In Week 4 of our Detox Your Kitchen Challenge, we show you how to significantly reduce your exposure to these harmful particles
Vegetables sold in plastic containers may contain microplastics.
By Tom Perkins
Consumer Reports has partnered with The Guardian US to create this seven-week Detox Your Kitchen Challenge.
and everywhere in between, tiny bits of plastic are accumulating.
.
to rein in plastic production.
your exposure to these gnarly particles. Armed with years of knowledge from reporting on toxic chemicals for The Guardian, I can help you get started.
Where Microplastics Hide in Your Food
.
. They’re absorbed by crops and drinking water, which is how they find their way into the food system.
The use of plastic in food production or packaging further spreads microplastics to almost every corner of the food system. The plastic used to store your greens, for example, may shed an unwanted, unseen ingredient into your salad.
from commonly consumed protein foods alone, according to one study.
The Health Risks
barriers.
Meanwhile, some microplastic chemicals, like PFAS, are among the most toxic synthetic substances and are linked to cancer, neurotoxicity, hormone disruption, and developmental problems in fetuses and young children.
Simple Ideas for Reducing Microplastics in Your Diet
You won’t be able to eliminate every microplastic from your food and kitchen. To maintain your sanity, keep a few things in mind. It’s best to focus on microplastic sources that aren’t essential and are easier to remove. And you don’t have to change everything at once—take your time.
Avoiding plastic at the grocery store is an easy place to start. Buy ketchup in a glass jar or greens bundled with a rubber band instead of wrapped in plastic. Try using cloth or reusable produce bags to avoid single-use plastic bags.
, for example.
Do your best to avoid water bottled in plastic; cans or glass bottles may be better. Filtering tap water that you cook with or drink at home can also help. Although filtration technology is still being developed, reverse osmosis systems seem to be the most promising for removing microplastics from drinking water, even though their components are also made of plastic. (We’ll also have more on filtration systems in a forthcoming installment.)
t. When possible, I buy the greens for my daily smoothie at a farmers market and bread from a baker where they aren’t wrapped in single-use plastics, and I grab produce like tomatoes that are loose instead of in plastic packaging.
Keep hot food away from plastic. This is a big one: Chemicals and microplastics leach at significantly higher rates under high heat, so don’t put hot food or liquid in plastic, which could quickly contaminate your dinner.
Try heating frozen dinners in a microwave or oven-safe glass container. Paper coffee cups are lined with plastic that sheds at shocking levels, so take a stainless steel cup or thermos to your local coffee shop instead. Many French presses or drip coffee makers contain plastic parts, but I found a French press with no plastic and a plastic-free pour-over. Avoid boiling rice in bags, and if you’re a regular tea drinker, seek out brands that use nonplastic or nylon bags.
You’ve Got Questions, We Have Answers
ultraprocessed foods.
Are Veggies Grown in Your Garden Safer?
hoses as a good alternative.
Goals for the Week
• Identify one plastic item in your kitchen to replace with a plastic-free version and keep up the practice over time.
• When you go to the grocery store, look for opportunities to buy products that are packaged in glass instead of plastic. Condiments are a great place to start.
with one that has a glass pitcher.
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