Kicking the Cans: part 2

To read more about why I try to avoid BPA see Kicking the Cans: part 1.

I will admit right now that my home will never be 100% free of cans. At the very least I will have food storage stored in no. 10 cans (think the really big ones like restaurants use). While not all have BPA linings some do and I cannot be sure that mine don't. 

Right now I have only a few types of foods in cans. I have no. 10 cans for food storage (of course), tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, and pumpkin puree. There might also be one or two other random cans in there that never get used. I also buy canned tuna and salmon on occasion. Or at least did. I am still debating on that one. On the one hand I do not want the BPA exposure and can just use fresh/frozen versions. On the other hand, these versions are more expensive and using canned allows me to buy more produce/whole grains.

That is one of the problems with giving up canned goods: weighing the cost vs health benefits. But to be honest,  that is something I and many other people weigh on a weekly basis when they are doing their grocery shopping. Should I buy the 3-for1 frozen pizzas for dinner or make something using fresh/whole ingredients? It is the reason I haven't given up my canned tomatoes (which are particularly bad because their acidity causes the BPA to leach out faster). I've been buying my organic canned tomatoes from Costco because they are a great price for organic (some say that it doesn't make sense to buy organic if you are buying in BPA lined cans, but if I am going to be buying canned anyway, one bad thing is better than two, right?) but after I run out of my stockpile I will not be buying canned anymore.*

So what will I be doing instead? Using fresh or frozen. I have big plans of growing lots of tomatoes this summer (I have seeds started) and will freeze and can those (yes, canning lids have BPA but if done correctly they do not come in contact with the food...and besides, it is better than nothing!). 

Another alternative is to buy tomatoes in tetra pak containers or glass jars. But these two have one big issue - price. These alternatives can be expensive. Tetra paks can also be difficult to recycle and many states do not offer recycling for these shelf-stable containers. Glass jars will probably be what I buy when I must. Coupons can be sought out and combined with a sale (though it is important to check the label to see what is added!) to bring the price down. The jars can then be washed and reused over and over for storage. 

I got rid of canned fruit and vegetables a long time ago and do not regret it. First of all, I do not want to use these on a regular basis anyway because canning causes the produce to lose many important nutrients. I instead choose fresh and frozen. I do plan on canning my own produce this summer, though, so I will have it for shelf stable food storage. Or for whenever my craving for peach cobbler hits and I have no time do not want to wait to thaw peaches :)

As for my canned pumpkin, I plan on roasting a bunch this fall to freeze. Roasting a pumpkin is easy and I can freeze the result in amounts that are convenient for me (many times I do not need a whole can of pumpkin). This will result in less waste, too. 

While cans are very convenient, I do feel that limiting our use of them is important to our health. Not to mention the fact that many alternatives to the cans are much more earth friendly as even recycling is not a perfect process (think growing your own food, reusable glass jars, freezing in reusable containers).    

* The demand for BPA free products has caused the industry to reevaluate the linings of their cans and there are now several options available. Check these two links to see which companies and which of their products are available BPA free. For instance, Eden Foods beans are BPA free (NOT the tomatoes) and Muir Glen started packaging their tomatoes in BPA free cans on their last harvest. It also appears that Trader Joes has BPA free packaging for their beans, corn, beef, poultry, and fish (!), though I think I would like to contact the company myself to get a definite answer on that one. While this is good to know for when we need convenience, in the long run I think that limiting cans is still the best way to go. It also ensures that we will not learn in a few years that the alternative is not much better (don't you hate when that happens?). 

So what do you think? Have you eliminated cans already? Do you think you will you limit their use in the future? 

Teach By Example

Children are so...impressionable. They are very observant and though they definitely have personalities all their owns, their actions can be easy to shape as they must watch the people around them to try to figure out what is right and wrong.

Take the kid for example. He really likes to open the refrigerator and stand in front of it, surverying its contents while he decides what he wants to eat. Even though his options are generally fruit and cheese so it isn't very hard; I guess maybe he thinks I'm holding out on something else. Anyway. Of course this behavior is not allowed as we try to discourage having the refrigerator open needlessly and remind him to shut the refrigerator door.

