The Dangers Of Eating Shawarma And Barbecue Wrapped With Aluminium Foil

Shawarma

Nights in most parts of Nigeria are usually busy from activities. It usually involves those who are into night market including those who wants to feel the evening air.
Among them are those that are out there to locate a cool joint to feed their hungry stomach.
The majority of people who are found at nights are usually those who are into selling of one type of food or another. They range from selling foods with the intention to end the hunger taste of those who have been busy all day at work like eba and soup, rice and stew, yam and beans. This may not feed the taste of those who may just want to have some relaxing time hence demand for foods like barbecue and shawarma.

Barbecue and shawarma is so common in Nigeria that it is practically impossible to take a night walk of about 30 minutes without meeting a joint that offers them. They are prepared and serve hot in aluminium foils. Did I just say aluminium foil? Geez! There is something I really like to share with you today.

The safety of these foods may have been compromised due to the use of aluminium foil in its processing and packaging. At this moment one begins to wonder why the dos and don’ts are becoming so much these days. The truth is that the best option is to stick to Mother Nature as every other thing on earth is undergoing check and test and may be discovered to be bad any time soon.

Barbecue wrapped with aluminium foil

The Discovery Of Aluminium Foil Danger

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Aluminium foils has been shown to leach out some of its contents into the food that it is wrap in. There are factors that encourage the leaching process. They are:

1. High Temperature: The higher the temperature, the more the quantity of aluminium that will leach into the food.
2. Time: The longer the food is heated with the foil, the more the content is contaminated with it.
3. Nature Of Food: Acidic foods absorb more of aluminium that alcoholic and salty food. Example is tomato sauce. In addition, the more the quantity of spice added, the more the food absorb its wrapper content.

What Is The Safe Limit Of Ingestion Aluminium To Man

We ingest aluminium almost every day of our life. The maximum safety dose is somewhere around 40 mg/kg/day. The different source of aluminium such as antacids and purified water is giving us enough dose that is below this maximum. However, it should be noted that experiments by different sources have confirmed that a single hot meal wrapped with aluminium foil can generate up to 6 times of our maximum healthy dose, which can be as high as 400 mg. Aluminium from aluminium foils is well absorbed that from other sources. Once it gets to the tissues, the body find it hard to get rid of it, as the body does not use it for anything.

Effects Of Aluminium Pots

Most pots and pans in the kitchen are lined with aluminium. The reasons for aluminium utensils should be that it is cheap with an added advantage of ease of cleaning. However, cooking with aluminium utensils is not a bad idea, as most of it will not leach into food. They tends to be oxidized providing an inert layer that prevents the aluminium from leaching into the food.

How Dangerous Is Aluminium

Studies are still skeptical on this. The reason is that aluminium has not yet been tied down with any known disease. However, it is important to note that alzemier patients have been shown to have some quantity of aluminium in their brain. This is the main reason why some experts claim the product is one of the cause of the disease.

Other conditions that have been known to be of importance is that aluminium interferes with digestion of calcium, phosphorus, and fluorides. It damages the liver and impairs the kidney. It also alters bone mineralisation, matrix formation as well as parathyroid above safe limit.

Having read all this, should one be scared? No, not yet. The dangers of aluminium does not rear its ugly effects with few consumption. It is the prolong accumulation of it that causes health hazards.

Alternatives To Aluminium Foil

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Cold foods wrap with aluminium foils does not lead to leaching of aluminium into the product. However, this is no solution to the issue of shawarma and barbecue since they require heat to prepare them. Therefore, it is best to use alternatives that will not endanger our lives such as cast iron, enamel cast iron, or glass. Other options include grills top bowl and baskets. It is worthy to note that stainless steel may pose some health challenges as they are bonded with aluminium.

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