You just ruled out Teflon, now you need to get rid of any aluminum pots and pans because that aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's disease. These pans are light, often cheap and are reactive. Storing salty or acidic food in an aluminum pot will pit the surface of the metal and contaminate the food with aluminum. Instead, use clay, stainless steel, ceramic, glass, porcelain or cast-iron cookware. One of the advantages of cast-iron is that it can actually provide small amounts of iron, a necessary nutrient.

Excerpted from Organic Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck (Scribner, 2006)