How to Avoid Harmful BPA Plastics in your Food Supply

Personally I do not think the FDA is doing enough to control the use of  Bisphenol A (BPA), a common plastic used in baby bottles, water bottles, food packaging, other drink bottles and especially canned goods.

Should you be worried? The simple answer is Yes! And rightly so.

Canada is already on the band wagon disallowing said plastics to be used, why shouldn’t the good US of A not follow along, eh?!?

OK, now you ask, ‘why should I be any worried?’ Normally, I am not one to warn people like this, but as I lay down last night after reading an article on the subject of harmful plastics in our food while simultaneously catching the Food Network’s popular TV Show, “Food Unwrapped”, I watched the show whose topic was all things ‘orange’ and caught site of thousands of plastic bottles being filled with orange creme milk which were then fed to school children who readily drank the stuff. Yikes!

It lead me in deciding to write an article about this very subject. Immediately, I knew I should rethink what is even in my own refrigerator and what would I do to help avoid this plastic. Are these plastics well labeled that they contain BPA? No, not always…how so very nice for us unassuming consumers.

What is Bispherol A (BPA) and how does it harm us?

When the plastic bottles are exposed to boiling water for sterilization and even for pasteurization, BPA is released – and get this, can be released as much as 55 times than that of normal exposure of simply drinking from a plastic bottle that contains BPA, since the heat releases the toxins. Exposing the plastics to our dishwashers doesn’t necessarily make the cut either, as some scientists hesitate to say that this is safe, since the plastics are heated up so during the washing process.

And what does it do to our body? Frankly you really do not want to know – but it has been linked to many illnesses and diseases. Want to know a few? Obesity, diabetes, cancer, ADD, and premature onset of puberty just to name a few.

I quote, “The fear has been that exposure to BPA can cause birth defects and developmental problems. In addition, exposure to BPA has been blamed for a variety of other problems, including cancer, diabetes, obesity and attention-deficit disorder.”  – a recent article from the US News.com site (links below).

Now just think about the jump in numbers for ADD, diabetes, obesity and its correlation to the increasing use of plastics in our food supply. Hmmm, makes you think, yes? Well it should!

Here’s another quote from the NY Times: “While most of the focus is on products for children, including clear plastic bottles and canned infant formula, the chemical is also used in food-storage containers, some clear plastic pitchers used for filtered water, refillable water bottles and the lining of soft-drink and food cans.”

What seems to make the exposure or releasing of the harmful toxins greater is the heat. Scrubbing your plastic bottles makes it even worse as studies show.

Here’s another quote from the NY Times that shows you how wide its exposure hits our population…”The 2003-4 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found detectable levels of BPA in 93 percent of urine samples collected from more than 2,500 adults and children over 6.” WOW!!!! – Now you see why I was so concerned when I saw the multitude of kids drinking the orange creme milk from the plastic bottles. I am not saying that these plastic bottles that the kids were drinking from contained PBA – but do know those bottles were pasteurized with the milk in them…just saying.

How to Avoid PBA in your Food:

Start first of all to rethink how your foods are contained. Do you buy ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, salad dressing? Most of us do… switch to glass. Most of these food items are available in glass containers. You just have to look for them on your store shelves.

What about storing foods already cooked? Well – rethink that too…Check the plastic containers and bottles on the bottom…”Any product made of hard, clear plastic is probably made from polycarbonate unless the manufacturer specifically states that it’s BPA-free. One way to check is to look for the triangle stamp on or near the bottom: polycarbonate plastics should have the numeral 7 in the triangle, sometimes with the letters PC.”  – NY Times (link below)

Rethink your canned goods as well….

Plastic bottles are not your only concern…rethink your canned goods in addition…Canned Goods you ask? Yes! “While much of the focus is on plastic bottles, most human exposure occurs through the lining of canned foods. Canned beverages appear to contain less of the chemical than canned foods like soup, pasta, fruits and vegetables, which are often processed at high temperatures. Virtually every canned product, even those labeled organic, has a liner with BPA. One brand, Eden Organic Baked Beans, says it uses a BPA-free can.” – NY Times (link below)

Now before you start throwing food away, simply rethink your future purchases. Switch to fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. For storing your food, select glass, porcelain, and stainless-steel containers.

Some useful links to learn more that I think you may find of interest…

http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/080130/heating-plastic-bottles-releases-potentially-harmful-chemical.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/health/22well.html

http://www.thegreenguide.com/buying-guide/plastic-containers

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26723119/

Now that you have learned a little, to help yourself and your family more, do not be afraid to make your own soups, grow your own vegetables, eat foods in moderation and certainly always eat a large variety of foods ( i.e. don’t stick with the same thing everyday) – serve up fresh fruits and vegetables since, as studies continuously show us that these foods in particular can really help you staying as healthy as possible due to their phytochemicals and antioxidants contents being readily available.

