Are you unknowingly exposing yourself to toxins that could be harmful to you and your family’s health? You may be surprised to know that the kitchen can be a repository of chemicals that promote cancer and endocrine disruption. I’d like to bring to your attention some of these toxins present in your kitchen while giving options to reduce your exposure.
One of the most important measures to detoxify your kitchen is to discard all Teflon-lined cookware in your cupboards. A family of perfluoronated (PFC’s) chemicals give Teflon its non-stick quality. Unfortunately, these are well-known cancer promoters. Under high temperatures polytetrafluoroetheylene (PTFE), a member of the PFC family is degraded into more toxic byproducts. Intoxication occurs as the byproducts become aerosolized. The safest cookware includes stainless steel and ceramic. Now let’s consider the safety of the water you and your family drink.
Still making endless trips to the grocery store to buy expensive packs of single serve bottles of water? The unregulated bottled water industry has had us all foiled at one time or another. The plastic bottles contain several chemicals known to promote endocrine disruption. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with the body’s endocrine system causing adverse developmental, neurologic, reproductive, and immune effects. Switch from bottled to filtered water by investing in a good quality filtration system. Once filtered, store your water in glass or stainless steel containers. If for any reason you can’t avoid plastic all together, steer clear of anything labeled number 3 and 7 because they contain Bisphenol-A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor. Numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are the safest. Pesticides are other hazards in the kitchen.
You can reduce the pesticide load of your kitchen by shopping for items that contain organic ingredients. When grocery shopping it’s a good idea to memorize the list of the so-called clean fifteen and the dirty dozen produce to help you know which produce contain the most and the least amount of pesticides. Spinach, apples, strawberries, and tomatoes are some of the produce that top the dirty dozen list each year. And all though potatoes aren’t on the list, they are loaded with toxic pesticides, fungicides, and growth inhibitors. Signing up for a food co-op is a great way to introduce your family to organic seasonal fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Also, joining a food co-op helps create a more sustainable environment by supporting local farmers. However, you may not want to microwave your locally grown, organic produce.
The machine of modern convenience also has to be dropped- yes the microwave! Since the advent of the microwave studies have shown that they not only emit large doses of radiation and leach chemicals like Bisphenol-A from plastics into foods but, they deplete nutrients from your wonderful fresh organic produce. Not so convenient after all.
These are some simple steps you can take to help decrease your exposure to known cancer causing agents, endocrine disruptors and pesticides, thereby helping to decrease the risk of ill health, toxicity, and hormonal imbalance.