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“You are what you eat” is a well-known expression, but have you ever thought about what you eat with? Maple Wood Cutlery has 2 key health benefits to make you switch.
There are a few important choices that you need make when it comes to food and staying healthy. Choosing the right food is the first, choosing the right cookware the next, and then choosing the right utensils to eat with the last.
There are many sources available that will provide you with healthy, balanced food tips. These include eating lots of vegetables and fruits, choosing whole grain foods, eating protein foods, limiting processed foods, and drinking water. If you plan on modifying your diet, it’s a good idea to contact your physician first.
Choosing the right cookware requires that you do some research. In general, good quality stainless steel over other available materials is the better choice. So, when buying stainless-steel cookware, always opt for high quality and do your research.
When choosing the right utensils, good quality stainless steel is again a great option. However, there are some drawbacks. Stainless steel can leach nickel and chromium into food in low quantities, which may be problematic for some people.
Stainless steel can also amplify a metallic taste in your mouth for some people. For the people that are experiencing these drawbacks, Maple Wood Cutlery is the best option. We will explore these drawbacks in greater detail.
Whether you are on a RAW diet, vegan, vegetarian, or just a plain lover of food, using Maple Wood cutlery will improve your meal. If you are allergic to metal, using Maple Wood cutlery will improve the quality of your life. If you are a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy, using Maple Wood cutlery might improve your appetite and ease your treatment.
The grade of the stainless steel is a determining factor in the amount leached. Again, high quality stainless-steel are well within safe levels according to Health Canada.
However, for some people this leaching can cause a problem. Toxicological studies show that oral doses of nickel and chromium can cause cutaneous adverse reactions such as dermatitis. Additional dietary sources, such as leaching from stainless steel are not well characterized.
The condition associated with these adverse reactions is called Metal Hypersensitivity or Metal Allergy. Metal hypersensitivity is a disorder of the immune system. It can produce a variety of symptoms, including rashes, swelling, or pain due to contact with certain metals.
It is estimated that up to 17% of women and 3% of men are allergic to nickel and that 1% to 3% of people are allergic to cobalt and chromium. These types of reactions can be localized reactions that are limited to one area, but they can also be more generalized and affect other more distant parts of the body.
Stainless steel is made up of chromium and nickel. These metals prevent rusting and staining that will limit the life and safety of the cutlery. The higher the percentage of nickel, the greater the quality of the cutlery.
The best and recommended stainless steel alloy for utensils is comprised of 18% chromium and 10% nickel added to steel. This does not help those people with metal allergies.
There is a stamp or mark on utensils made from stainless steel. For example, a stamp of 18/10 denotes 18% chromium and 10% nickel. Certain cutlery sets include the markings 18/0. Nickel-free knives, forks or spoons will discolor and rust more quickly than their higher-quality counterparts.
The solution is to avoid items that contain nickel and chromium, or if the item can’t be avoided to find substitutes. For example:
A change in your sense of taste, which quite often leaves a metallic taste in your mouth, is called dysgeusia. It is more common than you think and using stainless steel cutlery to eat can amplify the metallic taste in your mouth. Therefore, while you have dysgeusia, consider using wooden cutlery to reduce the metallic taste in your mouth.
There are several reasons for dysgeusia. Here is a list causes and what to consider to overcome them.
Some medications can cause a metallic taste. To diminish the metallic taste when eating while taking the medicine, use cutlery made of wood.
Multivitamins with heavy metals can cause a metallic taste. Prenatal vitamins and iron or calcium supplements are often a culprit. Check your dosage to make sure you are not taking too much. If your dosage is right and you wish to continue to take your vitamins, try to use cutlery made of wood.
A change in hormones can result in the inexplicable metallic taste. Prenatal vitamins might also contribute. When you add metal utensils to the mix, it can really leave a very bad taste in your mouth. Using maple wood cutlery might alleviate some of the metallic taste.
Taste abnormalities can occur with dementia. Changes to the brain accelerate changes to the taste buds, which can result in food tasting like metal. Wood utensils may reduce the metallic taste.
