Skip to main content

Guest Post: Are you BPA Free?



By Angela A. Farris
BPA has been in the news for years. Articles focus on potential harm and health dangers of using products containing BPA. Should we really be worried?
BPA, or Bisphenol A, is an organic compound with properties used to produce clear durable plastics and strong hold resins. Current research reviewed by the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration found that low levels of BPA exposure could have potentially harmful effects on the brain, prostate gland, and fetuses, infants and young children.  BPA mimics the sex hormone estrogen found naturally in our bodies and can alter our hormonal balance. Disrupting this balance could affect a range of functions like reproduction, development, and metabolism. 
Individual state governments are working to ban BPA in baby bottles, but it is not currently banned on a federal level. The FDA is taking precautionary steps to reduce the exposure of BPA in our food supply and products, but BPA is here to stay (for now!).
In stores you’ll see reusable water bottles and plastic containers advertise ‘BPA-free’ prominently on the label.  If your plastic or canned good product doesn’t have this notification it likely has trace amounts of BPA. Some items in your home that might contain BPA are baby bottles, metal liners in canned food, plastic food or beverage containers, and most recyclables identified with the recycling number ‘7’.
Want to be BPA-free? Take these small easy steps to reduce your exposure:
1.       Replace plastic food containers with BPA-free containers. Try glass, stainless steel, or porcelain - not only are they BPA free; they don’t retain food stains like plastic.
2.       Re-heat leftovers on a microwave-safe plate or bowl; avoid microwaving all plastic. BPA is known to leach out of plastic when in the microwave.
3.       Try purchasing fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables versus canned goods to avoid metal can liners.
Will you take any precautionary steps to be BPA-free? 

Labels:

Comments

Ali said…
Definitely interesting, Amy! Some good thoughts & practical steps to be made on the food containers. Thank you so much for sharing!!!!
September 29, 2011 at 3:50 PM
Ask Amy said…
Thanks Ali. This post is by my guest blogger Angela Farris, a dietetic intern. Great idea and great article. Carl and I were all into this when getting bottles for Emerson. I'm sure you'll be checking all into this stuff very soon;)
September 29, 2011 at 10:09 PM
Liam Rooke said…
A great article I think people should be more aware of what BPA is and does and what to do - Thanks :)
April 8, 2014 at 4:19 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Food Trends: A note about Stevia (zero calorie sugar substitute)

We’re all on the lookout for that sugar substitute that withholds calories, tastes good, and is natural and safe.   Recently I was asked what my thoughts were on Stevia?   Well to tell you the truth I didn’t have many thoughts on the product because basically I didn’t know much about it, except that in my mind it was a zero calorie product that could be substituted for table sugar.   I put this thought in my attic with the hopes of getting more acquainted at a later time. As I get myself more familiar lets start with the derivation.   Stevia is an herb that comes from South America and has been used by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay for over 100 years.   This is advertised on the Stevia website along with a statement that it provides zero calories because the body doesn’t metabolize glycosides from the leaf or processed forms.   Essentially Stevia is absorbed by the gut and broken down into Stevol which is excreted from the body as a waste.   Th...
5 comments
Read more

Miraculous Misconceptions: Raspberry Ketones

The interwebs are abuzz about the supposedly “miraculous” Raspberry Ketone supplements. Raspberry Ketone popularity started with Dr. Oz's show in February 2012, when he nicknamed it a “miracle weight loss drug.” Some even credit Raspberry Ketones with stimulating hair growth, but for our purposes here, let’s talk about weight loss. Raspberry Ketones are derived from red raspberries. Proponents claim that the supplement will stimulate your metabolism causing weight loss. However, there are no reliable studies to prove this.   Specifically there is no scientific evidence to show how it alters metabolism to promote weight loss. There is also no scientific evidence to determine a proper dosage. If you find a study that claims otherwise, check the funding source. Most likely, that study was funded by a company who produces or funds raspberry ketone products. As far as I know, no major pharmaceutical companies are investing in Raspberry Ketone research. And it is my opinion ...
9 comments
Read more

Family Nutrition: What’s the deal with Multivitamins?

This is definitely one of my top ten questions from clients and frankly it’s a hard question because there isn’t a generic answer.   The internet and such stores as the Vitamin Shoppe and GNC continue to place a lot of focus on vitamins and minerals and some of my clients swear by their regimen.   I’ve even had some clients tell me they can tell a difference within hours of taking certain supplementations.    Since this is a subject I try to tame my responses too, I was very glad to see the article “Multivitamins, So Many Types, So Many Labels” by Melinda Beck in the Wall Street Journal published June 21, 2001.   Did you know that the multivitamin is the number one dietary supplement producing $4.8 billion back in 2008 and that one third of American’s take multivitamins religiously?   As Melinda points out there are many different varieties of multivitamins yet there is no specific formulation that specifies what a multivitamin should look like.  ...
4 comments
Read more