And come to think of it, let people know about this issue, spread the word in anyway you can. The more you know, the more you are forewarned and can do something to help not only yourself, but all those you care about.

~Chef Maven

Spring Cleanup Update

St. Francis Statues - Photo by Leah Quinn

For those following my ‘adopted garden’ posts, I finally took some photos of the garden as it stands now. I am most impressed with the lilacs whose buds are finally showing, the forsythia is almost spent, and the tiger day lilies are really starting to shoot up. Ahh, the wonders of spring. I also show here the statue of St. Francis that sits square in the middle of the garden that grows around….

A friend of mine is starting their own ‘blue’ garden – so I have provided you with links to help you choose a blue garden should you too wish to have an area in your garden where only blue flowers are present – a most unusual display gives way to a most interesting arrangements in vases inside your home and office.

Blue Flower Links:
http://flowergardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_blue_flower_garden

http://www.gardening-tips-perennials.com/typesofblueflowers.html

http://www.rose-gardening-made-easy.com/types-of-blue-flowers.html

The Garden, in the beginning

I will certainly be adding some herbs and flowers which can be added to foods – cannot wait!

Have a great day all!  ~chef maven

How To Eat On A Dime

So many of us and close friends and family are feeling the pinch; the money pinch specifically more than ever. I fondly remember my mother who grew up in the Depression of the 1930’s whose comment regarding today’s economic crisis was rather simple, ‘we (Us Americans) have gone through this once before you know…there’s nothing new about trying to save money when feeding your family. You simply have to be creative’.

Now my mother was one of those who taught me much in the kitchen, whose home cooked meals mostly from scratch since I think I can only recall two or three ‘pre-made’ products in our home, the occasional Campbell’s soup can, the box of Biscuit, and the Manischevitz Split Pea Soup Mix which we would make often when there was left over ham, yeah, I know, not very kosher, then again we were not Jewish or other religion that would make eating ham a naughty thing.

But here starting with a ham, I share my tips and ideas on how to eat healthy and affordably stretching your meals into more, just by getting a little more creative and learning how certain foods can go a long way to feeding your family. Dorothy Parker probably quoted Irma S. Rombauer (Joy Of Cooking in the 1930’s) who coined the phrase; Eternity is two people and a ham. And these women were both correct, regardless of who actually came up with the phrase that still holds true today as it did in 1930’s.

But I share this with you; ham is one of those affordable meats that once cooked, can turn into a variety of dishes with a little forethought. I chose to list a main dish which then can be turned into many other dishes along with links on how to make them.

The chosen foods for today are Baked Ham and Roast Chicken.

Baked Ham Dinner – can then be turned into these favorite meals…

• Navy Bean Soup
• Quiche with ham
• Western Omelets with ham, sliced bell peppers and onions
• Pasta Carbonara or Penne a la Vodka
• Sliced Ham Sandwiches
• Ham Hash
• Grilled Cheese Sandwich with ham
• Go all out with Eggs Benedict – from the food network website

Roast Chicken can then be turned into these fine meals:

• Chicken Quesadillas with Caramelized Onions and Goat Cheese
• Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
• Chicken Soup
• Chicken Tetrazzini
• Chicken Salad – a list of their favorites from Epicurean.com

Easy and Quick Roast Jerk Chicken for Two

This is one of those super easy phenomenal tasting spicy roasted chicken dinners that takes no time to prepare. simply set it up, throw it in the oven, and voila, it’s done an hour later or less -no fuss cooking with the feel of a fine French Restaurant-looking lovely fresh roasted chicken with a jerk twist.

Ingredients:

• 1 split down the middle small chicken.
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• red chili flakes (optional – but oh so good!)
• kosher or rock salt & fresh cracked pepper
• 2 teaspoons dry jerk seasonings
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• hot preheated oven 350 degrees
• cast iron or clad skillet – or shallow pan, anything that can go into the oven.

Directions:

1. Start your oven, and set chicken skin side up in skillet or shallow pan.
2. Pour and rub olive oil over skin. Add salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, dry jerk seasonings and fresh rosemary.
3. I also place one sprig of rosemary under wing as it laid across the chicken half.
4. That’s it! Throw it into the oven, cook till internal temperature in breast/thigh reaches 165 degrees – depending upon size of bird, mine took 55 minutes.
5. Let rest out of pan on a plate before splitting in half to serve on two plates.
6. My dish shown has roasted bell peppers and potatoes that I inadvertently left in a little too long – but still had a nice bite to them.

Though the photo is not very good, my pal and I were too eager to stop long enough to set up the photo, but I assure you that it was mighty tasty!