Ten Ways to Reduce Microplastic Exposure

We learned in a previous video that microplastics are all around us in the water we drink, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and the air we breathe. It’s showing up in our brains, cardiovascular system, kidneys, and even in the reproductive system, and in placentas and breast milk. This video is called “Microplastics are Everywhere“ will be referenced below. As you can see, there’s just no escaping microplastics, but we can reduce our exposure to lessen the impact on our bodies. Here are 10 ways to reduce microplastic exposure.

Use glass, steel, or ceramic containers for eating, storing food, and cooking food. In our disposable culture, we tend to eat with plastic utensils and drink from plastic and Styrofoam, even though we have plenty of stainless utensils, ceramic dishes and coffee cups, and safe containers in our cabinets. Our drive for convenience is killing us. It’s also important not to microwave foods in plastic containers because heat plus plastics only intensifies the leaching of plastics into our food. I first learned this tip from John Hopkins Medical Hospital. This well-respected medical center has been warning people about this for years. I used to use a plastic cover to microwave my food, but no more! I now microwave in glass with a glass top or a paper towel on top. What we cook our food in is also important. Glass, steel, ceramic, and iron cookware are best. My most popular video called “Choosing the Best in Healthy and Non-toxic Cookware” will be referenced below.

Filter your drinking water. Over 80 % of tap water samples tested have microplastics in them. There was a recent article about microplastics in the water in my hometown. Reverse osmosis is probably the best type of water filter to use in your home. This suggestion is your best way to reduce microplastics and other toxins in your body. We have an activated carbon whole-house water system and reverse osmosis at the sink.

Use nonplastic cutting boards. With every cut from these boards, microplastics are getting into your food. It took me a while before I realized this, but the research is clear. My video called “The Overlooked Kitchen Utensil Proven to Release Microplastics“ will be referenced in the show notes below. I went from plastic to wood overnight after researching this issue. You can also use titanium cutting boards.

Minimize the use of plastic wrap and plastic bags. If I do use a plastic sealed bag for storing homemade bread in the freezer, I wrap the bread in a paper towel or chemical-free parchment paper first. I use silicone tops with glass to store things in the refrigerator. Simply folks, I’ve gone back to good ole glass to store my pantry supply of wheat berries. When my bread is rising, I cover the loaves with cotton towels instead of plastic wrap.

Avoid plastic water bottles and plastic-lined disposable cups. In other words, simply do as the Europeans do and “mug it.” I carry these mugs or stainless-steel containers with lemon water, smoothies, and coffee and teas everywhere I go. It’s a rare day when I use a water bottle. My have things changed in my life. I used to drink from water bottles daily! Again, these water bottles leach plastics into the water, and when they are warmed by the sun, the leaching only increases. When you buy a case of water bottles, you never know how much heat that case has been exposed to. But always keep in mind that your body’s need for water is important. This means that if you get caught in a situation where you forgot to bring your own water and safe dispenser, bottled water is better than dehydration! Think about that church picnic where you were so busy getting all the food together and the kids in the car that you forgot to bring your own water.

Brew your coffee and tea in stainless steel and glass. I’ll never forget the day when my coffee brewer died, and I looked inside to see what was wrong. That’s when I realized that my coffee was being boiled and brewed in plastic! My video on this called “Unexpected Ways Plastics Enter Our Bodies” will be referenced below. Many tea bags are also made from plastic. So now I buy loose leaf tea or tea bags only made from paper. And I brew my tea in these containers.

Limit synthetic clothing. To be honest, my closet was filled with polyester and polyester and cotton mixture fabrics. Folks, polyester is another word for plastics. These synthetic fibers are actually coated in plastics. Although I did not throw out these clothes, I limit my exposure by wearing all cotton at night when I sleep and detox and intentionally wearing cotton when I work out and sweat. When washing polyester clothes, I put my washing machine on second rinse. My video called “Eight Ways to Reduce Your Toxic Exposure to Fabrics“ will be referenced in the show notes below. According to Dr. Sherri Mason, “the largest single source of microplastics in the environment is synthetic textiles.” This includes clothing, which sheds microfibers during washing.

Clean your home on a regular basis. Vacuuming and dusting can remove microplastics that collect in dust. Always use cleaning products that do not contain microplastics or toxic chemicals. This includes what you wash your clothes and laundry in. According to a study in Science Direct, microplastics are commonly found in household cleaning products including laundry detergent. There is a link below for the cleaning products that I use called Branch Basics.

After a water leak in our basement, we had to rip out the carpet and start over with another flooring. All that construction work left microplastic particles downstairs. Everyday after working, we vacuumed up all the particles including where molding and flooring was cut outside. After the entire redo was finished, I placed my portable air filtering systems in the basement to collect the residue and made sure the HVAC filters were replaced. They actually had microplastics in them.

Use plastic-free toiletries and cosmetics. It may be hard to believe, but these things can contain phthalates and parabens, which contain microplastics. These tiny plastic particles are intentionally added to products like facial scrubs, toothpaste, and makeup for exfoliation or creating a smooth texture. Ninety percent of cosmetic products contain microplastics. These plastics used in cosmetics include a wide variety range of synthetic polymers including polyethylene (PE) being one of the most common. Learn to read labels and look for paraben and phthalate-free on the labels. We must realize that 70 to 80 percent of what we put on our skin is absorbed into our bodies and is circulated throughout our body by our bloodstream.

Use a high-quality salt that contains no microplastics. What is the main source of salt—it’s the ocean. And most of our microplastics break down into smaller pieces and end up in our oceans. So check your labels and make sure the salt you’re buying is verified that it does not contain microplastics.

As I said many times before, we can’t totally avoid microplastics in our lives or in our food, but we can reduce our exposure. We live in a plastic-dominated world. When we reduce our exposure and allow our body’s filtering systems to work as God intended by staying hydrated, exercising and sweating, and eating whole foods with fiber, this allows our bodies to not take in more microplastics than we can excrete.

What ways do you plan to implement to reduce your exposure to microplastics?

View this message on YouTube:

Ten Ways to Reduce Microplastic Exposure

Related YouTube videos:

Microplastics are Everywhere

Choosing the Best in Healthy and Nontoxic Cookware

Unexpected Ways Plastics Enter Our Bodies

The Overlooked Kitchen Utensil Proven to Release Microplastics

Eight Ways to Reduce Your Toxic Exposure to Fabrics

Link to Branch Basics cleaning and laundry supplies – https://branchbasics.com/.GINNYBRANT Use code “GINNYBRANT” for discount. Be aware that using this link gives you a discount and also helps to cover the expenses of this ministry.

For Your Health,

Ginny

Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served on the front lines of American culture as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many TV and media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer and was recently awarded the First Place Golden Scrolls Award for Memoirs, a finalist in Serious Writers Book of the Decade, and Second Place in both Selah Awards for Memoirs and Director’s Choice Award for Nonfiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference. It recently received the Christian Authors Network’s (CAN) Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing for reaching 62.5 million people with a message of cancer prevention and survival. It was written with commentary from an oncologist and was featured on CBN’s Healthy Living Show, Atlanta Live, and CTN’s Homekeepers along with over 75 media outlets. Learn more and cancer and wellness prevention blog and book information at www.ginnybrant.com. Ginny is on YouTube