Are You Eating Plastic?

Are you eating plastic? Back in the fifties, when I was a child, melamine tableware came in, and everyone was excited about the idea of unbreakable plates and getting the latest in tableware. I recall that we had a set of red and black melamine plates. We also had brightly-coloured plastic mugs that made our milk and juice taste of plastic.

Today, we know better what a bad idea that was. Indeed, a paper recently published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society indicated that exposure to plastics is a major contributor to disease burden in the US. From the womb on, plastics are deteriorating our health. Plastics contain endocrine disruptors that disturb our body’s natural balance. Examples of diseases that result from these disruptors include intellectual disability due to intrauterine exposure, low birth weight, childhood obesity, testicular cancer, adult obesity, diabetes, endometriosis, infertility, gestational diabetes, hypothyroidism, breast cancer, kidney cancer and heart disease.

The answer to such pervasive exposure needs to come at a systemic level. And in March 2022, UN member states agreed to work together to end global plastic pollution. By the end of this year, we should be seeing a global plastics treaty that will tackle the problem at its source.

In the meantime, do everything you can to limit your personal exposure. Remove plastic from your kitchen. Don’t use plastic utensils; store your food in glass. Wrap items in foil, or better still, in reusable beeswaxed cotton food wraps. Don’t drink from plastic bottles or cups; use metal or glass. Never microwave food in plastic.

Canned food is another place where plastic components, namely BPA, get into our food. According to leafscore.com, you should be safe using canned foods from brands such as Amy’s, Wild Planet, Muir Glen, Eden Foods and Trader Joe’s.  The shocker to me was that Whole Foods is not at all transparent about which products are canned or packaged with BPA. So, limit your canned foods from them.

While the topic of plastics isn’t covered in the Ayurvedic texts for obvious reasons, there is tremendous knowledge about toxicology, especially about chronic poisoning. And a panchakarma cleanse may be of great help in dislodging and removing endocrine disruptors from the body.

https://academic.oup.com/jes/article/8/2/bvad163/7513992?login=true

https://www.leafscore.com/grocery/best-companies-selling-bpa-free-canned-goods/

   Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.

Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!