A doctor has revealed why she refuses to cook with non-stick pans, despite them being the most convenient option.
Dr. Poonam Desai, a US-based general practitioner, says she usually opts for cast iron and stainless steel pans when cooking as the health of her family is her priority.
Scratched or chipped non-stick cooking pans can leach millions of microplastics into our food. Microplastics are our endocrine disruptors,” she wrote alongside an explanatory video on Instagram.
“They can cause hormonal imbalances, fertility problems and even increase our risk of cancer,” she said.
Dr. Poonam Desai, a US-based general practitioner, says she usually opts for cast iron and stainless steel pans when cooking as her family’s health is her priority
She also avoids using scratched ceramic pans.
“Ceramic pans usually have a layer of aluminum underneath and it can get into our food,” she added.
The popular doctor, mother of a toddler, says that if people have scratched non-stick or aluminum-based ceramic pans at home, they should throw them away.
And people quickly responded to the video, asking about copper pans and ceramic pans being marketed as “non-toxic.”
While others thanked her for her advice.
“I threw away all these pans a long time ago. Keep an eye on her and do the same! Cast iron for victory,” one woman wrote.
Some people seemed furious with the doctor for sharing her opinion.
“My god I’m so tired of seeing video after video basically telling me everything I do in my life just kills me or causes cancer or makes me fertile…I might as well die right now It’s getting too annoying,” said one man.
“Don’t just listen to someone because they start by saying, I’m a doctor,” said another.
“Sounds like classic fear mongering to me,” a third added.
Dr. Poonam is a former ER doctor who has 173,000 followers on Instagram.