Love baked goods? Most of us do. But sometimes baked treats have hidden ingredients that aren’t healthy. One of those sneaky, bad-for-you substances is aluminum, which is often found in baking powders. Some studies link aluminum to Alzheimer’s disease, so it’s a good idea to avoid it.

Aluminum can hide in any of these foods, so check labels to be sure:

* frozen biscuits
* frozen items that contain biscuit-like dough filled with other foods
* frozen breakfast pastries, pancakes, waffles
* refrigerated biscuit dough or boxes of biscuit mix
* meals-in-a-box that contain biscuit or other baked crusts
* cake, muffin, and quick bread mixes
* frozen appetizers that contain crusts, such as mini-quiches
* boxed cookies and crackers * pies * donuts or other bakery items

When choosing baking powder, look for brands that don’t contain aluminum, such as Rumford.

Happy aluminum-free baking!

Beth Bence Reinke, MS, RD