March 10, 2014

Where Toxins Could Be Lurking in Your Kitchen

You want your kitchen to be filled with warmth, the scents of delicious foods, the laughter of your family, but toxins? No thanks. Unfortunately, the average American's kitchen is home to many toxins, but you can eliminate many of them. Here are the six biggest sources of toxins in the kitchen.

1. Cookware - That Teflon coating that makes your pots easy to clean, also contains chemicals that can flake off in your food.

Solution: Invest in stainless steel, cast iron or ceramic cookware and an eco-friendly dish scrubber and dish sponge. It may require a little elbow grease to clean, but you won't be exposing yourself to toxins.

TWIST DISH DUMPLING SCRUBBER TWIST NAKED SPONGE KIT

2. Plastic Dinnerware - Much of the plastic dinnerware on the market contains BPA, melamine, phthalates and other nasty chemicals that have been proven to be toxic.

Solution: Switch to certified nontoxic nontoxic plastic and stainless steel dinnerware for you and your kids. Products from thinkBaby, Green Sprouts, Green Toys and Preserve are all great solutions.

THINKBABY BLUE FEEDING SET GREEN SPROUTS WARMING PLATE

3. Wooden Cookware - Many people automatically think that wooden spoons, cutting boards and other utensils and essentials are safer to use than plastic, but unfortunately, many of these products are glued together using toxic formaldehyde-based adhesives.

Solution: Replace your wood with Bambu bamboo cooking utensils that are made with nontoxic adhesives and are more sustainable than wood.

BAMBU BAMBOO KITCHEN BASICS SET

4. Produce - Unless you only buy organic, the fruits and veggies that you use to cook with are major sources of toxins.

Solution: Clean your produce with Eat Cleaner wipes or sprays prior to enjoying them fresh or in recipes.

EAT CLEANER PRODUCE WIPES EAT CLEANER WIPES - GRAB N' GO PACK

5. Clean Products - Chemical-based cleaning products can contain a host of toxic chemicals.

Solution: Use Microfiber green cleaning cloths that lift away bacteria and dirt with the help of just plain water.

E-CLOTH GENERAL PURPOSE CLOTHS - 4 PACK

6. Food Storage - BPA and other nasty plastic additives are found in many of the Tupperware containers and similar storage solutions for food on the market.

Solution: Use tempered glass or nontoxic plastic products like Wean Green, Fit & Fresh and Green Sprouts.