Traditional Cookware to Bring Us Back to Health
In the fast-paced reality we live in, through a society steeped in technology - now nearly every aspect of life has a technological blindfold attached - health has been pushed aside; yet as a society we have made incredible progress in almost every avenue of life. Still, we continue to be more deficient, more under stress, and much more exposed to chemicals than any generation in history. Health issues today from exhaustion, hormonal imbalance, bad gut, and low immunity are rooted in what we eat and how we prepare/cook our food.
Thousands of years ago, our ancestor’s prepared/processed food in pure metal, including iron, brass, bronze, and copper - ingredients that lay at the core of Ayurvedic living and natural living. In other words, we were cooking with 100% pure metal cookware. With the rise of modern cookware, artisan and mass, including everything from stainless steel and non-stick pans to aluminium cookware, we have become separated from the wisdom of cooking and eating. Currently, there is an imbalance of us cooking/dining/using the kitchen and a hands-on tactile experience of the health of using metal cookware.
At Aarambh, we believe that lost medicine has always existed in our kitchens in original traditional cooking utensils and metal cookware.
1. The Current Crisis in Health: A Silent Epidemic
Before we begin to unpack the healing properties and health benefits of using metal, let's take a moment and look at the facts.
Iron deficiency anemia: The WHO published that more than 50% of Indian women are suffering from anemia, which means they are suffering from fatigue, hair loss, and hormonal imbalance.
Gut issues, ranging from bloating to IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), are commonly blamed on processed foods and chemicals.
Low immunity: It is almost commonplace for young adults to have the same viral infections or allergies or always feel weak overall.
PCOD/hormonal imbalance: the cycle of the hormone becomes imbalanced due to stress (processed diets) and toxins in modern cookware.
Vitamin/mineral Deficiencies: People are eating enough food, but the body is simply not absorbing the vitamins and minerals.
While just about everyone will mention junk food or not enough exercise, there is one additional area to also consider: metals we are now eating and drinking every day.
2. What went wrong? The proliferation of toxic cookware
Most all modern cookware has a shiny and easy-to-use exterior but has a poisonous hidden toxic secret of chemical coatings or chemical non-stick materials you cannot see. Non-stick cookware and areas with aluminium non-stick cookware contain a chemical, PTFE, and if actually labelled "non-stick” or "PFOA," emit toxic fumes when heated. If you cook with them for long periods of time, you expose yourself to micro toxins in your food.
They can also trigger headaches, throw your hormones off balance, and lead to possible long-term health effects. The other commonly used metal is aluminium, which has leaching issues due to its tendency to react with acidic foods, particularly tomatoes or tamarind. Aluminium will leach into food as aluminium particles interact with the food and start to build up in the body. Studies are investigating links between aluminium and neurological effects along with weakening of bone health through chemical leaching pathways. Traditional metals (iron, brass, bronze, and copper) do not present these same issues and may even add beneficial minerals into your food.
3. Ayurveda's Wisdom that Cookware is Medicine
Long before the emergence of modern nutritionists, Ayurveda recognized the significance of minerals to well-being, to our bodies; metals were included. Cooking was considered sacred, and cooking utensils and pans were part of the ceremony of cooking and healing. Ayurveda states,
· Preparing food in iron will build blood and energy.
· Drinking water in copper will balance the three doshas, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, and assist with digestion.
· Cooking in brass coated with tin will assist with immunity and cleansing of food.
· Eating in bronze will assist with metabolic support and nutritional balance.
These metals will not only prepare meals but will actually breathe life into your meal! Each utensil has its own unique presentational property that will heal, in collaboration, with the food you consume.
Short on the Healing Properties of Traditional Metals
Let's now look at how modern purposes use these metals to help navigate health challenges naturally.
Iron- The Natural Blood Builder
Cooking in iron Tawa or kadhai will season the food with iron in minute amounts that help in anemia, fatigue, and low immunity.
The Aarambh utensils are made from virgin thick iron, which will allow cooking at low heat and evenly assist in nutrient preservation, while we are also creating minerals in the food you eat.
Copper can help boost immunity.
Water in copper vessels allows the water in the utensil to take on the antimicrobial and antioxidant qualities of the copper, and therefore if consumed ergonomically each day, the copper-infused water may help with digestion and detoxification and promote healthy skin. Aarambh's copper vessels, carafes, and jugs will re-engage this vitality of health-bearing custom into your modern daily life - sip by sip.
Brass - A Supporter of Digestion - Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and was once thought to support gut health, digestive processes, and metabolic function. Historically, brass cookware and serving utensils were thought to reduce acidity and facilitate nutrient absorption. To adhere to safety and avoid chemical reactivity and respect a time-honoured process, Aarambh Brass Cookware is lined with pure food-grade tin (kalai).
Bronze - The Hormonal Balancer - Bronze is an alloy of tin and copper and was never used in cooking due to the reactive properties when utilizing oils or sour foods. Instead, bronze was thought to elevate body temperature, metabolic rates, and balance hormones, like copper. Aarambh Pure Bronze Thali Sets will usher back this meal-serving method at the dinner table - fusing grace and health, one meal at a time.
5. An Embrace of Traditional Cookware
Various aspects of cooking and how it is executed are appearing again in the culinary realm, specifically the excitement for traditional iron and copper. This is not just nostalgia; it is science finally recognizing reason. This belief is in part validated by research, because cooking with iron and copper can improve nutrition and mitigate consumer intake of potentially damaging substances. Furthermore, traditional cookware is:
· Chemical-free - no coatings over food, or plastics, or synthetics,
· Sustainable - completely recyclable and earth-friendly,
· Durable- will last generations with some care.
Ah! Smriti grounds our reference point culturally, conscious living with virtue of our ancestry. At Aarambh every product is handmade, purity tested, manufactured for today's kitchen use and is diverse, representing where our heritage and kinship to health converge in the kitchen.
6. Aarambh model: Wellness & Purity
Aarambh is a project; it is more than a brand - an opportunity to revive purity, wellness, and authenticity back into the Indian home. Our products are handmade, not machine-made or coated, and use virgin century - pure metals that have been thickness and quality tested. The product that is artist-made, or 'artisan,' is a gift from one known artisan. Purity comes from knowing health starts with food in this vessel. From the iron tawa that made your family's meal better, to the copper jug that makes water pure, to the brass thali that makes you feel rooted, Aarambh wants to help you incorporate traditional wellness into your modern daily life.
7. When our grandparents reached for food for their family, they did not have supplements, detox teas, or chemical filters. They had the secret for a strong, long, healthy life; they believed in nature's building blocks. They did not have plastic bottles and non-stick pans; they used iron tawas, brass kadhai, copper pots, and bronze plates. They were using their heritage for a reason. When we return to traditional cookware, we aren’t just returning the cookware but also the sleeping heritage that continues to give silent health benefits after meal after meal.
8. Conclusion: The Kitchen, the First Pharmacy
Let’s get out of thinking of cookware as just cookware and begin thinking of cookware as healing. Every meal you create, every utensil you use, and every decision you make in your kitchen is an investment in your family's long-term health. When you choose Aarambh Traditional Cookware, you are not just purchasing metal; you are choosing purity, sustainability, and healthier cooking, and the knowledge of your forefathers. So next time you find yourself in the kitchen, keep in mind the forgotten medicine is not in your medicine cabinet or diet plan. It is all within your home - in the warmth of pure copper, the weight of iron, the brilliance of brass, or the harmony of bronze.