life as i know it...

By now I'm sure everyone has heard about how unhealthy using plastics to store and heat food products can be. While the results aren't 100% conclusive, there are tons of studies linking the chemicals in everyday plastics to cancer, hormone disruptions, and other nasty health problems.

I have my concerns, but so far, I've found few concrete suggestions of how to avoid using plastics in the kitchen, and even when products are recommended, even fewer that are available where I live! That's why I was pleased to see this SavyMom.ca article about reducing our reliance on plastics in our kitchens. It not only gives tips, but links to products and retailers! I'm going to have to work on this list - I'm a big user of Ziplock bags, and we have a lot of plastic containers too.

Since I know some of you won't click on the link (but you should, it's a great article!), I'll summarize some of the tips here.

1. Hand wash your plastic containers. Yeah, I hate to do dishes too, but heat breaks down the plastic.
2. Don't reuse one-use plastic watter bottles. And even better than plastic Nalgene bottles are aluminum Sigg bottles.
3. Use glass or ceramic food containers instead of Gladware/Tupperware/Rubbermaid types. (Click for suggestions of brands and where to buy)
4. Use wooden cutting boards. Not for meat though - the bacteria can stay in the wood.
5. Use glass baby bottles, or look for plastic bottles with fewer chemicals.
6. Avoid plastic wrap. Use wax paper to wrap sandwiches. Use glass or ceramic food containers. Take the plastic wrap off your food when you microwave it - use a paper towel or wax paper to cover your food, instead.

Posted in: baby, environment, health, helpful tips, household, toxic on January 16, 2007