This post will complete my series of blogs on toxic chemicals in our environment. After reading all the bad news, if you are still with me you must ask:What to do? Is there a solution? No, there is NO SOLUTION. There are many solutions! (It is pretty long and I probably should have put it into several blogs but I am pretty busy and my fingers just kept typing!)
These are solutions that come to my mind and solutions that our extended family has made over the decades with new “solutions” added as needed. You are welcome to google the net for additional ones but these are the paths we have chosen in our family and are derived primarily from our own experience.They are laid down in no particular order and may seem repetitive.
1. FIRST and FOREMOST. If you fear the health effects of plastic and the associated chemicals. STOP USING PLASTIC. Every suggestion follows from this single golden rule.
2. . Don’t buy anything in plastic or wrapped in plastic. Ok I get it. In a plastic contaminated world that can seem impossible especially if you are dependent upon an industrial civilization for most of your needs. But start somewhere. Maybe you can reduce it 50% and go from there. Some food items wrapped or shipped in plastic are probably fine from a toxicity dosage standpoint like frozen meats or vegetables and fruits with a peel or dry goods of all types. Do not buy liquids if possible because the chemicals from some kinds of plastic can leach out and some are relatively safe. I know which ones based on research I have done . Do your own due diligence. There are types of plastic which don’t shed bisphenols or phthalates or PFAS for example like PE or HDPE. Most of the toxic chemicals arise from improper disposal such as in landfills which leach the chemicals into the ground water or air.
3. . Do not heat anything in plastic, EVER. Especially in a microwave. Do not place plastic film over foods in a microwave. Parchment paper or butcher paper works just fine.
4. Do not buy any food or beverage which has spent significant time in plastic.
5. Never buy water in plastic bottles. Bring your own tap water with you or buy bottled water in BOTTLES. That is why it was called bottled water!
6. Grow your own food or get it from someone who does, preferably grown organically. On our little farm we have always had gardens and pastures and we grow most of our food, make all of our compost, all of our soil. Fruits don’t grow in Wyoming and we don’t consume a lot of fruits because most are heavily dosed with pesticides and herbicides. If you can’t grow your own food or find someone who can for you, maybe you should move.
7. No Teflon or similar PFAS chemical pots and pans and implements. Teflon is a PFAS. Teflon is used in things besides pots and pans so educate yourself, in some lids for example. Use CAST iron, SS, ceramic,plain steel or glass or enamel over steel. They have unlimited life and improve over the decades.
8. Eschew synthetic fabrics. Wool, Cotton,Flax, linen,silk have worked for 10,000 years.The plastic polymers like the polyesters and fleece may not transfer anything to your skin directly but when laundered shed micro plastics into the environment and water supply as micro and nanoplastics. When I got rid of all my polyester clothes I burned them in our wood stove. They should not be recycled to other innocent folks. As an aside I believe the only way to dispose of most all(but not all) plastics is to burn them in a very efficient airtight EPA certified stove without a catalytic converter. VERY high heat is the sine qua non. Never use a burn barrel.
9. Never use disposable diapers. Always and only cotton diapers. My wife always used a diaper service with our children and ditto my daughter with hers. OK, buy some Pampers if you have to do a trip. Disposable diapers are really hard to remove from the environment. Ask my Pacific Energy wood stove what she thinks of plastic diapers.
10. Avoid almost all household cleaners and detergents and stain removers. If the label says “miracle” run don’t walk away! PFAS and similar compounds are part and parcel of cleaning agents and detergents whether to clean dishes, clothes, your hands or automobile engines. Good luck with this recommendation. The only true soap I am aware of is Ivory hand soap as well as Dr Bronners liquid. These are the only soaps I will use on my body. The list of ingredients in for example a clothes detergent box takes up most of the box and nowhere does it say there is or was PFAS used in its manufacture but you can be pretty sure it’s there. This goes for most products from our chemical industrial economy. If you simply cannot avoid their occasional use, reduce the amount radically. IF the Tide box says use ½ cup, try ¼ cup or an 1/8 cup. I assure you it will clean about as well. If you see suds, you used too much. Your washing machine will thank you. These chemicals are hard on the innards of washing machines as my plumber once told me. Research clothes and dish cleaners and there are lots of suggestions including baking soda,vinegar, boarates and others.
