Part 2: Clean Kitchenware and Products

I have been doing my due diligence and not microwaving plastic containers for a long time now, using my BPA-free water bottle like I was told. I was so proud of myself when I bought large glass containers a few years ago to store hot food right off the stove or out of the oven.  But all of a sudden one day I thought more about it: what about all the other plastic and coated kitchenware I use?   After hearing in the last year one too many stories of completely healthy women who ate clean, exercised, took excellent care of themselves and had no family history being diagnosed with breast cancer, having just turned 50 myself, for the first time I was actually a little nervous at my recent mammogram. We just don’t know the severity of the risks from our environment. I can’t tell you the peace of mind I now have knowing I am doing everything I can to keep harmful chemicals away from my body.  It’s been a slow process but I am getting rid of the old and replacing it with the new, and it’s going great.  Here are the five steps I took:

  1. Stainless steel water bottles are becoming all the rage here in health-conscious Southern California, so that was #1 on my list.  Even though my plastic bottle was supposed to be safe, why chance it?
  2. Next I threw out all of my small tupperware used for leftovers and food I prep in advance and found a nice set of Rubbermaid glass containers on Amazon (click here). They are just perfect for my needs.  Granted they have plastic lids, but I don’t fill them up all the way.
  3. Next I realized I’ve been using teflon pans (even my sauce pans have a non-stick coating) since I stocked my very first kitchen.  Not any more!  I invested in my very first All-Clad stainless steel skillet from Williams Sonoma (click here) and I just love it.  Time to build my collection.
  4. No more aluminum foil touching my food – I used it as a lining for some flat pans, wrapped food for cooking/heating or used it to cover food in the oven.  If I use it at all I make sure it’s only touching the pan and not what I will put in my body.
  5. One day it hit me I was still using plastic “blender bottles” for my daily protein shakes.  Big oops.  Thank goodness for online shopping because in about five minutes I came across these great 18oz glass bottles by Bonison, complete with colorful nylon sleeves to prevent breakage (click here).  Amazon strikes again!
  6. Lastly, I got rid of all cleaning products and now use Honest products (click here).  From dish soap to glass cleaner, I know I’m safer using these products that are made without potentially health-compromising chemicals or compounds.  They’re better for the environment too!

Stay tuned for Part 3 next month…