You already know that there are tons of damaging and dangerous things such as pesticides, carcinogenic additives, chemical dyes and fillers made from unappetizing ingredients such as wood, yes wood, found in packaged and processed foods. But the real hidden danger is what the food is shipped in and stored in. New research has found that by simply getting rid of these packages as quickly as you can, you can bring yourself and your family nearly immediate health benefits.
Are you aware of the dangers linked to use of the toxic chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), found in polycarbonate plastic food containers? These also include bottled water and takeout food containers. How bad is BPA in packaging? It is linked to breast and prostate cancer and even early puberty.
The question you may be asking is since you have been exposed to BPA all your life are you doomed to get cancer? The Breast Cancer Fund and Silent Spring Institute (both San Francisco-based organizations focused on environmental causes of breast cancer) conducted a study to measure how dangerous these packages are, specifically zeroing in on how quickly and meaningfully the BPA levels in the body decline when people stop eating or drinking foods packaged in BPA containers.
As part of their study, the Breast Cancer Fund and Silent Spring Institute enrolled five families, each consisting of two parents and two children, who had regularly consumed prepackaged, processed foods and drinks in cans, frozen dinners, bottled water and foods designed to be microwaved in their own containers. Then, for three days, these families were presented with fresh, organic food cooked by the research team and stored only in glass or stainless steel containers. To measure the direct and immediate impact of the change, researchers collected urine samples from all participants before, during and after the diet.
The Results
After just three days, everyone’s BPA level fell, with an average drop of two-thirds. BPA has a half-life of six hours in your body, notes Connie Engel, PhD, program coordinator at The Breast Cancer Fund. This means that six hours following exposure, half of what you’ve taken in is eliminated. When the families resumed their normal diets, their BPA levels returned to pre-intervention levels by the next urine sample.
These findings were published in March in the online journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Make the Right Choice to Be Healthy Now
As part of your “Lean and Green Meal” and your maintenance plan with Medifast, make the smart choices on how you consume food, store your food and heat your food. It isn’t enough to eat the right foods, you also have to be mindful how it is shipped, stored and heated too. This study demonstrates that we all can quickly lower our own BPA levels by making basic changes in what we eat and drink. Such as:
- Buy whole foods and carry them home in paper bags.
- Do not microwave in plastic, even if it is labeled “microwave-safe”! Heat raises BPA levels in plastic, upping the health hazards. Instead, microwave food in glass or ceramic containers.
-Consider switching to a French press coffeemaker. Typical coffeemakers may contain traces of BPA and other toxins in the bin that holds the coffee filter and coffee. These grow more concentrated when heated.
- Kick the cans. Avoid canned foods except those that are in BPA-free cans, such as from Eden Foods, Vital Choice, Oregon’s Choice and Trident Seafoods.
- Watch out for the kids. Developing children are at even greater risk for harm from BPA. Use glass baby bottles or BPA-free plastic bottles. For older children, get stainless steel lunch boxes instead of plastic.
Be proactive, greatly reduced the levels of BPA in your foods and containers and you should notice an increase in your health.
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