11. Avoid most cosmetics or personal care items unless you can verify by an independent assay that it has only benign ingredients. PFAS chemicals abound in cosmetics as well as other toxic chemicals. Most toothpaste has micro plastic granules as polishing and cleaning agents. Read the label. The ingredient will say “toothpaste.” Informative. MY dad always used Baking soda or tooth powder. I use Baking soda and a water pic and only rarely use floss. FLOSS and PFAS are married to each other. There is a particular PFAS that does wonders for your skin leaving it smooth and soft and glossy. If there is PFAS in a product , rubbing it into your skin will allow rapid absorption into your body. If you are pregnant it will be in your fetus in a New York minute to do damage and bio accumulate. If you are pregnant or trying to be pregnant, be especially mindful because a dose that might pose little risk to you can pose great and prolonged damage to a growing embryo especially in the first 3 or 4 months of gestation. Assume any and all personal and skin care products are harmful and that includes, nail polish mascara, lipstick,rouge, powders, deodorants, conditioners and shampoos, sunscreens and insect repellents and some perfumes. Do your own research. Make your own cosmetics.
12. Hunt or fish for your own meat or if you are out of ammo and worms then raise your own as we do. In our 5 freezers right now we have our Berkshire pigs, Lamb, pork bellies, and a wide variety of wild game and wild caught fish. Our domestic beef and lamb is 100% grass fed to increase Omega 3’s and decrease Omega 6’s. We have halibut, cod and salmon from a co-op in Alaska. (We formerly fished commercially for salmon and Halibut in the Gulf of Alaska.) We have always had chickens and haven’t bought feedlot eggs in many decades. It is possible to increase beneficial fatty acids like Omega 3’s in your eggs if you really allow them to graze on pasture and also consume insects. We feed them leafy greens like lettuce, spinach and kale in season and all our table scraps. The favorite food of our chickens is turkey and chicken! Buy only raw unpasteurized milk. We no longer milk Daisy, our affectionate Jersey cow but buy from a friend who has a Jersey herd. I make my own butter if we have enough cream and from the butter I make Ghee and clarified butter as well as yoghurt and buttermilk. When we have pigs to raise we feed them a lot of spoiled milk and dairy from a local recycler and it does wonders for the taste of the meat. Danish Hams for example have a diet rich in milk and dairy. I consider commercial milk swill, fit only for pigs.
13. Do not buy any plastic toys and especially old plastic toys. Teething rings are the poster child of pediatric plastic poison Old plastic toys should be incinerated as they are loaded with Bisphenols and phthalates. Do not send them to the landfill. Avoid letting children play on playgrounds covered with plastic padding or artificial turf. Phthalates, bisphenols and micro-nanoplastics are in the dust and can be inhaled. Most especially avoid recycled plastics. Some of the compounds used to recycle them are worse than the parent virgin plastic. Some recycled plastics end up in children’s toys. There should be a special place in hell for the companies that did that.
14. Avoid plastic school supplies if possible.(I can hear you groaning from here!) Why use a plastic marker if you can use a wooden pencil?
15. Avoid entirely all use of herbicides, pesticides growth promoters, fungicides, rodenticides. If this isn’t obvious to you by now, you haven’t been paying attention. Roundup for example has a myriad of ingredients besides glyphosate and one scientific article I read said it has 8 of 10 of the characteristics of a EDC(endocrine disrupting chemical. Have you seen any bees lately, cleaned any insects off your windshield? 70% of insects are gone. Seen any insect eating birds besides robins?
16. If you live near an airport or military base or old industrial chemical site and have a well you may have water contaminated with PFAS or other chemicals. Test the water. New tests are available for most chemicals. It is possible to remove many compounds like PFAS with a commercial Reverse Osmosis or ion exchange unit. Many have activated carbon filters attached. Test the water after install and if its still there plan on moving especially if children are present in your household. Good luck selling the house.
