5 Ways To Avoid BPA

There are lots of different views on BPA and evidence around the risks of exposure to it. Here we will go through ways that you can proactively avoid it.

1.Fresh vs, Packaged foods

Environment health perspectives found that evidence of BPA in… decreased

fresh vegetables

2.Glass vs Plastic Containers

Recycled over and over again – Plastic
Last longer then containers – Glass
Plastic goes down in quality as it’s recycled but glass stays the same quality and shape. Not a lot of damage done over time, it can be used in multiple ways. Recycled plastic is produced in a way that if it is first a bottle of Soda, it can not be turned into another plastic bottle, it can be be made into something like fleece

3.Microwaves are a tidal wave of disaster

Wanting to eliminate BPA from your diet is not as easy as buying a BPA free water bottle, buying less plastic encased foods, and changing your plastic containers into glass. It also has to come from your use of or lack thereof kitchen appliances, microwaves being the main offender. It is important to understand the process your food goes through when you’re cooking it.

microwave in kitchen

Ovens

In an oven, it is being heated up by coils, or a gas stove that uses a flame and a cooper wire that is it’s temperature gauge, can you explain how a microwave works with such few words? On top of using containers that will leach harmful chemicals such as BPA, does it not stop you in your tracks to know that advice given to new mothers is “Do not use a microwave oven to heat milk”(1), or that any high end restaurant will not be heating up your meal in a microwave, or “dishes made specifically for the microwave often contain BPA” (2) are out there. So why not take a step back and realize that food is fuel and therefore you should always make time to prepare nutritious food leading to healthier bodies. In the end your body is your ticket to paradise, if you treat it right that leads to less time and money spent at pharmacies, doctors, or sick in bed, and your waist line more compatible with your “skinny jeans”.
(1)http://www.workandpump.com/storage.htm
(2)http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/microwave-hazards.aspx

4. Baby toys

Play time just got interesting with all the worries parents have in this day and age. Toys should be something that allows parents time to relax and kids be kids. But BPA, lead based paints, and PVC has stolen playtime and replaced it with questions and uncertainty.

baby with toy

A good way to stay away from toys that are made with BPA is to stay away from #7 plastic. That is the hard plastic that some baby bottles are made from, there are many links out there now to help you choose the right bottle (1). #7 is the one plastic to stay clear from, #1, 2,3,4 and 5 are the much safer route, if not just making the investment to glass or stainless steel products all together.

PVC toys are – talk about alternatives wooden toys, teethers made from silicon, etc http://www.diapersetc.com/content/bpa-safety-guide.html
Lead based paints – give history, not used that much anymore, but be careful when wooden toys are painted!

http://www.ewg.org/babysafe

5. Less Exposure

Each and every day we open, re-open, consume, and throw away garbage, but is it garbage? When I grew up, I was always told “reduce, reuse, recycle”, but it seems that the first two have been forgotten about. Reducing the amount of garbage produced in each household would go down a considerable rate if everyone reduced their consumption of products that come with more packaging then necessary (i.e  plastic/paper plates, cheap furniture that needs replacing after only a year, plastic wrapped cucumbers), recycled what they could, composted, as well as reusing any items that were safe to. It is hard though, to understand what can be reused, it takes time and a conscious effort each and every day. Even if it means you keep those yogurt containers for your children to makes crafts or not throwing out those moldy leftovers in the garbage but making a compost in your backyard, or in your compost bin.

Recycling is just one of the three steps, and recycling products does not take a lot of effort. It takes only minutes out of your day, and a conscious effort each and every day.

North American’s produce 30 million(1) tons of waste each and every year.