take the plastic out of your diet

Foogo cup, SIGG cup, Adiri Bottle

I remember the horror I felt when I learned that people were actually poisoning themselves with there lead drinking cups. Today we are aware of the dangers of lead poisoning and take measures to insure good health. However today there is a similar danger. Have you heard of BPA? The past few weeks I've grown a bit alarmed about Bisphenol-A or BPA and I want you to be aware of the dangers too.

BPA is a chemical compound. It's most often found in Polycarbonate Plastics. Polycarbonate Plastics are those cool clear plastics you see everywhere. The item I found most concerning was the baby bottle, over 90% of baby bottles are made from Polycarbonates.

So who cares, lots of things are made of plastic. Well, there is a fairly heated debate right now that BPAs can leach from plastic when heated, and that BPAs can cause all sorts of health problems like cancer, early puberty, obesity and even attention-deficit disorder. Moreover, I don't consider myself an environmentalist, and I certainly realize that in the modern industrial world we live in we are constantly exposed to things that are bad for us. Although this subject has raised concern in our home.

Before I go on I should explain that not all plastics contain BPA, and that you should mainly be concerned with plastics that come in contact with food as the heat is what can accelerate BPA leaching. There are a few kinds of plastics and they can be identified by those little triangle number symbols.

Below is a link I found very helpful:
Smart Plastics Guide

So the past few days Brian and I decided to get rid of plastic bottles, plastic coffee mugs, sippy cups or any other form of plastic that we might heat up. This includes all our Tupperware. We replaced all our water bottles with the excellent swiss SIGG bottles. We replaced the kid’s sippy cups for Foogo and SIGG cups. Sarah Jane now uses the Adiri Bottles, which she actually likes more then any other bottle I have used.

If you are uncertain of the types of plastic in your children's cups/bottles, check the bottom of the cup, which may classify the plastic according to a recycling code. 1, 2, 4, and 5 are OK, but 3 and 6 are not, and 7 usually is not, either. If the number is not specified, you can call the company to learn the type of plastic used or simply replace unaccounted-for plastics with known safe alternatives.

If you do and must use plastics numbered 3, 6 and 7, know that the following habits increase the likelihood of toxins migrating to the surface of your plastic and posing a risk to your child:

• Using scratched or worn plastic containers
• Heating food in plastic containers
• Placing hot food in plastic containers to cool
• Heating foods covered in plastic wrap
• Washing plastic containers in the dishwasher

So it's really very simple. You can do nothing and that's your prerogative. But I think people should at least know that this debate is looming, and that you can avoid a potentially harmful chemical if you so chose. Why take the risk if you can find a suitable alternative for you and your family?

In conclusion, I hope I have provided you with some useful information.