Are There Toxins in Your Food Packaging?

Food packaging can be the source of some pretty toxic players :
Styrofoam, also known as styrene in the chemical industry, is a known carcinogen…which means that it’s been shown to cause cancer in animal studies
Animal studies are used to study a single chemical’s effects… because their diet, lifestyle, and other exposures can be easily controlled…humans not-so-much!
Look for the recycling codes on the bottom…it’s the triangle on the bottom of food packaging with a number…6 is styrene, 3 is vinyl, and 7 has bisphenol-A… these chemicals are also endocrine system “disrupters”, and can affect normal/ appropriate hormone signaling (e.g., insulin, thyroid, fertility, cancer risk)
Try to avoid food and drinks in these food packaging materials whenever possible (it ain’t easy!)
For take-out food, consider bringing your own container that’s stainless steel or glass! Our favorite Indian food restaurant will fill up our stainless steel insulated container…you just have to ask
At home, stick to glass and stainless steel and ditch the plastic Tupperware and non-stick pans…it’s pretty easy to swap!

For more info/tips/hacks on reducing harmful chemicals in your life, click here for TheSmartHuman.com