Health and Benefits
Using Maple Wood does not alter the taste of food.
Health benefits
Whether you are on a RAW diet, vegan, vegetarian, or just a plain lover of food, using Maple Wood utensils will improve your meal. If you are allergic to metal, using Maple Wood utensils will improve the quality of your life. If you are a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, using Maple Wood utensils might improve your appetite and ease your treatment.
Maple Wood is neutral when in contact with food. It also is a hard wood that will not crack in water which protects it from forming pathogenic bacteria. This neutrality does not alter the integrity of all foods, allowing all the nutrients in the food to be consumed and delivering the full flavor with each morsel. Because it is delivering all the nutrients it is a healthier choice.
Examples of how the integrity of the food is preserved include:
- Cutting lettuce using a wooden knife will not turn the lettuce brown as it does with a metal knife.
- Using wooden spoons when cooking is for the same reason.
- Putting a stainless-steel utensil in a glass of wine will make the wine undrinkable after a few minutes.
- Chefs often recommend rubbing your hands with a stainless-steel object to eliminate odors from garlic, fish and other foods that have strong odors. This is because it is eliminating the integrity of the food.
- Try doing one of these examples to see the difference in wood.
Some of the other benefits of using Maple Wood include:
Using Maple Wood plates and bowls keep cold food cooler and warm food warmer longer as there is an insulating factor in wood.
The sound… There is no clatter of metal on porcelain. Only the soft sound of wood on wood.
SOME FACTS ABOUT STAINLESS STEEL
Stainless steel is used to prevent the metal from corroding (wikipedia.org). The chromium in stainless steel is a powerful oxidizing agent. Its’ use alters the nature of organic materials. To be classified as stainless steel the composition of the metal needs to be at least 10% chromium, 17% nickel and less than 1.2% carbon. It is estimated that more than 18% of people in North America are allergic to nickel (medicinenet.com). Sometimes molybdenum and vanadium are also included to increase resistance to corrosion. Chromium compounds contain pyridinium chlorochromate and potassium dichromate, which are powerful oxidizing agents. Potassium dichromate is used for cleaning laboratory glassware to eliminate organic materials.
HOW WOOD UTENSILS MIGHT HELP DURING CHEMOTHERAPY
Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy often describe a metallic taste in their mouths. This altered taste is called dysgeusia. Eating with metal utensils amplifies this phenomenon and often reduces the desire to eat or at least the pleasure of eating. JUstenbois offers an interesting alternative to improve the appetite of those cancer patients suffering from the effects of this metallic taste amplified by using stainless steel utensils. Improving the ability to eat during treatment will assist in a faster recovery.
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
From start to finish we will always make the eco-friendly choice. Very little wood is used to make one utensil, nearly 9,000 utensils are crafted from one tree.
Our Maple Wood comes from cultivated trees primarily grown in Quebec. We purchase from sugar maple farms that follow sustainable management practices. A mature tree captures very little carbon dioxide. The removal of a mature tree allows younger trees to grow faster, thus capturing more carbon dioxide.
Our manufacturing process is environmentally responsible. It requires very little energy. We do not produce any air emissions or greywater throughout the manufacturing process.
Even the tools we use in the manufacturing process are diligently cleaned with all-natural lemon, ensuring that nothing that is toxic meets the wood.
We produce Zero-Waste. All wood residues are fully recovered and given to local farmers and greenhouses. I even use it as mulch in my garden.
Our coatings are a unique combination of naturally occurring resins (linseed oil, wax crystals, rosemary, and lemon extract) that comply with USFDA standards. These coatings seal the wood, improve durability, and enhance the look.
All packaging materials are made from recycled paper, biodegradable glue, and water-based ink.
Only recycled paper is used in our office.
Retail orders are shipped in boxes that are recovered from a local grocery store.
Wrapping materials are either reused from orders we have received or from recycled paper.
Millions of plastic utensils are thrown away every day. Plastic utensils take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. In the global awareness campaign aimed at reducing plastic waste, JUstenbois brings an eco-friendly, zero-waste, safe and sustainable solution to you. All our products have a long lifespan and are made of 100% natural ingredients making them 100% bio-degradable should their long life come to an end.
A Maple Wood Utensil from JUstenbois can last up to 15 years. By comparison, bamboo utensils only last up to 6 months and do not offer the same smoothness, strength and ergonomic shape or style as a JUstenbois utensil. The lifespan of a JUstenbois utensil makes it an economical choice, with one maple wood utensil costing a modest sum of 20 ¢ / month compared to a bamboo utensil costing $2.60 / month.
