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Eating Aluminum in Thailand - And the Thai Life Expectancy


canathai8

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Hi there,

Thais live about ten years less on average than in the west ( about 74 compared to about 84 )

There are about a hundred and one reasons for this ten year swing.

Reason Number One IMHO - I can hear my sister-in-law through two skinny concrete walls ( she lives next door - with a 6 inch space between the houses ) as she enthusiastically scrapes an aluminum pot with a metal spatula, whilst salivating like Pavlov's dog. . I told them years ago that we chucked out aluminum pots 20 plus years ago in the west - 'cause it causes Dementia.

I even offered to buy them stainless-steel cookware - but they like their aluminum cooking pots, yes siree..

So they ingest aluminum every day. After 70 years or so of that abuse - I guess the body has had enough of that crap..

The bottom line is - Unlike most of my Thai relatives, I passed on eating tiny bits of Aluminum for breakfast this morning.

Over to YOU - for the other 99 plus reasons for the ten year (or so) swing in life expectancy between Thailand and the west..

Kindest Regards,

CanaThai8

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I'd be surprised if that was a major reason. Westerners have been spraying highly absorbable aluminium into their armpits for decades. However, you definitely shouldn't cook anything acidic in an aluminium pan - rhubarb being the worst. That really is mental. Tomato isn't good either.

I'm not keen on hot food in thin plastic bags.

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Poor maternal nutrition is a major factor. If your mother doesn't have enough omega three and the like stored your brain won't be right, and without enough in the way of other nutrients nothing else is made right either, starting with your kidneys, which is what gives you high blood pressure.

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Thais eat what would be called dinner (or supper) in the west - 3 times a day - fried in Palm oil no less

Meat and rice, meat and rice, meat and rice, with a little vegetable for good measure..

Dinner for Breakfast, Dinner for Lunch, so what's on the menu for Dinner? More White rice and meat or fish of course..

As a result - Most Thais I have ever known have great trouble pooooping.. Sound familiar??

And there are at least 98 more reasons for the ten year swing..

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I'd be surprised if that was a major reason. Westerners have been spraying highly absorbable aluminium into their armpits for decades. However, you definitely shouldn't cook anything acidic in an aluminium pan - rhubarb being the worst. That really is mental. Tomato isn't good either.

I'm not keen on hot food in thin plastic bags.

"Westerners have been spraying highly absorbable aluminium into their armpits for decades."

In Thailand I just shower about five times a day instead. That stuff is too itchy..

Thais have recently figured out that the incense they burn for the spirit houses causes cancer..

It was on the news..

I realize we're all gonna die - it's just in what order..

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I realize the west has a long ways to go in terms of nutrition too. We can "blame" World War ONE for canned food - or was it the Civil War?

I also realize that Thai roadways claim a lot of young people - thus skewing the stats downward..extenuating circumstances as it were..

But in general - for about a 101 reasons - Being 80 in Thailand and being 80 in the West is often like night and day..

Having said that, I know a few healthy 87 year old Thais - it happens..

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To be honest, many of the best people I ever met are Thai people - thousands of farang have had the same experience - most anywhere in the Kingdom..(not in the monkey house so much..)

Thais are no worse or better than anyone else. Thai people -Thai-Chinese people are merely a reflection of their culture, sometimes even a "victim" of it, just like every other culture in the world. But that's a given.

These days (like many other farang in Thailand) - I see Thailand moving ahead slowly, improving in some areas, and not so much (if at all) in others. Inherent road safety (or lack thereof) for Thais and foreigners alike is a big issue for many, me included.

On the plus side, Thai Roadways are generally improving all the time, so road deaths should eventually start to go down - as dangerous two lane roads are replaced by 4 lanes with a median or strip of land.

But it all starts and ends with education. Like Road-safety education for the young. I have one too many Thai relatives that bought their driving licence, after failing the test once, twice or even three times..

But to the topic at hand - Studies indicate that people live longer in temperate climates, with changing seasons, so there's another reason for the ten year or so swing in Life Expectancy..

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Scratching the teflon pans is also one of my pet peeves. I've got the ole lady using plastic spatulas, we use olive oil for stir fry. Stainless steel for all cooking might be the way to go.

Farang Pet Peeves in Thailand?? - Helll's Bells thehelmsman..where would we start?? LOL..

I have put olive oil on my ever-growing list of (food) things to take to Thailand, along with what I took this time..

- Protein powder with no added sugar or cholesterol

- Shreddies cereal with no added sugar or salt

- organic oatmeal

They now have non-fat yogurt at Macro, so things are looking up in the LOS!

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Thais eat what would be called dinner (or supper) in the west - 3 times a day - fried in Palm oil no less

Meat and rice, meat and rice, meat and rice, with a little vegetable for good measure..

Dinner for Breakfast, Dinner for Lunch, so what's on the menu for Dinner? More White rice and meat or fish of course..

As a result - Most Thais I have ever known have great trouble pooooping.. Sound familiar??

And there are at least 98 more reasons for the ten year swing..

most Thais don't eat meat
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Thais eat what would be called dinner (or supper) in the west - 3 times a day - fried in Palm oil no less

Meat and rice, meat and rice, meat and rice, with a little vegetable for good measure..

Dinner for Breakfast, Dinner for Lunch, so what's on the menu for Dinner? More White rice and meat or fish of course..

As a result - Most Thais I have ever known have great trouble pooooping.. Sound familiar??

