Plastic Free Kitchen Swaps
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Microplastics are microscopic particles from plastics that breakdown due to weathering, friction, heat, etc. Microplastics disturb the digestive, endocrine, reproductive, and immunity systems. They have been found in the feces of infants, including in their meconium. One study found that infants have 10-20x higher concentrations of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics in their stool than adults. There are multiple studies suggesting a link between microplastics and early puberty.
A 2024 study out of the University of New Mexico estimated the accumulation of microplastics in the human brain has increased by 50% in the last 8 years.
Where to Start?
First, I want to encourage you to not let fear overcome. There is no good that comes from that. We can move forward in proactiveness, but letting fear run rampant in our lives will do nothing for our health and quality of living. Microplastics cannot be avoided completely. Let’s acknowledge that, and then focus on where we can eliminate as much as we can within our means.
I recommend focusing on plastic products in your house that come into contact with food and/or the mouth, especially ones that are prone to breakdown by friction, weathering, scratching, or heat.
This typically means starting in the kitchen with things like:
Tupperware
Pots/Pans
Cooking utensils
Cutting boards
Water bottles
Baby bottles
Cups/Bowls/Plates/Eating Utensils
Pots, Pans, & Bakeware
Avoid PFAS found in Teflon and non-stick coatings. Opt for options like:
stainless steel
cast iron
glass
100% ceramic like Xtrema
What about ceramic coating? Most “ceramic” pans are ceramic coated, and there’s usually little transparency around how those coatings are made or what’s underneath them. The coating is also more prone to scratching and wear and tear, exposing whatever is underneath.
Even when cookware is labeled “PFOA-free,” it can still contain other PFAS compounds like PFOS, PFBS, or PTFE. That’s why I generally avoid non-stick cookware altogether. It takes the guesswork out.
Instead, I stick with stainless steel, cast iron, and glass. They’re simple, durable, and built to last. No coatings, no non-stick technology, and no marketing to deciper. If you want ceramic, the only truly 100% ceramic (not ceramic-coated) option I know of is Xtrema.
Cutting Boards
I would make it a high priority to avoid plastic cutting boards. Every swipe of the knife inserts microplastics into the food for consumption. Best option would be:
A solid one piece of wood finished with coconut oil or beeswax (like scatter creek boards or stenwood lab).
Next best option would be any quality wood cutting board, which are usually finished with a mineral oil
Or if you prefer non-wood surfaces: granite, stainless steel, or glass
Not my favorites:
Epicurean boards aren’t my top choice since they’re made from layers of paper bonded together with a phenol-formaldehyde resin.
Rubber boards come with limited transparency around how they’re made. They’re commonly described as being composed of polyvinyl acetate, a synthetic resin created through the polymerization of vinyl acetate.
Bamboo boards are typically made from thin strips or layers of bamboo that are pressed together using formaldehyde-based adhesives.
Storing Food
It is best to avoid plastic when storing food, especially if it’s going to be reheated, in order to avoid microplastics leaching into the food we consume.
But what about BPA free plastic? BPA-Free plastic is made of BPA substitutes that may be equally as harmful. Two of these substitutes include BPS (bisphenol S) and BPF (bisphenol F). A 2019 study showed a correlation between BPS and BPF and obesity in children and teens.
In 2017 the EPA tested the endocrine disruption of BPA, BPS, BPF, BPAP, BPAF, BPZ, and BPB. Every single one displayed estrogenic effects; and BPAF, BPB, and BPZ were all stronger than BPA. A 2018 experiment exposed female mice fetuses and newly born male mice to small amounts of common BPA substitutes. This resulted in abnormal eggs and lower sperm counts that continued on for three generations.
A large misconception is that BPA free plastics do not contain microplastics. This is not true. If something is plastic, whether BPA free or not, most likely it will contain microplastics. BPA free simply means it is not made with bisphenol A, and the microplastics will not leach BPA. However, they can leach whichever substitute its made with.
Thoughts on Silicone
Many people are leery of silicone because of how porous it is, and are concerned about what all it may “trap.” Others believe it to, potentially, be this generation’s plastic as there isn’t a lot of information about its composition and materials used.
My stance is, we know what we know about the harms of plastic. We don’t know what we don’t know about potential harms of silicone. So if the only choice is between plastic or silicone, I would say silicone is the “better” choice. However, the best options are always going to be stainless steel, glass, and a high quality wood - depending.
Sources:
1 Occurrence of Polyethylene Terephthalate and Polycarbonate Microplastics in Infant and Adult Feces. Junjie Zhang, Lei Wang, Leonardo Trasande, and Kurunthachalam Kannan. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 2021 8 (11), 989-994. DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.1c00559
2 Papadimitriou A, Papadimitriou DT. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Early Puberty in Girls. Children (Basel). 2021 Jun 10;8(6):492. doi: 10.3390/children8060492. PMID: 34200537; PMCID: PMC8226958.
3 Melanie H Jacobson, Miriam Woodward, Wei Bao, Buyun Liu, Leonardo Trasande, Urinary Bisphenols and Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Children and Adolescents, Journal of the Endocrine Society, Volume 3, Issue 9, September 2019, Pages 1715–1726
4 Robin Mesnage, Alexia Phedonos, Matthew Arno, Sucharitha Balu, J. Christopher Corton, Michael N. Antoniou, Editor’s Highlight: Transcriptome Profiling Reveals Bisphenol A Alternatives Activate Estrogen Receptor Alpha in Human Breast Cancer Cells, Toxicological Sciences, Volume 158, Issue 2, August 2017, Pages 431–443
Comments