I have a bunch of plastic food storage containers that always seem to pile up and fall out of the cupboard whenever I open it. It’s so annoying that I’m finally switching over to having a small supply of glass containers instead. I do tend to randomly break glasses, so I hope this works out.
I got a couple of glass container sets for Christmas. I also use mason jars to store food. I started doing that just because I have a bunch of extra ones on hand, but they are actually a pretty cheap option. There are various size options and you get a dozen in a set for less than $20. They work out pretty well for re-packaging items like flours, nuts and seeds that come in resealable bags. Glass is much easier to clean than plastic and can safely be used to heat food without weakening the container. The only downfall of glass is breakage, so you just have to be a little more careful.
Storing food in glass containers is much better for your health. When my son was a baby, BPA in plastic was in the news. His pediatrician said it was just a media thing. Years later, the health risks of BPA are well known and you can buy plastic containers without BPA. That’s a start, but they still contain many other chemicals. Another chemical called BPS is also substituted for BPA. These chemicals have been found to cause a wide variety of health problems, including thyroid issues, cancer and hormone regulation which affects issues such as infertility, reproductive problems. Plastic chemicals can also cause birth defects and developmental problems in children. Plastics may affect metabolism causing weight gain.
Plastic containers break down over time. Heating food in plastic containers and older containers are more likely to leach chemicals into your food which then end up in your body, building up over time and causing health problems.
Challenge:
Work on reducing your usage of plastic containers in favor of glass containers.
A few options are:
Glass storage containers
Mason jars
Resources:
https://www.foodmatters.com/article/5-reasons-to-avoid-plastic-containers
https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-container-health-risk-2653620879.html
https://www.center4research.org/plastic-wrap-plastic-food-containers-safe/