Kitchen Swaps to consider

Things to consider in the Kitchen:

Swapping out your plastic utensils. Plastic utensils are adding to our ever growing issue with plastic pollution on our planet. plastic utensils are also know to contain phthalates. phthalate are endocrine disruptors. They prevents the body’s endocrine system from secreting and regulating the right amounts of hormones so you can function properly. You can be in contact with phthalate just by touching the utensils. Plastic Kitchen utensils can also contain BPA. One of the chief complaints about BPA is it being an endocrine disruptor. To be more specific, it may have the  ability to mimic estrogen the primary hormone of females. Plastic utensils also contain PVC. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a type of plastic used mostly in industrial businesses, construction, and furniture. You can also find it in plastic kitchen utensils with handles coated in PVC there are some studies to show this product to be carcinogenic.

 

That’s not even the worst part!  Plastic can chip or worse, melt from regular contact with heat. They can also break into many pieces being a hazard for the environment. When you dispose of them, they can linger in the environment for more than 400 years and will never fully degrade. They will likely form microplastics which is again super harmful to the environment.

 

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS:

Wooden spoons

Stainless steel

Silicon -Not enough studies have been conducted to know if silicone is truly safe. If using it, please ensure it is food grade, and try to stick to white an the colourants could be toxic in the bright colours. Also avoid using silicone with hot things.

 

Cookware- See my post on options to swap your cookware.

Dish clothes and Scourers- See my post on swapping dish scourers.

Plastic storage containers- My preferred choice would be to swap with glass. There have been studies conducted that show plastic containers leaching into your food.  Glass cannot leach, jars are great or your can go and invest in some nice glass containers. Ikea, Kmart, Target are all starting to stock glass now as it is becoming a popular choice to swap over to. Freezing in glass is easy too as long as you allow any liquids to completely cool before freezing and ensuring you leave a little gap at the top for expansion. Even if you find glass with plastic lids this would be a much better option. Plastic has been known to leach when it is exposed to hot or cold which is why it is not recommended to heat food in these containers. BPA free is just another word companies use to make the plastic sounds safe but what other chemicals have they added in to make it BPA Safe????

 

Under sink chemicals- What is under your sink?

Would you consider swapping out toxic multipurpose spray for a home made infused vinegar.

Swapping out a harsh cleaning pastes for one you can easily make yourself with bi carb soda.