Exposure to some chemicals by either inhaling or ingesting can result in a metallic taste. See your doctor if you have been exposed as it can cause a significant health concern. As it may take a while to treat, consider using wooden cutlery during treatment to reduce the metallic taste.
Some people have reported that since having COVID-19 they are experiencing a metallic taste in their mouth. It should typically disappear over time but may persist for several months. To reduce the metallic taste, consider wooden utensils.
Poor oral hygiene can lead to gum problems like gingivitis, periodontitis, and tooth infection. See your dentist for treatment and potentially a prescription. The metal taste should be cleared up with the infection.
Often a common cold or respiratory infection results in the loss of taste, but occasionally it leaves you tasting metal. It usually clears up with the infection.
A metallic taste in your mouth can be a side effect of a food allergy. It’s an early sign of anaphylaxis, which can be deadly. If you suspect this to be the case, see your doctor to get tested and become informed on treatments before you have an anaphylactic shock.
It is highly recommended that if the metallic taste in your mouth persists, that you talk with your doctor as it could be an indication of a more serious illness.
Kidney or liver problems, undiagnosed diabetes or certain cancers may be the cause. These illnesses are usually accompanied by other symptoms. So, if you only have the metallic taste in your mouth, don’t panic, but still discuss with your doctor.
Chemotherapy and other cancer treatments often cause changes to the taste of food. These changes can range from a decrease in taste, hypogeusia, altered taste, dysgeusia, to a complete loss of taste, ageusia.
Dysgeusia is by far the most common among cancer patients. One study found 64% of people receiving the treatment develop dysgeusia. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can cause damage to the cells in the oral cavity which can result in the metallic taste.
Each cancer treatment can produce dysgeusia. The Canadian Cancer Society has put together this list and the reasons why.
The taste buds are very sensitive to radiation. People with head and neck cancers that receive radiation therapy are likely to have damage to their taste buds and changes to their sense of taste. The therapy can also cause other oral side effects like a dry mouth or a sore mouth and throat, which can make taste changes even worse.
Surgery and some of the medicines used in surgery can cause changes to the taste of food. If surgery to parts of the mouth, throat or tongue are removed this will alter the taste of food.
Some immunotherapy drugs can cause taste changes. Some of the drugs affect the lining of the mouth that can change the taste of food, while other drugs can make food taste metallic.
Chemotherapy drugs can damage the taste buds and cause taste changes, quite often a metallic taste in the mouth.
It is important to note that changes to taste may affect eating behaviour. The ability to taste improves your appetite and interest in eating. When you can’t taste you lose your interest. When everything tastes like metal, it is beyond loosing interest, the idea of eating develops into disgust.
Dysgeusia can contribute to the loss of appetite, weight loss and malnutrition during cancer treatments. Therefore, if is important to make some changes to cope with dysgeusia and improve eating.
Maple wood is a hardwood that is neutral when in contact with food. It won’t react with acidic or spicy foods, allowing food to taste as it should.
This same neutrality will not alter the integrity of food. All of the nutrients of the food are preserved when in contact with maple wood, allowing them to be delivered and consumed in their entirety.
Maple wood is durable. With proper care it will last for many years.
Maple wood is anti-bacterial. The porous nature of the maple wood prevents bacteria from growing. The wood pores absorb and trap the bacteria. This prevents the bacteria from resurfacing and kills them naturally. This makes maple wood cutlery very safe.
An added benefit is that maple wood cutlery maintains the temperature of food. Wooden cutlery will not conduct heat, transfer its state, or absorb the heat, thus not change the temperature the food.
Wood is an insulator, so foods that may be sensitive to sudden temperature changes will not be affected. While eating, using wooden cutlery, will keep warm foods warm for longer and cold foods cool for longer.
It also has a pleasant sound while eating. You will no longer hear the clatter of metal on your dishes, just the soft sound of wood. Your conversation will be the only thing you hear during your meal.
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JUstenbois’ eco-friendly wooden utensils and dishes are part of the current cultural awakening for an environmentally friendly, healthier way to eat.
We have been developing our expert techniques since 2004.
