I used to use a LOT of plastic food containers. Every day I packed my lunch for work in plastic food storage containers, and whenever my food needed heated at lunchtime I popped the food, plastic container and all, into the microwave to reheat.
When I was pregnant with my first child I drank gallons of water from my polycarbonate water bottle.
Once my son was born and ready to learn how to drink out of a cup, I never gave a second thought about giving him plastic sippy cups. For several years he used them for any drink – water, milk, or warm cocoa.
And then I heard about a funny sounding chemical called bisphenol A. Research was just coming out about how awful it was – and that it was part of so many products. Suddenly parents could choose BPA-free baby bottles and sippy cups.
I freaked out, especially because I was pregnant with our second child at the time and didn’t want to expose another baby to BPA in the womb. I threw away all of our plastic food containers and cups – except for BPA-free children’s dinnerware.
More than BPA …
I always had a sinking suspicion, though. If we used plastic that was filled with BPA for years, how could consumers know that suddenly all plastic was safe? Couldn’t other toxins be present?
In 2011, researchers released a study that most plastics do release estrogenic chemicals.
Other studies point to the belief that many manufacturers have changed from using Bisphenol A to Bisphenol S – another estrogen-mimicking compound. In other words, products advertised as being BPA-free still pose very real health threats to humans – particularly infants and young children who develop rapidly.
Very simply, plastic is not good for your health.
What to do?
So what’s the solution? The simplest and most obvious one is a plastic-free life. But how is that possible for families today? I’ll share my families stories – and solutions – on Thursday.
Talk back
How much plastic do you use in your kitchen?
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Brenda King says
I use a lot of plastic (mostly Tupperware) to store pantry items, but try to use glass for refrigerating and microwave reheating. It’s really scary that most plastic does release estrogenic chemicals, including the ones that are labeled as safer. Thanks for the informative post!
Kristi says
Please remember to include your coffeemaker when thinking about this. Most coffeemakers are made with the type of plastic that is “safe” when not heated!!! I use an old percolator with no plastic parts but continue to hope that someone will produce a non plastic drip coffeemaker someday soon….
Shirley says
There is a glass coffee maker- called Chemex Coffee Maker – makes great coffee!
Becca @ The Earthlings Handbook says
We have gradually shifted away from plastic. We save glass jars from nut butters, salsa, etc., and use them to store most leftovers. For my lunch at work, I’m willing to eat soup out of a jar, but for things I’d rather have in a flatter bowl I use Pyrex bowls that have plastic lids, and fill them such that the food doesn’t touch the lid. I love the way food washes off of glass so much more easily than plastic–especially tomato sauce and cheese!
My son used plastic sippy cups only when he had a beverage away from the table–which was not often, except for long car trips–and only for cold drinks. At the table, he used small, sturdy juice glasses. He never broke one.
He uses a stainless steel lunch kit to take his lunch to school, and he, his lunch-packing dad, and his kit-washing mom all think it’s terrific!
Kristi has a great point about coffeemakers. I have stainless steel percolators (one for home, one for work) that I bought at Bed Bath & Beyond. They weren’t cheap, but they make very good coffee without plastic. (The cost was reduced by timing both purchases to use those 20% off coupons BB&B is always putting out!) A bonus is that you don’t have to buy filters because all the parts are reusable.