks your food from both the inside at outside at the same time, helping you prepare meals faster and more energy efficient.
  
• Durability  - Is lightweight but durable; it can withstand 2700° F and resists scratching from metal utensils
  
• Versatility - Can be used to cook on any surface, serve and store all types of food
  
• Convenience - Is very easy to clean, dishwasher safe and resists carry-over tastes, odors and stains.

The Mercola Healthy Chef Cookware also doesn't sacrifice looks in favor of functionality. It comes in a sleek, high gloss black finish that will easily fit into your kitchen design. Looking good and staying healthy in the kitchen has never been this easy.