Plastic containers, ziploc bags, plastic water bottles. Are you using any of these regularly? If yes, then you might be ingesting the equivalent of a credit card of plastic a week, according to this 2019 study by WWF International.
Microplastics may be tiny, but they are a big problem — even bigger than you may have thought. In a previous study, researchers found traces of microplastics in every single organ from people who had passed away. This is one of the first pieces of evidence we have that microplastics can persist in our bodies.
Why should you remove plastic use in your kitchen?
Even though the body has the necessary tools to flush out microplastics naturally, it is not bulletproof. As you age, your body’s ability to remove toxins naturally declines. This is especially true, if there’s a constant supply of plastics coming through the digestive tract. That’s why limiting exposure to plastic is important. It gives your body a break and could give it enough time to clear out whatever excess there may be.
Imagine eating lego sushi, credit card burgers, or a well-done steak of PVC pipe. These examples may sound extreme, but can easily represent over time the cumulative amount of microscopic pieces of plastic people consume every day.
Malcolm Hudson, a professor of environmental science at the University of Southampton, says that most research has been done on these microplastics, but there are increasing amounts of even smaller particles called nanoplastics in the environment that are far more difficult to detect, which we are likely ingesting as well.
“It could pass into our blood or lymphatic system and end up in our organs,” said Hudson. “Those plastic particles are little time bombs waiting to break down small enough to be absorbed by wildlife or by people and then potentially have harmful consequences.”
How much plastic are you eating?
Pieces of plastic straws weighing 0.7g, the equivalent of the amount of plastic that someone could eat in one day.
Plastic buttons weighing 5g, equivalent to the amount of plastic that someone could eat in one week.
Plastic cards weighing 7g, equivalent to the amount of plastic that someone could eat in 10 days.
Lego bricks weighing a total of 22g, which the equivalent of the amount of plastic that someone could eat in one month.
Plastic caps weighing 62g, which is equivalent to the amount of plastic that someone could eat in three months.
Plastic toy beads weighing 125g, equivalent to the amount of plastic that someone could eat in six months.
A face shield and a pair of plastic goggles used to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease, weighing 151g, which is equivalent to the amount of plastic that someone could eat in eight months.
A plastic safety helmet weighing 248g, which is equivalent to the amount of plastic that someone could eat in one year.
Plastic ropes and plastic pipes weighing 510g, which is equivalent to the amount of plastic that someone could eat in two years.
A plastic pipe weighing 1kg, the equivalent of the amount of plastic that someone could eat in four years.
Various plastic goods weighing 1.3kg, which is equivalent to the amount of plastic that someone could eat in five years.
Various plastic goods weighing 3.15kg, which is equivalent to the amount of plastic that someone could eat in 10 years.
Various plastic goods weighing 6.8kg, which is the equivalent to the amount that someone could eat in 27 years.
And over a lifetime, a person could consume approximately 20 kg (44 lb) of microplastic.
How to flush out plastic byproducts
To eliminate BPS, BPA, and other plastic residues from the body, one must first and foremost, make sure your gut is not leaking! A healthy gut microbiome will breakdown toxins into inert substances.
The second most important thing you can do is consume lots of salads. The best gut bacteria just happen to like the healthiest foods.
A large salad with 15 different vegetables and herbs will chelate toxic chemicals from the body while providing key nutrients, such as fiber and minerals, which are needed to support a healthy, diverse microbiome.
Detoxifying plastic or anything else is done best with raw, fresh vegetables. Garlic, parsley, cilantro, and many other foods show promising chelation properties, but their effects alone are weak. The trick is to combine many healthy foods and eat them regularly.