And there are at least 98 more reasons for the ten year swing..

most Thais don't eat meat

Thats right its more bone gristle and the arse end of the animal along with its feet etc bah.gif

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Without wanting to debate the causes of reduced life expectancy in Thailand, because between lunatic driving, white whiskey, the list is long and varied, the use of aluminum cookware is awful.

I don't know whether all the claims of increased aluminum in the body causes dementia or not. But the fact that cooking with a fairly easily damaged metal, which you will ingest just isn't good, no matter how you spin it.

The ironic truth is that the additional cost of buying stainless steel or enameled cookware is balanced by the increased lifetime versus a similar cheap aluminum version

On a side note: "Most Thai's dont eat meat".....we are clearly living in different versions of Thailand!

Edited by GinBoy2
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A certain Farang married a Thai - and installed an oven in their home on Phuket. Smart move that.

Because A perpetual diet of constant fried food in Palm Oil is a bitchhhh..

Stirring the aluminum pot with a metal spatula.. SCRAPE SCRAPE SCRAPE

I hear that sound most days - through (count 'em ) - TWO concrete walls whistling.gif

God help us..

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Without wanting to debate the causes of reduced life expectancy in Thailand, because between lunatic driving, white whiskey, the list is long and varied, the use of aluminum cookware is awful.

I don't know whether all the claims of increased aluminum in the body causes dementia or not. But the fact that cooking with a fairly easily damaged metal, which you will ingest just isn't good, no matter how you spin it.

The ironic truth is that the additional cost of buying stainless steel or enameled cookware is balanced by the increased lifetime versus a similar cheap aluminum version

On a side note: "Most Thai's dont eat meat".....we are clearly living in different versions of Thailand!

Thais in general don't mind dying relatively young. After all - they'll be born again - reincarnated. Few farang hold that belief, so they prolong their stay on this veil of tears as long as possible.

Both paradigms are simply different ways of "Coping."

And remember that Thai and western culture are usually 180 degrees different, like in this case..

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Scratching the teflon pans is also one of my pet peeves. I've got the ole lady using plastic spatulas, we use olive oil for stir fry. Stainless steel for all cooking might be the way to go.

Farang Pet Peeves in Thailand?? - Helll's Bells thehelmsman..where would we start?? LOL..

I have put olive oil on my ever-growing list of (food) things to take to Thailand, along with what I took this time..

- Protein powder with no added sugar or cholesterol

- Shreddies cereal with no added sugar or salt

- organic oatmeal

They now have non-fat yogurt at Macro, so things are looking up in the LOS!

The idea that dietary fat is bad for you is flawed. Also, many commercially produced low/non-fat foods have a high sugar content, making them a less healthy choice than full fat alternatives.
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Not yet mentioned but well documented is high levels of pesticide use and resulting groundwater contamination in rural areas. Many people have wells for water and those wells are contaminated by years of rice field chemicals. There are high cancer rates in many rice farm areas.

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On the plus side, Thai Roadways are generally improving all the time, so road deaths should eventually start to go down - as dangerous two lane roads are replaced by 4 lanes with a median or strip of land.

You think the roads are the problem? I'm sure they are, but in my opinion a much bigger problem is the person driving the vehicle. Lack of driver education, lack of awareness, lack of common sense, drink and drug driving, no safety helmets...

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Scratching the teflon pans is also one of my pet peeves. I've got the ole lady using plastic spatulas, we use olive oil for stir fry. Stainless steel for all cooking might be the way to go.

Farang Pet Peeves in Thailand?? - Helll's Bells thehelmsman..where would we start?? LOL..

I have put olive oil on my ever-growing list of (food) things to take to Thailand, along with what I took this time..

- Protein powder with no added sugar or cholesterol

- Shreddies cereal with no added sugar or salt

- organic oatmeal

They now have non-fat yogurt at Macro, so things are looking up in the LOS!

Lots of choices for olive oil now too. Hard to know what's real though unless your an expert. Lots of counterfeit and tainted olive oil all over the world.

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Two of the biggest factors in total life expectancy are the infant mortality rate and youth mortality rate.

E.g. - Start with a group of 10 people - 5 survive to be 70 yo and 5 survive to 80 yo = Average life expectancy of 75 yrs.

Another group of 10 - 5 survive to 70 yo, 3 survive to 80, 1 dies at age 1yr and another dies at age 14 yo = Average life expectancy of 60.5 yrs.

As far as I can tell infant mortality here is about twice that of the major European countries. I don't know about the youth mortality figures, but I seem to hear about youngsters being killed on motorbikes just about every day.

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Numerically significant reasons for lower life expenctancy.

1. Infant mortality rate. (Nothing drags a life expectancy rate down than those under 2's dying)

2. Road accidents (and you can include all those other accidents, there are many fatal types)

3. Drinking (you could combine this with number 2)

4. Smoking

5. No effective cancer treatment for the majority of the population (see 5-year survival rates)

6. Diet.

7. Aluminium pots (Naaaahhh, just kidding)

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Scratching the teflon pans is also one of my pet peeves. I've got the ole lady using plastic spatulas, we use olive oil for stir fry. Stainless steel for all cooking might be the way to go.

stir fry with olive oil? One should never overheat olive oil in a pan, it is not recommended for frying. Use sunflower or canula oil.

I use olive oils only COLD in salads, or occasionally add a few drops COLD onto tomato sauces in pasta, or over fried squid or fish

Try to do a bit of reading why oilve oils should not be heated too much

Edited by crazygreg44
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