Well last night I opened the refrigerator door to get the kid some grapes and left it, including the produce door, wide open while I got them ready. Well the kid was having none of that. He knew exactly what to do and walked up, shut the produce and  refrigerator doors, then looked at me with a big smile, waiting for approval. He definitely got it.

He has actually done this before but it never really dawned on me that he is watching me. He is watching my moves and my choices so he can make his. He is not quite two so he is still trying to figure the world out a little more than, say, a 10 year old would be, but the idea is the same. If there is a behavior you would like to implement or change, let the first change be in yourself. Whether that be eating a better alternative or not using plastic bags at the grocery store, sometimes the best way to teach is to simply act. To teach by example.

Kicking The Cans: part 1

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No, this blog post is not about a fun and thrifty game to play with the kids. It is about getting rid of BPA laden cans. A post on reducing our can reliance has been on my mind for months now, for various reasons. Months ago I started to end my reliance on canned goods because 1) most foods you buy in them lose nutritional value in the canning process and 2) because even though I recycle them, there is still lots of wasted resources involved. I was finally given the big push to get it written after seeing article after article posted by my friends on Facebook (by the way, have you liked Green & Thrifty yet?) on the dangers of BPA. Not that the dangers of BPA were anything new to me. Before I get more into this, let me briefly explain what BPA is.

"Bisphenol A (BPA) is a an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic resins, epoxy resins, and other products." It can be found in numerous products around us such as CDs, DVDs, receipts, canned food and drink linings, cars, and food storage containers. It has been thoroughly tested since the 1960's and recognized as safe for use, with the EPA's safe level being much higher than human exposure. ¹ 

That all sounds well and good except that for years many researchers have shown that BPA does have potential risks as the chemical can leach out from the lining of containers and other products. This is of particular concern when food is involved.  BPA mimics estrogen in our bodies and has been linked to numerous health issues such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, low sperm count, and neurobehavioral issues. ² 

And just this year the FDA and other agencies have even expressed concern about the potential health risks:

But the National Toxicology Program at the Department of Health and Human Services says it has "some concern" about the possible health effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children. This level of concern is midway on its five-level scale, which ranges from serious to negligible. The Food and Drug Administration now shares this level of concern and is taking steps to reduce human exposure to BPA in the food supply by finding alternatives to BPA in food containers. ³  

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 The problem is that BPA is all around us. According to the Centers for Disease Control it is in "almost 95% of us."  ⁴  But while we can't avoid BPA completely there are steps we can do to reduce our exposure including eating out less and switching to stainless steel or glass food and drink containers. For more ways see How to reduce BPA Levels by 60% in 3 Days and Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to BPA.

Many people wonder what the point to trying to avoid BPA is if there is no way to avoid it all together. Well there is no way to avoid death, but I'm pretty sure most of us do not spend our days jumping in front of moving buses. Okay, that comparison may be a little extreme, but just because I cannot do everything doesn't mean I shouldn't do anything. It is true that there are thousands of toxins all around us that we are exposed to that we can't do anything about. And it is for that very reason that I try to reduce the toxins and other "bad stuff" that we are exposed to that I do have control over. Whether that be the food we eat or the toys the kid plays with.

...to be continued with how I am reducing my home's reliance on canned goods


Sources:

1) Bisphenol A: Bisphenol A Frequently Asked Questions 

2) BodyEarth.net: BPA and Canned Tomatoes

3) Mayoclinic.com: What is BPA, and what are the concerns about BPA?

4) Safer Chemical Healthy Families: How to Reduce BPA Levels By 60% in 3 Days

Blog Makeover

If you have started reading my blog in the last few days nothing may be new to you, but over the past week or so I have been working hard to change the appearance of Green & Thrifty to be more user-friendly. Other than the most obvious change of a completely new background, I also spent time categorizing all my unlabeled posts (easy, but tedious) and trying to find the best arrangement for my sidebars. Oh, and I worked on the pages at the top to hopefully make this blog more helpful. I do not want Green & Thrifty to only be about me, I want to be able to inspire others and help them on their frugal, natural adventures. So hopefully now I am better able to do that!


What do you think of the changes?