New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANSlife): If you look through an Indian household, you will come across several metal crockeries being used in the kitchen. While some of them have exceptional medicinal and healing properties, some may cause your food to lose on nutrition but turn it toxic. Wellness expert Namita Jain, Managing Director of Kishco Ltd, highlights some pros and cons of few of them.

1. Kansa

· Kansa is an alloy of copper 78 per cent and tin 22 per cent both heated together up to 700 centigrade to form pure bronze usually used to eat food and drink water from on daily basis which helps enhancing gut health.

· It well promotes holistic healing by promoting gut health and immunity along with relieving stress and boosting energy levels.

· The water stored in kansa doesn't become stale. Also, helps in preventing water borne diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery, jaundice etc.

· Copper is known to have brain stimulant and anti-convulsive properties helping in stimulating our brain

· Drinking and eating from copper vessels regulates requirement of important copper trace metals for thyroid glands to function optimally.

· It is recommended for daily use for deriving health benefits. The copper present in pure kansa reduces inflammation and improves haemoglobin, whereas, the tin strengthens absorption and digestion.

· Anti-Inflammatory properties found in copper releases joint, muscular pain and beats arthritis.

· Copper is the key component in the production of melanin helping in restoring healthy skin and slows down aging.

· Copper helps in breaking down and eliminating fat aiding in weight loss.

· Also helps in cardiovascular health and beat anaemia by regulating blood pressure.

2. Silver

· Silver is known to be a precious metal since it doesn't corrode but is difficult to maintain as it tarnishes when exposed to atmosphere.

· Its antimicrobial properties help preventing various diseases, healing wounds and is known to be beneficial for skin.

· Due to its anti-bacterial properties, usage of silver plates and utensils helps in protecting our food from getting infected

· Storing food and drinks in silver utensils keeps it fresh than stored in utensils that are not made of silver. In older times, milk was stored with a silver coin in it to maintain the taste & freshness

· Helps in increasing the endurance of human immune system.

· Silver has cooling effect that helps in smooth digestion and help the body's metabolic system

· Silver is easy to maintain as it doesn't require scrubbing, minimal use of soap and water cleanses silverware.

3. Stainless Steel

· Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, chromium and nickel. Though iron and chromium are cast as healthy minerals, nickel in unlikely to benefit

· It doesn't react with sour or acidic food but the quality of the stainless steel must be superior to ensure good health

· Eating from stainless steel neither increases the minerals of the food nor makes any unsafe impacts

· An ideal metal for cooking due to its non-reactive properties

4. Copper

· Copper is necessary for the proper functioning of liver, brain, heart, kidneys, and skeletal muscle. Also, it helps in healthy bones, blood vessels, nerves, and immune function, and it contributes to iron absorption.

· Water stored in Copper vessels are free of microorganisms, fungi and algae as it initiates a naturally purifying process making it perfectly fit for drinking

· Drinking water from copper vessels encourages improved digestive system, weight loss, heals wounds faster, slows down aging, beats arthritis and inflamed joints, protects from infection etc.

· Even though drinking from copper utensils is highly recommended, cooking & eating from copper plates is not considered ideal. Reason being copper reacts with salts, acidic and citric products present in food.

5. Aluminium

· Longer the food is stored or cooked in aluminium the greater the amount that gets into food

· Leafy vegetables and acidic foods such as tomatoes and citrus products, absorb the most aluminium

· Using aluminium cookware for a long time can pose Alzheimer's, myotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism dementia.

· Aluminium also leads to kidney problem due to difficulty removing excess aluminium from their bodies because of which it gets accumulated posing risks for bone and brain disorder

· Aluminium is ideally used for baking.