Week 38

Replace your plastic food containers and dishes with glass or ceramic.

The firstchallenge this year was to drink a glass of water upon rising.  I wrote then about the importance of drinking out of glass rather than plastic.  I hope that you have made that change.  It is so easy to do and so important to your health.

I have since found several nice reusable glass water bottles at reasonable prices.  Not only is it important to drink out of glass or ceramic rather than plastic, but all foods you eat should also be placed in/on glass or ceramic.  Specifically, when you store hot leftovers or cool foods to place in the refrigerator, it is extremely critical that you don't use plastic.

This is especially true if you have children, whose reproductive and mental development is most sensitive to the chemicals that leach into food and drink from plastics.  I am aware that glass and ceramic break, but children can learn to be careful with their dishes and cups.  I know; I have two teenage sons whom I have raised with glass and ceramic dishes and glasses.  For very young children, get them a stainless steel cup to use at the table and don't allow them access to it until they learn not to throw it or bang it.  They will soon be ready for their own glass drinking glass.

Plastics all leach plasticizers or other chemicals due to their chemical structure.  Glass will not leach chemicals due to its chemical structure.  That is why dangerous acids and bases are stored in glass containers - because these glass containers are chemically inert and impermeable, nothing is leached from their structure.  Glass food containers are readily available and inexpensive.  Get some and use them.  

Soft plastics are made soft or flexible with plasticizers.  This has been known for years and due to public outcry, the chemical industry has created newer harder plastics that don't leach the 'plasticizer' chemicals.  Everyone was happy for awhile.  But harder plastics leach another chemical, bisphenol A (or BPA).  

New studies were then released about health concerns and BPA, especially for children and infants.  The chemical industry in now working to slow the leaching of chemicals from plastic bottles and containers, BUT due to the chemical structure of plastics, the leaching of chemicals from plastics cannot be eliminated.  The higher the temperature the plastic is exposed to from food temperature or environmental temperature (i.e. stored in a vehicle in the summer in Texas), the more chemicals that will be leached or migrate out of the plastic.  These chemicals are linked to early onset of puberty, infertility, and cancer (such as breast cancer).  Don't be fooled with the new labeling on plastics stating they are BPA free.

All plastics will leach chemicals, if not BPA or plasticizers, some other chemicals, especially when warm or hot foods and drinks are put in them, and even a little bit is bad for your health.  Plastic wraps leach various endocrine disruptors, which can cause cancer, infertility and mental problems.  Styrofoam leaches styrene which also causes cancer, infertility, depression, fatigue, and an inability to concentrate, to name a few.  The disruptive hormone effects of the chemicals leaching from plastics has even been linked to obesity by altering the body's ability to metabolize glucose and lipids.  Combine this with poor quality man-made foods and chronic health problems develop.  Not surprisingly, our society has problems of epidemic proportions with cancer, infertility and obesity. 

Styrofoam is the worse plastic to use and SHOULD NEVER BE USED with food, especially with HOT liquids or foods.  This is a well known fact so I do not understand why coffee is often served in Styrofoam cups and to-go boxes at restaurants are made out of Styrofoam.  Don't be a blind follower, conforming to these unhealthy trends and pretending they won't affect you.  Just because you can't instantly perceive what is happening (no short term negative response such as a stomachache or headache), these chemicals are building up in your body and your children's bodies. 

Storing any hot food in any type plastic container is not good practice.  Did you know that plasticizers disrupt reproduction hormones?  People wonder why infertility in such a huge problem in our society today and spend billions of dollars on fertility treatments while continuing to use plastic.  Don't be a victim or subject your children to these terrible health problems that could be solved so easily by not using plastic.

Glass containers are readily available.  I like the ones with plastic lids (which do not touch your food).  We don't use plastic cups or dishes in our house either.  We drink out of glass glasses or ceramic cups, and use porcelain dishes.

The only use I have for plastic is to repackage chilled foods that I plan to freeze (glass easily shatters when the food freezes and expands in it) or to transport chilled foods.  I always first cool the food/liquid to just above room temperature in a glass or ceramic container and put it in the refrigerator first to chill.  Only after the food is chilled to refrigerator temperature do I transfer it to a plastic container to store in the freezer or to pack for a lunch.

While it may be difficult to learn which are the best quality ingredients to buy or to learn to cook from scratch, it is not difficult to replace your plastic containers with glass or ceramic.  Please take this challenge seriously.

"The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways but the folly of fools is deception."  Proverbs 14:8