Is it okay to eat silver
One of my friends recently went to India and brought back some sweets today. These sweets have a silver layer on top. Therefore, I'm quite curious as to whether or not it is safe to eat silver.
As far as I know, there is no processing mechanism for heavy metal in the human body. I think that these sweets probably do not contain real silver metal, otherwise they could be really expensive... I guess it could be aluminium or some other less expensive metal.
Anyone have any idea?
Best Answer
This is a reasonably common practice in South Asian cuisine. Some reasonably credibly information can be found in the Wikipedia article on vark. Quoting from the section on safety:
Gold and silver are approved food foils in the European Union, as E175 and E174 additives respectively. The independent European food-safety certification agency, TÜV Rheinland, has deemed gold leaf safe for consumption. Gold and silver leaf are also certified as kosher. These inert precious metal foils are neither considered as toxic to human beings nor to broader ecosystems
and
The total silver metal intake per kilogram of sweets eaten, from vark, is less than one milligram.
Pictures about "Is it okay to eat silver"
What happens if you eat silver?
It usually happens in people who eat or breathe in silver compounds for several months or many years. A single exposure to a silver compound may cause silver to be deposited on the skin and in other parts of the body but this is harmless.Is eating silver okay?
Can You Eat Silver? Silver is not quite the same as gold, because there are both ionic and non-ionic versions of this element. The non-ionic version is inactive and cannot be absorbed by the body, making it safe. However, the ionic version of silver can be digested the body, and can potentially cause toxic reactions.Can we eat gold and silver?
Health effects Gold is a noble metal and for this reason it does not react inside human bodies. This means that it is not absorbed during the digestion process, so it is safe to eat. However, there are no nutritional or health benefits associated with its consumption.Why silver is used in sweets?
Apart from making sweets and paan look grand, opulent and rich, silver leaf is used for another very important reason on other food items. Well, it has anti-bacterial properties that helps in increasing the shelf life of food products.How Do They Make Gold And Silver Safe To Eat?
More answers regarding is it okay to eat silver
Answer 2
We in India using Consumable Gold Leaves and Silver leaves in huge quantity, As par Unani, Turkey, Egyptian, Greece, Italian and Indian Ayurveda Consumable Silver and Gold have several benefits. India have some big Companies Like "Shree Varnika Royal Products" who manufacture Silver and Gold Leaf. These companies are certified by FDA, GMP and various compliance authorities.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Sandy Torchon, Tamanna Rumee, Tamanna Rumee, Vitaly