What Does Aluminum Foil Do? Healthy or Harmful?

by Abbas Jahangir · December 8, 2021

Aluminum Foil: Helper in Baking Dishes! Is aluminum foil, which finds its place in the kitchens of many houses, healthy or not? This question has been asked of experts for a long time. Let’s look for the answer to this question together today!

Aluminum foil, which is a heat-resistant product, greatly facilitates the work in the kitchen. It is generally used to store food. In addition, foods such as fish, meat, chicken and vegetables are cooked in aluminum foil. But did you know that the aluminum in aluminum foil also contaminates the food it comes in contact with? Aluminum accumulation in the body can cause many health problems such as Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, anemia, cancer and mental retardation.

So what to do with aluminum foil, what are the harms, how is aluminum foil poisoning? You can find the answers to all these questions in the rest of our article.

What is Aluminum Foil?

Foil literally means very thin sheet.
Aluminum made into sheets thinner than 0.2 mm is called aluminum foil.

What Is Made With Aluminum Foil, What Is It?

Aluminum foil is generally used for food storage, packaging of chemical and cosmetic products.
In addition, aluminum foil is used for cooking meat. Aluminum foil is often preferred for cooking chicken, fish and various vegetables in the oven. This makes the meat much softer.

Is Aluminum Foil Harmful or Healthy?

It has been debated for years whether aluminum foil is healthy or harmful. If you wish, let’s see what the experts have to say within the scope of this discussion!
Aluminum is a metal found in nature. This metal, which can be easily processed, is used in many sectors thanks to its lightness and durability.
Aluminum foil, which is obtained by cutting aluminum into thin sheets, is a product that we use frequently, especially in our homes and kitchens. It is generally preferred to cook some foods such as chicken and fish in the oven and to store various foods in the refrigerator.
According to researches; our body is not adversely affected by a small amount of aluminum, that is, it can tolerate it.
So what do we mean by a small amount? According to the World Health Organization, we can tolerate 40 mg of aluminum for each kilogram of our weight.
A person weighing 60 kilograms can easily remove up to 2400 mg of aluminum daily from the body. However, we must say that; We already take this amount of aluminum into our bodies with the food we consume during the day. Tea, spices, cheddar cheese, salt and many foods contain more or less aluminum.
Therefore, when we consume these foods, we get the amount of aluminum that our body can tolerate.
In addition to food, some kitchen utensils such as spoons and forks also contain aluminum. When we use these items, we take some more aluminum into our bodies. We can say that all these factors increase the amount of aluminum that should be taken daily.
So, what effects does excess aluminum have on the body?
Scientific research shows that; Excess aluminum has a negative impact on human health.
If we need to give an example; Studies on people with Alzheimer’s disease have found high concentrations of aluminum in their brains.
In addition, it has been observed that excessive aluminum intake harms people with kidney failure and bone disease.
Aluminum foils are produced as disposable products. For this reason, they do not have a protective coating on them.
Therefore, food wrapped in aluminum foil absorbs the aluminum in the product.
Especially, the transition of aluminum to salty, lemony and spicy foods is much higher.
In addition, the waiting time and the degree of temperature also affect the aluminum transition. Aluminum transfer is higher in high temperature and short-term cooking.
Therefore, the use of aluminum foil increases the amount of aluminum we take into our body.
As a result, experts emphasize that aluminum foil can be harmful to human health. He recommends the use of other alternatives instead of aluminum foil, especially for storing and cooking food.