17. Avoid synthetic carpets which have been loaded with PFAS, especially all the old ones. Incinerate them. Newer wall to wall carpets are said to have no or reduced dirt and water and stain repellent chemicals. They may have something even worse. Expensive wool carpets like Persian carpets with a low weft are a nice expensive substitute. Critters like skin mites and allergenic dusts live in all carpets. Our family has always had throw rugs or braided cotton rugs here and there especially near doors. Wooden floors of course and only wooden floors. Ok our bathrooms have ceramic tile. We use oil based poly on the floors done every 10 years or more and move out of the house for the week it takes to cure. Varnishes, epoxys and many paints are loaded with PFAS. I know. That is why we go on vacation for a week every 10 years.
18. Avoid buying or driving in new cars. Buy only used cars. New cars interiors are all plastic which you can smell especially on a hot day. The plastic outgases and condenses on the inside of the windshield and on the inside of your lungs. This diminishes with age and our 25-40 yr old cars and trucks seem to have no odor whatever. My old Toyotas and Mercedes diesels are mostly leather . Cloth interiors are of course preferable to plastic. If you have to impress the Jones at least drive with your windows open for the first 5 or 10 years! If you use cleaning agents on the inside of your vehicle, the agents may be more toxic than the plastic.
19. Get rid of all plastic food containers. Burn them or send them to the garage to store screws and bolts. Store all food only in Glass, ceramic, steel or aluminum. We use ½ and 1 gallon Ball jars. All cups are ceramic, glass or metal. We have a few Tupperware cups for the grandkids who tend to drop things.
20. Avoid using any disposable anything EVER unless you take it home and incinerate it.
21. Because the route of ingress for many chemicals comes through food it is now time to address that most important of all strategies. My opinions are derived from my own observation and on the work of some amazing researchers like Dr Robert Lustig and his friends and associates. Casey and Calley Means along with RFK are currently beating the drums about the metabolic syndrome and the obesity epidemic especially in children. Pay attention to their message even if you don’t favor their politics. Youtube is a good source as well as their excellent books which I have covered previously in this and other blogs I am a retired doctor with an interest in diet and health and I can claim some level of expertise but educate yourself and use your own talents. Starting simple my advice is make and prepare your own foods from fresh ingredients in your own kitchen as often as you can. Make meals the same as grandma made as Michael Pollan says. For god’s sake bake your own bread. We make 4 loaves every 2-4 wks and have for 3 decades or more. I avoid takeout and restaurants except on special occasions and never I mean NEVER eat fast food. Never. Did I say Never? There are a few chains which are exceptions and you can figure out which ones. Most serve fast garbage.
22. Avoid Sugar if at all possible with the exception of Dextrose(glucose). There is no such thing as a healthy artificial sweetener.If you consume sugar in any other form you should limit yourself to 25 gm/day/adult. Less for children A tbsp is about 12 gm and a tsp about 4. This means honey, maple syrup, molasses as well as others. Table sugar is a synthetic compound of 50%glucose and 50% fructose. The bad guy in this story is the fructose molecule which is toxic in large amounts and ends up just in fat and in your liver. Glucose goes everywhere else .See my older blogs or folks like Bob Lustig for the details. Fructose is one of the root causes of the Metabolic syndrome which encompasses a constellation of diseases like Diabetes, hypertension, Insulin resistance,dyslipidemias, fatty liver disease, dementia and cardiovascular disease among others. The metabolic degradation pathway of fructose is identical to alcohol which should tell you something. To my amazement even the federal government is advising keeping sugar to 25-50 gm a day.
23. Your next problem is avoiding sugar in purchased foods. Some studies have said that it is in 60-70% of processed and grocery store foods. It is there by design of the Big Food companies and the fast food and sugared beverages industry and It is there because it is addictive, If it’s addictive, it’s profitable. Throw in some salt and now you are hooked. You should also avoid cakes and cookies and pies except in moderation. I will give you a little tip. I eat cakes and cookies and pies on occasion but I sweeten with glucose and sometimes some brown sugar or honey. Glucose is not very sweet and sometimes you have to cheat a little. You will need to purchase it in 50 lb sacks from places like beer supply stores or Amazon. The small quantities in grocery stores are too expensive. If you want your pancakes to brown you also have to add a little sugar. That is the Maillard reaction. More on that maybe later.
