Similar to how we store our perishable food, it’s also important to consider how we store our food in the pantry. Items like canned goods and dried legumes, nuts, and seeds are nutrient-dense convenience foods. But how you store them will impact their nutrition and your exposure to chemicals.
DRY GOODS
Many dry goods like rice, flour, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds, come in plastic packaging. If available, try and purchase these products that are packaged in paper instead. But, if you purchase foods packaged in plastic, no worries, just transfer them to a different container (like glass or silicone) when you get home.
Upcycle your glass pasta sauce, salsas, and jam jars by washing them and using them to store your dry goods in your pantry. Not only does this help reduce the amount of time your food comes in contact with plastic, but it’s environmentally friendly and reduces the amount of glass sent to the landfill.
CANNED GOODS
Historically, a chemical called BPA (Bisphenol A) has been used since the 1960s in plastic bottles, and food storage containers. Unfortunately, it’s still used in the lining of some canned goods.
Though many companies have removed this chemical from their manufacturing process and labeled their containers as “BPA free”, some companies have introduced chemical alternatives to BPA, like BPS and BPAF which have undergone very little testing or oversight and will likely not be proven to be better alternatives.
Sometimes you can find “canned” goods now available in glass, which is a safer option than canned. But remember It’s always better to get in more veggies so if canned is what you have access to that’s a win versus skipping veggies, and if you can find BPA-free cans that’s a win too!
Don’t forget to subscribe to my channel and hit that notification bell so you can find out when I post my next video.
Take care!
