Avoid plastics (and a few other toxins as well)

Pregnant women should reduce the use of foods and beverages in cans and plastic containers to minimise exposure to chemicals including bisphenol A (BPA) as part of a safety-first approach.  

I wonder why these august bodies take so long to get the message - but here you have the latest recommendation from RCOG - Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in a Scientific Impact paper, launched in June 2013. They’ve actually acknowledged that while an individual chemical may not be a problem, it’s the potential cocktail (a legacy of 21st century living) that can do damage. 

But since 1978 Foresight has been recommending against the consumption of food or drinks stored in plastic. Their recommendations now span 35 years and apply in particular to the preconception period (both prospective parents) but also during pregnancy and breastfeeding. While you’re reducing your exposure to plastics, there are some other chemical toxins that you need to avoid as well. I don’t say this to alarm, just to get you thinking about a cleaner, less-toxic environment for eggs, sperm and your developing baby. Read more...

Get rid of cling wrap ... glass is good!

Another study that should steer you away from plastic water bottles and PVC cling wrap and send you off to the kitchen store for glass storage containers. Maybe you've already got a kitchen cupboard full of hoarded glass jars - well use them! 

First it was phthalates, then Bisphenol A (BPA), now it’s something called tributyltin (TBT), which is non-intentionally added substance (NIAS) found in PVC plastics. Researchers have found that exposure during pregnancy will cause obesity in three subsequent generations of mice. It seems that TBT exposure modulates critical steps in fat-building and that prenatal TBT exposure predisposes certain mouse stem cells to become fat cells. As if that’s not enough, the effects are still seen three generations along. 

Just another reason for reducing plastic exposure before conception and during pregnancy. Remember this mnemonic to help you through the plastic minefield.

4 5 1 and 2 - all the rest are bad 4U (Annie Murphy Paul - ‘Origins’)

More on plastics in both my books. Click on the images to read sample chapters.

Still can't beat storage in glass

Scientists have disputed a study associating food contact material Bisphenol A (BPA) consumption to higher risk of heart and kidney disease in children and adolescents.

Well I’m still not convinced that BPA is safe and plenty of research points to the fact that trace amounts, particularly in a child’s body, are the greatest issue. 

Remember this mnemonic to help you through the plastic minefield, be aware too that a great deal of exposure to Bisphenol A comes from the linings of cans. 

4 5 1 and 2 - all the rest are bad 4U (Annie Murphy Paul - ‘Origins’)

So organically grown, fresh whole food, prepared from scratch and stored in glass is the healthiest and safest whichever way you cut it :) More on plastic products in both my books. Click here to read sample chapters.

Healthy Parents, Healthy Baby - Your Guide to Preconception and Pregnancy

Healthy Parents, Healthy Toddler - Your Guide to Birth, Breastfeeding and the Toddler Years