3 Reasons Why You Should Take To Copper Utensils

A few decades ago, before glass and melamine took over Indian kitchens, copper utensils were a staple in every home. Whether used for serving meals or storing water, copper is known to have therapeutic benefits. Here are three reasons why you should take to copper utensils if you haven’t been using them already.

1. An essential nutrient, copper helps your body form red blood cells, metabolize iron and ensure lung elasticity. It is especially recommended for expecting mothers. As per the World Health Organization’s nutritional guidelines, adults typically need about 1 to 2 mg of copper in their daily diet. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIS), seeds and nuts, shellfish, wheat-bran cereals, whole-grain products, and chocolate are rich sources of copper. While an overdose of copper can be detrimental to your health, not getting enough through your diet can potentially put you at risk of cardiovascular disease.

2. Dr Perumbuduri Naresh, senior Ayurvedic physician at Ananda in the Himalayas, tells Vogue, “Copper is related to sun and fire, therefore it helps increase agni in the body—so indirectly, it will also increase metabolic rate.” The article further states that copper helps detoxify the body, increase haemoglobin and aid digestion.

3. Copper is also believed to have skin-improving properties. In her paper ‘Using Copper to Improve the Well-Being of the Skin’ published in Current Chemical Biology, Gadi Borkow writes: “Copper has two key properties that endow it as an excellent active ingredient to be used in products, which come in contact with the skin, aiming to improve the skin’s well-being. Copper plays a key role in the synthesis and stabilization of skin proteins, and it also has potent biocidal properties.” You can use a copper water bottle to store water overnight and drink it in the morning. Our mothers and grandmothers often did that.