The last podcast episode was all about gas stoves, how they could be outlawed and the health risks of your traditional gas stove. You wouldn't believe the response I got. I got a lot of questions about EMFs and induction because as I spoke to in that podcast, I have an induction stove myself. And I've chosen it over gas for cleanliness and also simply because I felt safer having induction over gas. I think it's cleaner. So I got these questions about EMFs. Honestly, in my initial research about gas stoves, I did not know of any downsides to induction. I always kind of wondered. I always thought it was really strange that it heats the pan on top of the stove using magnets. I mean, come on. That sounds really weird, right? So of course my eyes were opened to the issue of EMF radiation with an induction stove. I did a little bit more research and I don't feel comfortable really speaking to the trade-offs between gas or induction. I think it's a personal choice. You have to do your own research and make a personal choice. So this topic today is really about induction stoves and EMF so you do have a little bit more information to hopefully make that decision yourself. I'm going to lean heavily on our R Blank, whom I've had on my podcast before, on his website Shield Your Body and his article about this because I found it to be really very helpful, very informative. And so I'm going to be sharing a lot of what I learned there in that article.
So, how do induction stoves work?
They create magnetic fields in a circular current and that is what induction is. When you place your pan on top of that stovetop, the electromagnetic magnetic current is what is heating up the pan. And one of the joys of induction is that it heats things so quickly. So it is very effective at heating the pan and then cooking with the hot pan.
However, there are these EMFs right. So we have EMFs in our environment everywhere. Now in some ways they are not measurable levels. And as Shield Your Body says in this article, induction cooktops do emit measurable levels of EMF radiation. So if you did not have an induction stovetop you would not have that EMF radiation in your home. I will say that you likely have lots of other EMF radiation in your home. Like your WiFi booster. Even the cordless phones that I grew up with, you know the cordless that had a docking station with a landline, even those, because they are emitting the radio frequency, even those have EMF radiation. So we are exposed to EMF radiation very frequently and I think that's why this is becoming even more talked about.
We have our cell phones sometimes in our pockets or in our bags, or we are sitting with a laptop on our laps all day long. So we are exposed to a lot more EMF radiation, which is why I think I got so much feedback that people were like, “Well, what about the EMFs?”
I've also learned that with EMF radiation, the further you are from the source, the less radiation you're going to get. So for example, if you have a WiFi booster, don't keep it in your bedroom or don't keep it in the main room where you spend most of your time, put it further away from the areas in your home that you spend the most time. So for an induction cooktop if that's in the center of your kitchen and you're using it a lot. That proximity could be a factor in the decision that you’re going to go with an electric cooktop or a gas cooktop instead of induction.
Of course the electric cooktop is still going to put off some EMFs however, it's not going to be as much as an induction cooktop. So I am not an expert in physics. But as I learned from this Shield Your Body article about EMFs and induction cooking, it explains that the nature of EMF is it has to continue moving.
And it comes from the source and it goes back to the source to repeat the same process. So if you are holding, let's say the handle of the pan as you're cooking, that EMF radiation is going through you and back to the pan. And if you're using let's say a metal utensil in the pan, and it's touching the pan, same thing.
So as we talk about using induction safely, they shared some tips, because you might already own an induction stove or maybe you decide that you think induction and the EMF risks are a better choice than a gas stove. Maybe you have asthma in your family or you have a child that already is tending towards having issues with breathing or asthma and so you think that induction is a better choice for you.
So, first of all, something that you can do is you can start with the item cooking and then step away because when you're one foot away from it, you're going to reduce your EMF radiation greatly.
You might choose to use your instant pot. Let's say instead of your cooktop for making risotto, so you can just set it and forget it versus typically making risotto on the stovetop you're going to have to constantly stir it and be in contact with more EMF radiation. By the way, making risotto in Instant Pot is my favorite way to make it, it is so easy, and my kids absolutely love it. But back to EMFs, because that's what we're talking about here.
Use a pot or pan that actually covers that entire circle. Because that will reduce the amount of stray EMF fields that are just going out into your environment.
You want to make sure you're not using any damaged cookware that is buckled or warped.
Use the rear cooking surfaces, which are going to be further from your body. And so again, adding more space between you and that EMF radiation.
Only want to use any cookware that is labeled for induction cooking.
Don't use metal utensils, use wood utensils, or silicone.
If your cookware handle is made from a conductive metal, consider getting an insulated handle for it. So for like cast iron, if the handle is a metal, you could put a silicone sleeve on the outside of that metal handle if you feel like you need to hold on to the cookware while you're cooking.
Of course reducing other EMFs that are in your home at the same time as cooking is going to just reduce your exposure in general. So maybe you decide to turn your Wifi off at that time or to not have your cell phone right next to you while you are cooking. Also, you may not be aware, but a lot of these appliances these days have some sort of Wi Fi function. So you can turn that off. Like I know our new fridge has WiFi, I don't know why you would want your fridge to have WiFi but it does. So we just keep that turned off. Same with our stove, it has Wi Fi enabled or it could have Wi Fi enabled and we just turn it off. We don't have that, that hooked up that way. So those are just a few of the tips that you can do for reducing your EMF exposure while you're cooking with an induction stovetop.
I hope you found this helpful. I hope, you know of course, this is just me and my research and I'm just sharing it with you. Do your own research, make your own decisions. Because, you know, for me, induction is worth the EMF risks versus gas. It's also a complicated decision, right? It's not just the health implications. It's also what our house has available. It's also the environmental impact of gas and why I'm choosing not to have that in my home. You know, it's something that we decided years ago but after learning about EMF, I still feel comfortable keeping it in my home. But I am going to implement some of these changes when I cook so that I know that I'm reducing my EMF exposure as much as I can. Because honestly we are exposed in so many different ways in our daily life, we just have to make really smart choices so we can reduce the exposure where we can.
