Why is it that in a natural world our society has become so attached to unnatural products? People surround themselves with processed materials that require big machines and complicated processes that produce pollution when there is a simple natural alternative around them, and plastic is the worst offender. Here are some reasons why you should get rid of plastic containers that you use daily.
Plastic poses a threat to humanity simply because it is so versatile and is used almost everywhere. Every year, shoppers use more than 500 billion plastic bags, enough to wrap the planet more than 4,000 times. More than ten thousand pieces of plastic are dumped into the ocean every day, worsening the acidification of the water and killing hundreds of thousands of animals every year.
Plastic invades our food and drinks
Suppose you have a tight diet with healthy habits. Organic vegetables along with unprocessed foods and lots of vitamins and minerals. If you are carrying food in plastic containers and drawing water from a plastic bottleyour eating habits may not be as safe as you thought.
7 reasons for you to remove plastic containers from your eating habits
Plastic not only harms our distant environment, but also affects our daily routines in ways that we barely notice. The most common health threat from plastic use it comes from an overlooked source: what we eat.
1. BPA in plastic containers
BPA (bisphenol A) is a chemical that was widely used in industrial plastics during the 1960s. Only recently have scientists bothered to investigate the effect of this chemical on our health. Until now, they’ve linked it to heart problems, effects on the brain, hormonal imbalances, and possibly other conditions like ADHD and diabetes.
People were alarmed to discover that this toxin was so abundant in plastic food containers. Canned food/beverages, plastic bottles, and even water supply lines can contain BPA.
2.bps
Don’t think that since a plastic is “BPA Free”, it is completely safe. Many manufacturers have launched misleading marketing campaigns claiming the safety of their product without discussing the use of BPS (bisphenol S), a similar chemical with similarly toxic properties.
The studies surrounding BPS are terribly limited. What they have found are similar hormone-copying properties that can affect our health. To top it off, BPS is actually less biodegradable than BPA, making it an environmentally destructive alternative.
3. Leaching
Leaching is the process that makes BPA and BPS such a significant threat. Plastics manufacturing produces various chemicals they can be easily absorbed in a process called migration, or as the media has more commonly labeled “leaching”.
During leaching, bits of plastic can be transferred from containers to the food we eat, creating a direct transfer of foreign material into our bodies.
4. Plastic containers absorb odor and color
Unlike healthier natural alternatives, plastic has a porous texture that is not ideal for storing certain products. It can easily absorb the smell and color of certain foods and stain your plastic containers. You may notice that after several uses, your plastic containers look and smell like foodno matter how hard you rub.
5. Environmental impact
As we mentioned earlier, plastics play a huge role in destroying our environment. They take an incredibly long time to break down compared to alternatives and fill up landfills. While they leach toxins into our environment, they also pose a serious threat to wildlife.
Recycling has been mooted as a solution to this, but it might not be as effective as we thought. Plastic has to be recycled and produces inferior quality every time. While it’s much better than just throwing away plastic, avoiding it all could be a boon to the health of our planet.
6. Yes, plastic leads to obesity
Plastics around your food can also contribute to weight gain. A study with mice found that BPA played an important role in reducing the animals’ sensitivity to insulin. This made the production of fat cells more likely.
Adipocytes (also known as lipocytes and fat cells) accumulated faster, allowing the mice to gain weight faster. Studies between humans and BPA are still limited, but evidence suggests that our infatuation with plastics could make our fat situation worse.
7. Plastic containers can badly interfere with fertility
A new line of studies shows a shocking connection between plastic chemicals and human fertility. Research by Harvard scientists suggests that a fifth of unexplained infertility problems could be the result of exposure to BPA and BPS.
An additional risk is the possibility of birth defects such as Down syndrome in developing fetuses.
Where does it come from?
Some of the sources of plastic near our food are quite obvious. Others are apparently innocent. Here is a short list of common foods and drinks that contain plastics:
● Canned food
●Canned beverages
● Bottles and pacifiers
● Account receipts
● Plastic containers
● Disposable beverage bottles
simple solutions
You don’t have to sacrifice convenience and versatility if you switch from plastic. In fact, most alternatives provide much longer use than plastic products. Glass can be used countless times to store food without absorbing food odor or releasing chemicals into our food.
You can store liquids, solids, jams or even pickles. Get creative and use leftover glass for crafts or turn a mason jar into your own personal goblet.
It’s not incredibly difficult to divorce yourself from a plastic-consuming lifestyle. Follow some of these tips to reduce your exposure to chemicals and ensure the safety of your food.
Purchase glass jars and glass products of various sizes to store your food and leftovers.
● When you buy food that already comes in plastic, take it out and store it in a glass container as soon as you get home.
● Put a water filter on your faucet to avoid buying plastic bottles and save money.
● Shop organic markets, they tend to use much more natural packaging.
Avoiding plastic containers is just one step to improve your health, but it’s even more important to make sure the food in these containers is non-toxic. Have you noticed that some of the food we eat is actually fake food? You should also make sure that your food does not contain toxic ingredients and that it is not banned in other countries.
Bibliography
- Yang, CZ, Yaniger, SI, Jordan, VC, Klein, DJ, & Bittner, GD (2011). Most plastic products release estrogenic chemicals: a potential health problem that can be solved. Environmental health perspectives, 119(7), 989–996. doi:10.1289/ehp.1003220