After months of going through department stores and reading lables, I gave up on ever finding any.
Today I found Silver Superstore and a whole list of flatware that isn’t Made in China!
BPA: What’s the Big Deal?
Bisphenol A (BPA) has been in the news quite a lot recently. You can see BPA-free stickers on quite a number of items now, thankfully.
Why is this such a hot topic? BPA is a synthetic estrogen. This is in can linings, baby bottles, false teeth, polycarbonate bottles, compact disks and many more items. This chemical has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and even diabetes.
The media uproar started when BPA in baby bottles was found leaching into the contents. But this issue goes so much farther into our lives than baby products.
BPA FAQ by a pro-BPA company.
http://www.bisphenol-a.org/about/faq.html
Here are some other very interesting articles discussing the health and evvironmental impact of BPA.
Plastic Tutorial
When you buy something plastic, you typically can find a recycling number on the bottom of the item. That number is very useful in avoiding the more toxic plastics.
- #1 PETE or PET (polyethylene terephthalate): This is used in most clear beverage bottles like bottle water, soda, etc. These are considered safe for single use.
- #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene): used for milk and water jugs, opaque food bottles.These are considered safe to refill or reuse.
- #3 PVC or V (polyvinyl chloride): used in some cling wraps, shower curtains, and some soft bottles. This is the most toxic plastic from production to disposal. Avoid this plastic.
- #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene): used in food storage bags and some bottles.This is considered a safe plastic.
- #5 PP (polypropylene): used in rigid containers, including some baby bottles, and some cups and bowls. Condsidered safe.
- #6 PS (polystyrene): used in foam containers, take out cup lids, and clear take out conatiners. Some plastic cups and utensils. This may leach into food that it touches. They are estrogenic and disrupts normal hormonal functioning. It is also a carcinogen. Avoid.
- #7 is the “other” plastic but is usually polycarbonate. This is used in 5 gallon water jugs, personal reusable water bottles and many other items. Polycarbonate has BPA as a base. Avoid this plastic.
The less plastic you use, the better off you are.
Use reusable grocery bags, stainless steel or glass water bottles, and never use plastic to reheat food or drink.
Mason Jars
After reading more and more about plastic, I decided that I wasn’t comfortable with using plastic storage for my kitchen. I looked and looked and looked (you get the idea) for an affordable alternative. I overlooked my best option for a long time. Mason jars!
No leaching, no staining, no worries! I was ecstatic when I looked on the crate and saw the words, Made in the USA! I was made even happier when I saw that they are partially made with recycled glass.
They are actually a better deal than a plastic container. One Lock and Lock container that is big enough to put flour or sugar in, costs well over $7. A dozen quart Mason jars cost $7.69 at Wal-Mart. I bought 6 half gallon jars today for $9.99. You can buy 1/2 gallon jars at your local Ace Hardware (or various online locations). They also come in gallon size but they are harder to find and the price jumps up considerably. They come in quart, pint, 1/2 pint, and 4 ounces sizes. You can also search thrift stores and yard sales for them.
They work wonderfully for airtight storage for flour, sugar, cereal, chocolate chips, raisins and anything else you can think of. They can be used to store left over soups or as drinking glasses. I use my quart jars as drinking glasses because they hold a lot more water than a normal glass and I don’t have to worry about them shattering if my little one knocks one over or throws it over the baby gate into the kitchen like he did today.
They are wonderful storage if you buy bulk.
I bake banana bread in the pint wide mouth jars and put the lid on while it is hot. When the bread cools it seals the jars. Just pop them in the fridge and you can have a small loaf of bread every day for a week or more, and it is just as fresh as the day you made it.
I also use them to freeze homemade coconut milk, baby food, and to store frozen veggies.
If you want to vacuum seal the jars, Food Saver has a jar sealer attachment, or you can buy a Pump and Seal in the $30 range. The P&S requires a pin hold in the lid of the jar. If you ever want to stop using the P&S you can replace the lids very cheaply at $2.50 per dozen.
