Some time ago...at least a couple years now...I heard that microwaving food in plastic containers could cause cancer. I don't even remember where I heard it or read it, but whatever it was was enough for me. I immediately stopped heating food in the microwave on or in plastic. Now of course, we know so much more about the whole plastic issue, different types of plastic, leaching, BPA, and all that. Yes, some of it may be potentially safe to microwave, and yes, there's some controversy about water bottles in cars causing breast cancer and stuff, but better to be safe than sorry, I say!
Thinking about all this new information, I am amazed that my kids don't at least have a fine coating of plastic on them from all the crap they've probably ingested. My son at least, since he's been around longer...the poor kid used to drink out of BPA-full Avent baby bottles that I put directly in the microwave to warm up the water for his (non-organic!) formula *gasp!*. I think about it all the time and feel guilty that I didn't know then what I know now, and I often wonder if any of those old life-style habits had any impact on him. Like, when he throws a temper tantrum I get these crazy ideas that its because his Hamburger Helper (yuck!) was microwaved on a Star Wars plate back in the day, or when he completely covered his face with my nasty MAC lipstick that he absorbed the chemicals and it addled his brain. No, I know it didn't, but as a mom I can't help but to feel guilty and wonder.
Lucky for her, the beebs is a bit of a lower-risk kid. I nursed her till she was 14 months, and by the time she started eating regular food I think I had probably done away with most of the plastic. I hope. But then I start thinking about how I gorged myself on Hostess cupcakes while I was pregnant with her, and it starts all over again....
Well THAT'S a whole other blog. Stay with me here...
I always grocery shop with one of my BFFs. We pick out the healthiest options all over the store, pass our knowledge of ingredients back and forth, and know that if one of us is buying a particular brand that the label has been read and it is a safe choice. We are also both fully aware that the wonderful men in our lives often have to be silenced with artificially colored, flavored, or hydrogenated bribes.
The other day BFF and I were in the freezer section at Woodman's, fulfilling my husbands order for what I call 'shitty freezer food'. (What can I say...his desire for crap is strong. Or in his words 'That's why I take vitamins Bonnie, so I can eat this stuff cause it's good.') Sale labels naturally caught my eye, so BFF and I start investigating the freezer case that contains the Boston Market frozen entrees. This is relatively unfamiliar territory for both of us, and it's a bit of a novelty, so we jump right in and start making fun of it while I pick out a couple things.
BFF picks up a lovely box with a picture of gravy-smothered chicken-fried steak, perfectly crisp-tender beans, and slow-roasted potatoes. It's amazing, isn't it? That they make such wonderful, special, homemade food, pack it all up for you, and sell it for 2/$5? Oh! Be still my heart! As we stand there admiring this wonder of convenience food, she notices and proceeds to point out to me that Boston Market freezer entrees are now Eco-Friendly! Imagine our sarcasm-laced excitement.
'OOOOOH!! How CUUUUTE!!!', I gush.
She continues to read, 'NEW TRAY MADE FROM 40% LESS PLASTIC THAN BEFORE'. Wow! So, you'll die 40% slower than you would have before, sweet! Sold! I put the items in my cart, wrap up the shopping trip and take my goodies home to show my husband what I bought him.
Naturally, this starts another conversation...or more like him making fun of me...about the plastic issue. One of the many 'kooky' things I do is to take the few 'microwave in container' foods we get OUT of the container and put them on a glass plate to microwave them. Kooky, I know. And so does my husband, so there is no end to how much I get made fun of. It's ok though, he can make allll the fun he wants because little does he realize that I often switch out ingredients and add extra little healthy tidbits to his food to try and counteract all the bad stuff he consumes. Oh, whoops. I guess the cat's out of the bag. *evil grin*
When he's giving me crap, one of my husband's favorite sayings with a big eye-roll is 'you can't boil the ocean, Bonnie', jokingly insinuating that everything I do is absolutely pointless. We have a friend who insists that no matter what we do we will all die of ass-cancer, so let's all enjoy ourselves and eat shitty food and not take vitamins and not recycle so we can all die happy and unburdened and not inconvenienced in any way. Apparently, my healthy greenness is a never-ending source of entertainment for those who love to give people crap. It's ok, I can handle it. (To my husband's credit, he does take his vitamins, he does acknowledge that some of his choices are NOT good, and like the confident man he is he has no problem making fun of himself. He even suggested I photograph his microwave dinner the other night cause he knew I was going to make fun of it in this blog! What a guy.)
Well, it's past lunch time and the smells from the kitchen are making my stomach growl. No worries, I will NOT be microwaving anything on plastic. A non-GMO veggie burger on a multi-grain sandwich bun for me, please. I'll also be drinking perfectly purified water from my Shaklee Get Clean water filtration pitcher, cause it's BPA-free.
That's right; La. Dee. Da. That's how I like it.
Do me a favor though, next time you are going to microwave something in plastic...switch it to a non-plastic plate. You can make fun of me all you want but just do it, and know that at least it won't come back to bite you in the ass!
No comments:
Post a Comment