24. Absolutely never EVER buy or consume soft drinks. The amount of fructose in them is huge especially in the worst offenders like Mountain Dew. It will fatten your liver, wreck your waistline and rot your teeth. Look up “Mountain Dew Mouth.”Even big companies like Coca Cola and Monster energy drinks have our chemical friend, Bisphenol, the potent endocrine disruptor in the cans. Use bottles whenever possible. Also drink fruit juices in moderation if at all. Most are loaded with fructose. Eat fruit instead because the fiber in the fruit is the antidote to the fructose. Dried fruits have concentrated fructose especially things like dates and raisins. Never give fruit juice to babies! I should reinforce a point I have made earlier because this whole obesity epidemic/metabolic syndrome requires a systems analysis. Many of the chemical poisons I have mentioned affect adipocytes and promote increasing size and fat deposition which juxtaposes perfectly with fructose overload. The two are synergistic. Also keep in mind this whole dietary/ chemical disaster is NEW. In the past six or seven decades. Look at movies from the 30’s and 40’s and tell me how many fat people you see. Also how many plastic things do you see?
25. Add fiber to your diet, both the soluble kind and the insoluble kind like in celery. Appropriate amounts of fiber promote gut health. Fiber is the preferred food for your gut bacteria. If you don’t feed your biome bacteria they may start to feed on you! On your gut lining. Scanty or absent amounts of fiber cause leaky gut syndrome where the stuff in your gut( essentially, manure!) can leak out through the membrane walls into your blood. Many researchers think that leaky gut is behind the rise in autoimmune diseases because your body’s immune system attacks what’s leaking out and with the right conditions starts attacking the host. That’s you, Bob. A benefit of eating whole fruit and fibrous vegetables is that it reduces fructose getting into the portal circulation to the liver and sends it down the pipe to the porcelain throne.
26. There are industrial poisons available out there besides in plastics, pesticides pots and pans and cosmetics. No longer are they confined to those industrial sites ringed by railroad tracks along the river. They are right in your neighborhood. Your big box grocery stores. Go in any Krogers or Safeway or Walmart and you will see whole aisles devoted to sugar saturated breakfast cereals and industrial oils ready for the plucking. Take seed oils for example. There are a host of them. The first oils used in the engine invented by Rudolph Diesel was vegetable oil. Rudolph designed it to use mineral oil which was in short supply but found it ran fine on peanut oil, castor oil, and rapeseed oil. The Japanese battleship Yamamoto was said to be powered with soybean oil. I once ran one of my Mercedes diesels on spoiled olive oil and it ran fine and smelled like a good salad. There are problems with seed oils. One problem is how they are made. You can get wonderful and healthy oils by pressing them, called expeller pressing, and the oil flows out. Just filter it. This works fine with products like olives, avocados, coconut and palm oils. Not so fine with soybeans or sunflowers, corn or rapeseed . Ah……Rapeseed…such a horrible name. It had to be renamed to try to sell it and the folks north of the border rebranded it CANOLA (Canada)oil which was initially promoted as a “healthy” oil. Most of the industrial seed oils are anything but. In order to extract them the boys in the lab had to use a lot of heat and chemical solvents, centrifuging them along with adding other substances to yield a clear liquid which goes into plastic bottles. The lab boys had to use clever marketing to peddle their oils because most of these seed oils are easy to grow in prodigious quantities on the vast croplands of North America and Canada. They used terms like “polyunsaurated”(=good) instead of saturated(=bad). We know now that was inaccurate. But there was a kernel of truth in it. Most of these seed oils have a large amount of Linoleic Acid which happens to be one of the “essential” fatty acids which our bodies need for good nutrition. Essential means that our bodies cannot make Linoleic acid, a potent Omega 6 fatty acid. You need Omega 6 FA because it supports inflammation in the body which is needed to do things like attack nasty invaders like viruses and bacteria and promote healing. Your body also needs other fatty acids like the Omega 3’s. Overloading the body with too many Omega 6’s promotes an excess of inflammation. The body needs a balance of Omega 6 to Omega 3. Many authors say a balance of Omega 6 to 3 from 1:1 up to 3:1. But the overuse of