During the dinner, which he cooked for a small group of us, he rejected our common cooking methods and presented us with nutritional facts that revolutionised at least my way of preparing a meal.
Boiling or steaming vegetables were methods thrown out the window, as were peeling vegetables, cooking on 'high' and using the microwave (one of my favourites).
The information and facts he shared made a lot of sense, I had just never heard about it (or too quickly forgot about it when I did).
In my mind listening to his presentation began putting some puzzle pieces together about the increased rate of diabetes, cancer, heart related conditions, obesity and other diet related (known or unknown) illnesses. Testimonies of satisfied customers who have immediately or gradually seen health benefits from using his product suggest a definite link between our health and the way we cook food.
There are two parts to this link, how we prepare and cook our food and what cookware we use to cook with.
How we prepare and cook our food
Just as you put a tea bag into a mug and the water absorbs the flavour so it tastes good to drink, the same effect will occur when cooking vegetables except you will lose the health benefits unless you drink the remaining water.
Using boiling water for cooking will not just absorb nutrients, but also kill them. Boiling water (and using steam) is known as a way to kill germs, so when we use it in cooking it just adds together that we'll be killing the health benefits of food.
Peeling fruit and vegetables is a common food preparation method, but as I discovered, is not just a waste of time but removes most of the nutrients from certain food. A lot of the nutrients are in or just below the skin and removing the peel will thus also remove the most important part of the food. The best procedure is simply to give the food a scrub to clean it.
Once the food is ready to be cooked the quickest ways to do this are usually to put the burner on high or zap it in the microwave.
Putting the burner on high is, however another form of killing nutrients. The extreme heat put out by our cooking appliances can quickly kill any of the health benefits we think we are eating.
Then there is the microwave, a fast and simple way of preparing meals, but does it have harmful consequences? Studies point to both sides of this question but considering the proven danger of radiation it makes sense there is some transference of radiation during the microwave process. How much we are exposed to in our food and what levels are dangerous remains unknown.
Some information from those who have gathered evidence against the use of microwaves can be found in "Ten Reasons to throw out your microwave oven" By Anthony Wayne and Lawrence Newell and "The Zapping of America" By Paul Brodeur.
Apart from the potential personal dangers of using the microwave, studies indicate they are the worst form of cooking to retain nutrients in food. One study cooked broccoli in several different ways and discovered only 5% of the original antioxidants remained in the vegetable after it had been microwaved. (www.prevention.com)
With all this information to digest the next question is, 'well then, what's the best way to cook our meals?'
Unfortunately this question can quickly lead to further discouragement, because apart from the food we cook, a look at what we cookware we use describes potential health problems as well.
The cookware we use to cook our food
There is a lot of cookware available on the market today. Some of it is advertised as being very healthy for you; other products are more convenient and fool proof. A simple 'pot test' conducted at the end of our dinner with Keith quickly gave us all the information we really needed to know about the difference in pots. A pot, as it turns out, is not just a pot.
If you would like to try this test at home, add some water and a bit of baking soda to different types of pots. Boil the water briefly and then when it's cool enough take a small sample from each pot to taste how the water has absorbed some of the materials from the pot. Beware, this is not pleasant.
A bit more background information and look at research gives more understanding of the taste we now have in our mouth.
A book by Dr H Richard Casdorph and Dr Morton Walker 'Toxic metal syndrome- how metal poisonings can affect your brain' says "One of the ways to ensure wholesome cooked food is the careful selection of cookware. Do not use aluminium cookware or utensils. Foods cooked or stored in aluminium produce a substance that neutralises the digestive juices, leading to acidosis and ulcers. Worse, the aluminium in the cookware can leach from the pot into the food. When the food is consumed, the aluminium is absorbed by the body where it accumulates in the brain and nervous system tissues. Excessive amounts of aluminium deposits have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Other cookware to be avoided includes all pots and pans with non-stick coatings. Too often the metals and other substances in the pots' finish flakes or leaches into the food. Ultimately these chemicals end up in your body."
Another compilation of research says "copper and brass pans… are coated with another metal that prevents the copper from coming into contact with food. Small amounts of the coating can be dissolved by food, especially acidic food, when cooked or stored for long periods. Coated copper cookware can lose its protective layer if scoured."
It continues, "The only health concern about using glassware or enamelware comes from minor components used in making, glazing, or decorating them, such as pigments, lead, or cadmium. These materials are harmful when taken into the body". Lead and cadmium are deadly toxins at even small levels and yet these can be part of cookware. www.hc-sc.gc.ca
High quality stainless steel pots and pans appear to be the best for our health, leaking the least amount of metal (and toxins) into our food.
My Conclusions
My first conclusion at the end of the night was how much I had been missing out on because of my cooking methods and secondly how bad most pots and pans could be for health. As an investment into health, for my family and I, we did purchase the pots Keith was selling.
This is not a cheap investment but because of the very high quality of metal they use and scientifically researched design to the way food is cooked we believe it's a lifetime of better health. We expect this will pay us back by helping prevent future doctor bills because of diet related illnesses.
These pots and pans rarely need water or oil to cook with (thus no boiling and steaming or extra oil in our diet), it cooks on medium and low temperatures (therefore not killing because of high temperatures) and uses quality stainless steel, combined with titanium, to prevent leaching of metal products.
How much are you willing to invest into your health? Please take the time to alter your cooking methods and consider the cookware you are using.
Tim Wilson is married with two children who served with YWAM for five years in Brisbane and now serving in mission in Canada.
Tim Wilson's archive of articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/tim-wilson.html