Plastic seems to be everywhere around us and it is also everywhere around our food! From processing to packaging to how we store our food, many people are exposed to excessive amounts of plastic often on a daily basis. Plastic can contain estrogens and some plastics also have chemicals that can leach into the food and lead to imbalance in the body (especially with our hormones!). One of the most common chemicals research has found to have potential health risks is known as bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is found in plastic packaging, canned goods, the plastic containers we store our food in. Reuseit.com is a great resource for alternatives.
Tips to Avoiding Plastic and BPA:
- Don’t microwave food in plastic containers (better yet don’t even microwave food, but that is another topic!)
- Use items made from materials like glass or stainless steel.
- Don’t buy canned goods – buy fresh or frozen items. Eden makes cans without BPA if you desire some canned items.
- Avoid use of plastic containers with the number 3 or 7 on them. Plastics with the number 1 (typically used for water and soda bottles) are single use only. Recycle after use.
- Invest in containers that do not have BPA. Check out Reuseit.com for containers without “bad” plastics.
- Use tempered glass baby bottles instead of plastic. If you use plastic bottles, don’t heat them.
- Store food in glass, mason or Pyrex containers, rather than plastic.
