Canned foods are used a lot in our society. It is a convenience, quick way of eating and it definitely has it’s place. In general, canned foods are not very healthy, and certainly avoid cans that have BPA in them. Try to avoid a lot of canned foods that are very acidic, if possible. Tomato paste or tomato sauce which is canned is obviously not the best choice but at times it is needed in a recipe so just use it moderately. In moderation, everything has its place, but to eat canned foods constantly, as an everyday food, is not so wise. Canned beans can be healthy because cooking beans under pressure at high heat reduces the phytic acid and the lectins and makes them more digestible. (Cooking beans with seaweed also helps to break down phytic acid and reduces gassiness). I think canned salmon and tuna are useful at times when we are rushed and want to put together a quick meal with some protein.
Phytic acid can be a problem in grains and beans. Soaking the beans and grains overnight or even longer helps to reduce phytic acid and to make the beans more digestible. Also, long fermentation time helps for digestion. If you make sourdough bread, or even yeast bread but you leave it to ferment in fridge for a few days, it helps to break down gluten, phytic acid and to make the bread easier to digest in general.
We all know plastic is not healthy. Try to avoid putting anything hot into a plastic container. Whenever you can store food in stainless steel or glass containers it is preferable. The chemicals in plastic can cause health issues for some people and therefore it is wise to reduce use of plastic. Plastic plates or disposable plates should be used to a minimum, only when necessary. It is best to avoid putting very hot foods like soup into plastic bowls. Styrofoam is also not healthy and should be avoided when possible. Obviously, when traveling or on occasion (like when you have guests and no help with dishes) everything is okay. But try not to make it a constant daily practice to eat from plastic or Styrofoam containers or plates. In past generations, everything was stored in glass bottles or containers. Plastic is a “modern” convenience but not a healthy one. Nevertheless, it has it’s convenience use and therefore we cannot shun it entirely. (I would mention as well that non stick cookware is very unhealthy and should be avoided. If you have non stick fry pans, try to use them very seldom, or get rid of them and buy healthier ones from stainless steel or copper).
Tin foil is very unhealthy. So many people cook in tin foil pans. Tin foil, when heated, releases a lot of aluminum and too much aluminum in the diet increases the risk of alzheimers and also makes people feel more nervous. I recommend avoiding cooking in tin foil as much as possible. Acidic foods are particularly problematic when cooked in aluminum. Sometimes the acid will even erode the tin foil and it will bake onto the food. Besides tin foil, aluminum cookware should also be avoided. Stainless steel pots are far healthier.
As you can see, it is not only food we need to consider with a healthy lifestyle, but even chemicals and cooking materials etc. There are many details to look at.