We know that if you are reading this, you are striving to make those lateral shifts to a healthier lifestyle. We are so proud of the steps you are making in choosing the right foods, supplements, and products for yourself and your family. But what if we told you that it’s not only the food that needs to be healthier, but also the tools you are cooking with! What if we told you that those basic gadgets you are most likely using are filled with toxins? What if we told you that the tupperware you are using for your leftovers or for your child’s snacks is unhealthy? Do you have other kitchen gadgets that are causing health problems?

Today we show you some healthier ways!

In this #HomeTeam vlog my wife and I opened up our kitchen cabinets to show you our go to kitchen gadgets that are essential for making your home healthy. Below you will find a list of 7 kitchen gadgets that we use weekly, and some of them daily in our home. We know that if you can make these shifts, you will be taking a huge step towards a healthier lifestyle for you and your family.

Let’s get started.

7 Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

1. Pots and Pans – Teflon is what most of your pots and pans are made of. But the problem there is that Teflon is highly toxic and has been banned in several countries. It has been proven to cause cancer and is a trigger for many other chemical issues in your body. The first shift is to switch from Teflon products to ceramic, cast iron, titanium, or stainless steel (make sure you find high grade metals). In this category you typically get what you pay for.  
2. Storage – Plastic leaches chemicals into our food and drinks making everything inside those plastic containers very unhealthy and toxic. So when you have leftovers, the safest products to use to store your food in is glass Pyrex containers or mason jars. Essentially anything glass would be a great choice.
3. Stoneware – Roughly 90% of baking sheets and muffin pans are also made of Teflon so switching to stoneware baking sheets, and stoneware muffin tins are the healthiest option. Yes, we know it could be a bit sticky, but the health benefits far outweigh the health hazards. Bonus: a little elbow grease to clean up those baking sheets also burns more calories.
4. Cups – Drinking out of glass, stainless steel or bamboo cups are much safer and healthier than plastic cups, water bottles, etc. Our family uses swell stainless-steel bottles for our children. These are great when we are out and about at playgrounds or packing with their lunches instead of plastic water bottles.  
5. Vitamix – We use this every single day to make smoothies, raw soups, and all sorts of different recipes. This is a great tool to use for quick healthy meals. We believe every house needs to have some type of high powered blender if they are trying to be healthy. There are several on the market we just happened to have always used Vitamix.
6. Cheese grater – We do not buy pre-shredded cheeses, because the bag is not just full of cheese. It also has cellulose, which is derived from wood chippings. That’s right, wood! They add cellulose to help the texture and to thicken the cheese. Gross! We buy block raw cheese from the local farm. We do this because we know there are a lot of health benefits to raw cheese, but you have to be buying the right kind. (If you or someone in your family is lactose intolerant cheese is not essential but I have found that in mild lactose intolerant cases they do very well when it is raw cheese)
7. Glass coffee makers – In America the way we make coffee is instant, fast, and convenient. But making coffee that way, whether a Mr. Coffee or a Keurig, it is made in a plastic coffee maker. All of those toxins (in the plastic) get into your coffee through the process and make your coffee very unhealthy. That is not the best way to start your day. Non-toxic organic coffee good, non-organic toxic coffee bad. The healthy alternative to this issue is a glass coffee maker. It is much healthier and requires a simple bit of effort and it looks so cool!

If you want to have a healthy home and a healthy family, one of the best places you can start is your kitchen. We hope this was helpful and encouraging to you. Just know our mission here is to support you in navigating the spiritual, mental and physical challenges of building a healthy family. We want you to know about the best products, foods, strategies and tools we use to build health. We are excited to be on this journey together and want you to know we are here for you.

    Dr. Raul and Jess