There is one caveat, though. The lids do have BPA in the coating. I leave enough head space in the jar to make sure that whatever I put in it doesn’t touch the lid.
Glass Sippy Cup
I have been looking for an acceptable sippy cup for my little one. I don’t want to use plastic. The stainless steel ones are heavy and have plastic lids. My baby has never used a bottle and doesn’t understand that he needs to suck on the sippys with no-leak valves.
So I created my own.
I used the evenflo glass bottles that I had. I put on a Siliskin and used a Nuby sipper spout that fits standard bottles.
Even without the siliskin I have a feeling that it would be very hard to break the glass bottle, especially since my little tester has thrown them down on the wood foyer, over the baby gate into the tile kitchen, and whacked them with a wooden mallet.
The only plastic piece on the whole setup is the little plastic ring that holds the spout onto the bottle and that doesn’t touch the liquid at all.
Now he is happy to have a small sippy that he can handle and I am happy that I don’t have to worry about plastic!
*Bottles are made in Mexico. The siliskins are made in Taiwan or China.
Buy Local!
To get the most benefit from fruits and vegetables, buy local and vine ripened. Produce starts losing nutrients the second it is picked. Imagine how much more you get for your buck when it isn’t picked green and gassed on the way to the grocers.
Fruits and veggies aren’t the only things that can be bought fresh and local. I found a local farm and bought a share of a cow. The cows are totally grass-fed, hormone and antibiotic free. I know where the farm is and have seen how they are cared for. The meat is delicious. It is nothing like any other beef that I have ever tasted. When I cook the ground beef, there isn’t a puddle of fat to drain off. There is just enough fat in it so I can cook it without having to add oil, but that is it. I can’t even describe the difference. I will address why there is such a drastic difference in a future post.
I found a local, organic blueberry farm and picked a load of bluberries. I was amazed at the difference between what I was eating straight off the bush compared to the anemic little blueberries that the store carries.
Local Harvest lists local stores, CSA’s, farms, grocery stores, and even restaurants that use local and organic.
When you join a CSA or shop at a local farmers market you benefit greatly from the improved nutrition in the produce but you are also helping the environment. It takes much less fuel to go from the farm down the road to your table than it does for it to travel from Chili or even the other side of the country.
Another big benefit to buying as local as you can, is keeping your money here, instead of sending your money to a company overseas.
If you can’t eat all that you would get in a CSA or meat share, then freeze your food. Frozen food does not lose nutrients like a room temperature or refrigerated item does. You can get a small deep freeze for a decent price if you don’t have the room in your regular freezer and items will keep longer in a deep freeze.
If you need information on how to freeze certain items, visit this site.
Preservative-free Saline Spray
I have been using Simply Saline for a while now since it does not need a preservative. They have several formulas including a Baby Saline with a safety tip.
They use a bag inside the can to keep the pressure up and to avoid aspiration. I love this spray because there is no way the yuckies can get sucked back inside it, so I don’t have to go throw away bottles that are still half full because I am afraid that I will reinfect myself. I just clean the tip with alcohol every few days.
I called them today to find out what the bag inside the can is made from and it is polyethylene. Otherwise known as #1 in recycling lingo. It is a “safe” one time use plastic.
The preservative in the other saline sprays can be quite scary. This is a great breakdown of possible additives http://www.ent-consult.com/salineadditives.html.
You can make your own nasal wash but for those that want convenience, go with Simply Saline.
Handmade Leather and Vegan Shoes
http://www.softstarshoes.com/
They offer beautiful hand made shoes that use American leather.
This means no heavy metals or formaldehyde.
They do offer vegan choices.
The size range is from infant-adult and you can customize your shoes, as well.
Product Review:
I have had a hard time fitting my little fat footed runner. Soft Star has fantastic customer service and really stands by their product. I would recommend these shoes to anyone!
