Cooking utensils can have an effect on nutrition.

Utensils that are used to cook food often do more than just hold the food. Molecules of substances can leach from the utensil into the food that is being cooked.

Common materials used in cookware and utensils are:

• Aluminum
• Copper
• Iron
• Lead
• Stainless steel
• Teflon (polytetrafluoroethlyene)

Both lead and copper have been linked to illness.

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Cooking utensils and nutrition Food Sources

Review Date: 05/05/2011
Reviewed By: Alison Evert, MS, RD, CDE, Nutritionist, University of Washington Medical Center Diabetes Care Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)