these seed oils in frying and processed foods has skewed this ratio to 10 to 20:1 according to some authors. The exact ideal balance is a subject of debate. What is not debatable is that a huge amount of Omega 6 FA promotes too many inflammatory responses in the body. There are other problems beside ultra high heat and yucky stinky solvents to make these oils. Many of these seed oils like from corn and soybeans are grown with huge amounts of herbicides and pesticides unlike other oils like Olives and avocados and coconuts which don’t need these toxic chemicals. The heat and solvents also destroys essential nutrients in the seeds. A big advantage of these industrial oils is their elevated smoke point which is desirable in frying like potato chips. Some of our “good” oils like olive oil has a smoke point of around 300 degrees F which isn’t really high enough for optimal frying. In fact getting olive oil to above its smoke point can convert in from an unsaturated “Cis” fat double bond into a “Trans” double bond and you now have converted a healthy oilive oil fat into a deadly Transfat. That is why you must not fry at high temperatures with olive oil. It is best served cold like on salads and baguettes. Use other oils like avocado oil or Ghee if you feel you have to fry anything. A huge part of the American diet is fried foods and snacks which have invaded our lives. Presto-Change-o! A population of waddling giant sloths all over the landscape where none existed in the 1940’s when I was born. Have I made this too simplistic? Maybe. Are there
other factors involved? Of course. Living an urban lifestyle always sitting on your butt in cubicles, cars or a sofa and never getting outside breathing fresh air and exercise is a perfect storm to turn us into a nation of slobs not only here in the good ole US of A but also all over the world. Have you been to Polynesia or England lately? We are not alone. This is a world pandemic.
27. There are other problems in our diet. I personally don’t believe in promoting any particular diet. There are certainly some diets better than others, like a Keto or paleo perhaps but it is not necessary to go to those extremes. Prepare your foods yourself from only fresh safe ingredients and include a lot more fiber and especiialy nuts and seeds. Don’t confine yourself to just peanuts and cashews. Add walnuts and pecans and pumpkin and chia as well as sunflower and hemp seeds for example, especially if they are grown without pesticides or herbicides. Your sperm will love it and really wag their tails!
28. Consider cutting down on “white” starchy foods like white rice, white flour, white pasta, white sugar and white potatoes. There is a lot of rapidly absorbable glucose in these starches because of their similar molecular branching structure which contributes to their glycemic index. Their starch is primarily amylopectin. This means they release their glucose rapidly giving you fast high glucose spikes provoking a corresponding insulin spike from your pancreas. Better to balance the release of glucose from an amylase starch like what you find in beans, legumes and lentils. The glucose in these starches is not laid out in branches like a tree but linearly like in a rope or a chain. So the glucose has to be released or chopped off these chains one by one thus no big insulin and glucose spikes. They have the additional advantage of having a lot of fiber in their coats which makes your gut stand up and cheer.I don’t need to tell you to cut down on white cakes, white bread and donuts which are amylopectin treats saturated with fructose poison.
29. What about meats? I don’t buy the save the planet propaganda by avoiding red meat. However I do avoid buying red or white(!!!) meat grown on feedlots or fish farms with the poor critters stuffed with Omega 6 grains like corn. In our little farm, if we didn’t grow it preferably on grass, we don’t eat it.
I think I will wrap up this screed by stating a few more obvious ideas which are hardly unique. All of these recommendations come down to adding good foods and behaviors which promote “Good Energy”, the term used by Dr Casy Means in her book of the same name. You get your energy from your mitochondria, the little energy powerhouses inside all your cells. If you feed garbage and chemical poisons to your mitochondria you will have a life marked by fatigue and depression and disease and dementia. What you want are cells loaded with abundant and healthy mitochondria and the way to get to that point you need to get a lot of exercise which allows them to replicate and you need not to poison them with sugar and processed food garbage. See. It’s simple. Not so complicated after all. Good health and good luck.
