Going Green in the Kitchen

Chemicals and toxins enter our bodies easily, through the air we breathe, absorbed via our skin, or ingested through our food and water supplies. They quietly -- and sometimes not so quietly -- build up inside our bodies, lodging in our organs, bones and blood stream, greatly effecting our health and well being over time. In fact, the World Health Organization says that 90 percent of disease can be connected to toxins in our environment.

Recent research and case studies show that many items we have bought and used in our homes over the years are not as safe as we may once have thought. For more than 20 years, I have tried to reduce the amounts of chemicals and toxins that my family are being exposed to.

If you are keen to save some money this year, help our planet out, reduce toxins and chemicals from your personal living space, and go a little greener then a great place to start is in your kitchen. Plastics are one man-made product that I am aiming to eliminate as much as possible from our home, particularly in the kitchen and in school lunch boxes. Made from petroleum, plastic can leach many extremely harmful toxins such as Bisphenol A (BPA), which is getting a lot of press at the moment particularly in relation to babies bottles.

The main focus with these six suggestions for the kitchen is to replace a plastic product with a greener, more eco-friendly option.

1. Use a wooden chopping board. I prefer bamboo, because it is an ecologically attractive alternative to other woods. It grows much more quickly than other hardwoods, absorbs very little moisture, and will not shrink or swell. Surprisingly, it is also harder that most woods, making it a superior material for use in cutting. The best part is that one side of a bamboo cutting board can be used for cutting and the other for serving.

2. Switch from a plastic kettle to a stainless steel one. I’ve opted for a stainless steel kettle, which may not be as pretty looking as the colourful and cheaper plastic kettles, but its a health choice I am very happy with.

3. Use glass baby bottles. This is particularly important one for mothers with young children or anyone about to have children. Plastic baby bottles have been the popular choice for many years. Now with recent research, evidence suggests that glass bottles are a safer and healthier product. (Tiffany over at Nature Moms last suggests some great alternatives to plastic baby bottles.)

4. Switch your plastic storage containers to glass. It may take some time to switch all of your plastic storage containers over to ceramic, glass, or stainless steel, but its definitely worthwhile. Glass is obviously a wiser choice for the planet ,as it can easily be recycled and does not take hundreds of years to break down like plastic.

5. Save money and the planet by cleaning with natural products. Use eco-friendly cotton cleaning cloths and dry items in direct sunlight to disinfect them. Use lemon juice dissolve soap scum and hard water marks. Make your own all-purpose cleaner by mixing together equal amounts of white vinegar (a natural deodorizer) and water in a spray bottle; use it to wipe clean hard surfaces. (I also add lavender essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil or Tea Tree oil -- Eucalyptus and Tea tree oil have antibacterial properties). You can attack stubborn stains using a paste made of three parts baking soda and one part water; spread it on to the stain leave it for one to two hours.

6. Swap your cooking utensils over to bamboo or stainless steel. Natural bamboo cooking utensils have no artificial colours or coatings that can leach into your foods. Your rolling pin, BBQ utensils, mixing bowls, and kitchen cooking utensils can all be swapped over to the natural, eco-friendly, very durable bamboo versions. Many asian grocery stores carry bamboo products, and you can also find them online at Amazon.com and other places.

About the Author: A writer, passionate blogger, traveler and work at home mother of three fabulous boys. Aiming to live life as happily, inspirationally and simply as possible.