When you’re living with Long COVID or another post-infection condition, your body is already under strain. That’s why we often talk about pacing strategies—not only in terms of energy, but also in reducing unnecessary stressors on your system.

Stress doesn’t just come from overdoing physical activity or managing emotions. It can also come from your environment—things like poor air quality, hidden chemicals in your home, or toxins in food. The modern world is full of these stressors, but here’s the good news: once we know where they are, there are often simple ways to reduce or avoid them. Every stressor your body doesn’t have to process creates a little more capacity for healing.

One overlooked source of toxins is cookware. Many pots, pans, and baking sheets on the market contain “forever chemicals” that can quietly add stress to your immune and nervous systems.

Hidden Stressors in Your Kitchen

When we think about toxins, we often picture polluted air or pesticides in food. But one common source is right in our kitchens: cookware. Many popular pots, pans, and baking sheets are coated with chemicals designed to make them “nonstick” or “easy to clean.”

The problem is that a large share of these coatings contain PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), often called “forever chemicals.” They don’t easily break down in the environment—or in our bodies. Instead, they build up over time and have been linked to inflammation, hormone disruption, and immune challenges.

For someone already navigating Long COVID or post-infection recovery, these exposures aren’t just long-term concerns. They represent one more burden on a system that’s already working hard to restore balance and making it even harder to recover. 

Research from Ecocenter shows that even cookware marketed as safe or convenient often relies on these coatings. That’s why awareness is such a powerful tool—once you know what’s in a product, you can make an informed choice.

A Pacing Strategy for Everyday Life

At ThriveNinety, we use pacing as a way to help people manage energy and reduce unnecessary strain on the body. Pacing isn’t only about balancing activity and rest—it’s also about looking at the hidden stressors around us.

Think of it this way: every time you remove one stressor, you give your system more breathing room. That extra capacity can go toward healing, rebuilding energy, and supporting resilience.

Switching to safer cookware is one example of a pacing strategy. It doesn’t require more effort day to day, but it quietly reduces the background load on your body.

Safer Cookware Options

The encouraging news is that safer choices are available. Some cookware materials that avoid toxic coatings include:

• Cast iron (naturally nonstick when seasoned)
• Stainless steel
• Enameled cast iron
• Glass or ceramic (unglazed or lead-free glazed options)

Choosing these options can lower unnecessary chemical exposure, support recovery and long-term resilience.

Building Resilience, Step by Step

Symptom management, recovery and thriving again doesn't happen based on just one big change. They come from stacking small, supportive choices: supporting the nervous system, gentle movement, better pacing of energy—and reducing hidden stressors like toxins.

Yes, the modern world is full of stressors. But with knowledge, you also gain options. Each time you choose a safer product, support system function with gentle movement, or give your body less to process, you open up a little more capacity for healing.

By choosing safer cookware—or making any small shift away from unnecessary toxins—you support your body’s recovery today while building resilience for the years ahead.

Takeaway: Reducing toxins where you can help free your system from extra stress. And with every supportive choice, you create more room for healing, energy, and resilience.

Warmly,
Katie & Andrea

Related Blog posts: 

Will I Feel Like This Forever? — Reframing Long COVID Recovery  

Find the Right Steps for You: A Hopeful Path to Recovery  

The Nervous System’s Role in Recovery
 

Rethinking Exercise for Long COVID Recovery