Plastic Containers

Plastic containers have been in the news a lot lately; mainly bottled water containers. Not only do people object to the use of water bottles because of the environment but now it’s been revealed that using them is not so good for your health, either!

I’ve long suspected this because of the health problems I had that I believe were complicated by using too much plastic to store and reheat food. I even thought that re-using water bottles was not the healthiest thing to do so I quit doing that. But I’ll talk about that in a little more detail later.

It turns out that most plastic containers contain a polycarbonate called bisphenol-A which leaches out of some plastic products during normal use. Products containing it will have a number 7 on the bottom of it and it’s frequently used in baby bottles, microwave ovenware and eating utensils, just to name a few.

It was created in the 1930’s as a synthetic estrogen and can simulate the action of estrogen in our bodies so it disrupts the normal flow and production of hormones in our bodies, too. So is it any wonder that it’s been linked to lots of health problems like early onset of puberty, Down’s Syndrome and some cancers. Researchers found that rats that were exposed to low levels of bisphenol-A had lower testosterone levels.

A few years ago, I was suffering from hormonal ups and downs that I suspected had something to do with my endometriosis and adenomyosis. Too much estrogen in your body can cause these conditions to occur and since I was in my 40’s and it didn’t make sense that I had too much estrogen, I began to look at how I could minimize it. I knew that losing weight would help but I also thought it wouldn’t do any harm to get rid of the plastic containers I was using as well. I did see a leveling off of my hormones and while I can’t prove it scientifically, I know that part of it was because of the steps I had taken regarding plastic.

Alternatives to Plastic

It’s not that hard to minimize your plastic risk. First, you don’t have to throw out all your plastic at once. Just use plastic for storage; never reheat anything in the microwave in a plastic container. Buy glass containers which cost just about as much as the plastic stuff but it lasts a whole lot longer.

Second, you can still use your plastic containers for storing vegetables and fruit just as long as you don’t reheat anything. Stick to “safer” plastics made from polyethylene (numbers 1,2 and 4).

Third, buy a refillable water bottle that you can carry around with you and attach a water purifier to your faucet. You may even have filtered water coming out of your refrigerator if you have a model that has that feature. Even though it can be expensive to replace the filter, it’s really not as expensive as buying bottled water all the time.

If you have a baby that’s using baby bottles, replace your plastic baby bottles with glass ones. If that’s not feasible, make sure you never reheat milk in the bottle and throw them out when they are scratched or cloudy. Be wary of the fact that baby formula can also be in cans that are lined with bisphenol-A.

Taking these steps to eliminate dangerous chemicals from your life will do a world of good for you, your family and. . .the world!

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