A couple of the chemicals you will want to banish from your life are the hormone disrupters BPA, and the hard to pronounce compound Phthalates. BPA can be found in lined food cans, thermal paper used by registers and in food containers. Phthalates can be found in plastic wrap, plastic food tubs and are frequently used in scents. Hormone disrupters are bad at any age, but as we gain years, our predictable endocrine systems start to slow down and in the case of women, completely change. The last thing you want to be doing is further disrupting a system in flux. There is a ton of science out there on the effects of these chemicals, all of it scary, but here is a quick read if you want to skip the dense biology. What to do?
- Use glass food containers. After some trial and error, our favorite is Glasslock. Solid, durable, good product. We like the 30oz square ones.
- Use organic cleaning products. That sickly smell in cheap dish soap? Yes, it’s bad for you.
- Perfume. This is a tough one, but we recently gave up our 15 year relationship with Helmut Lang fragrance because of this and have switched to Le Labo.
- Beware of plastic bottles. Get a glass one or a stainless steel one.
