How to Eat More Vegetables and Fewer Microplastics
Tips for a plastic-free dinner
I am off from school, and somehow busier than normal? Also, my garden is a total mess and I must spend some time there. With that being said, here is a bonus free post- an article I wrote for another publication on reducing microplastics in your diet. I’ll be back next week (live from the Rocky Mountains) with a chamomile tea and cocktail.
As a mother and a teacher, I spend a lot of time worrying about the impact of microplastics on our bodies. The number of students who cannot control their impulses grows more and more each year. Ask any teacher — kids are not the same as they were 10 years ago, or 20 years ago. There are many, many factors that go into academic achievement, but I can’t help but think that our environmental choices are playing a role in our decline.
Microplastics are everywhere, and trying to keep them out of my children’s bodies feels like an impossible task. My daughter’s favorite Mickey Mouse blanket? It’s made from chenille that sheds microplastics when you wash it. And is she inhaling them when she wraps herself up in it to cuddle on the couch?
And what about their toys? When they were babies, I tried to buy wooden, natural toys when I could, but when you have a screaming 3-day-old who only stops screaming when you place a pacifier in her mouth, you are going to put the pacifier in her mouth. Or those big plastic keys. Or anything because you are so exhausted.
My kids drink out of metal water bottles and glass cups now. They use real ceramic plates and flatware. But is it possible to make a dinner whose ingredients are void of plastic packaging as well? First, let’s look at how big this problem is.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely avoid microplastics. But we can take steps to reduce the exposure by avoiding plastic packaging when we can. Let’s take a look at some products and methods to help us.
Beverages: I am mainly a drink recipe creator, so I am going to start here. It is best to drink tap water over bottled water, if that is an option where you live. Love tea? Opt for loose leaf — many tea bags contain microplastics. If you want to stick to tea bags, Thrive Market’s brand of tea has compostable tea bags, and the packaging around the individual tea bags is also compostable.
Pasta: The best way to reduce your plastic exposure with pasta is to buy it in cardboard packaging. Bionaturae pasta is my new favorite brand because their cardboard box is recyclable and the little plastic window is compostable. I also think its pasta tastes good!
Beans and Lentils: I admit I much prefer canned beans to making them from scratch. If someone knows the trick to making the dried less, well, dry, please let me know! That being said, if you are going to use canned, buy a brand with BPA-free lining. Many brands no longer use BPA, but if you are unsure, rinsing the beans with water before use reduces the amount of BPA you ingest by three times. Alas, dried beans have the least amount of microplastics in them. Unlike beans, however, I prefer my lentils from dry — I find them very easy to cook in the Instant Pot. I buy mine from a store in town that stores them in glass, and lets you refill into your own glass container, in my case, a giant mason jar.
Rice: I buy mine at the same shop where I buy my lentils. Again, dried is best — I could not live without a rice cooker. Instant and pre-cooked rice have higher instances of microplastics. Rinsing your rice before cooking reduces the amount of exposure.
Bread: Chances are, if I am making lentils and rice, I am also making a flat bread to dip into said lentils and rice. Most flour is sold in paper bags, except of course, the gluten-free and 00 flour that I completely rely on. Unbranded flour contains 2.3 times more microplastics than branded flour (think King Arthur vs. store generic brand). Baking bread at home is your best bet since most store-bought bread comes in a plastic bag.
Meat and Cheese: We do not eat a lot of meat in our house. We buy a box from a local farm about every three months, and that’s about it, give or take a rotisserie chicken or two. The downside of this is that all the meat comes vacuum-packed in plastic. The alternative is to go to a butcher, but this can be hard to find in certain parts of the US. If you live near a Whole Foods, you can utilize the butcher there. The same goes for cheese. It is all wrapped in plastic, unless you have a cheese shop in town where they will wrap it in paper for you. And while my town has a lovely cheese shop, running there every time I need cheese is unrealistic.
Is There Any Good News?
Yes! Fiber in your diet can help absorb microplastics. A recent study published last week found that oatmeal, in particular, is effective. The study suggests that ingesting a supplement derived from oats could flush out toxic chemicals from the body. (Did I immediately make oatmeal cookies after reading this? Yes, yes, I did. Do you have to twist my arm to make oatmeal cookies? No, no, you do not.)
Conclusion
We are facing a major public health crisis. The exact health implications of plastics in food are unclear, but we can take steps to reduce our exposure.
Cheers,
Anne