What about the toxins in appliances?

[crystalmoon]

Hi there, Ive been really wondering lately about the toxins in the plastic parts of the appliances I use to prepare raw food recipes :confused:
Does anyone else feel concerned about this issue?

I am recovering from severe auto immune illnesses so my toxic load is an important issue for me & despite being on a mega tight budget I go to great lengths to get organic locally grown in season produce.
I only use pure undamaging skin products/toiletries.
I filter my water.
I use a filter ball to take chlorine out of my bath water.
I use glass jars to store food.
Yet I am using kitchen appliances that contain plastic to uncook my food :eek: Somehow it just doesnt seem to make sense :(

What do you think?

[GlimR]

I can understand your concern....my feeling is, I do everything I can to keep toxins out of my system. I use the best kitchen equipment I can, reputable names, etc that are commonly used by raw fooders everywhere. I think heat is an issue with toxins being released and also long term storage. I use glass for that. Other than that I do the things you do, though am more lax with the gathering of my food...as much organic as I can find or get...nothing much local here except citrus.
I can only make myself so crazy.....just do the best I can~

btw...great quote in your sig line~

[iamacranberry]

I'd imagine at least some of the chemicals could get into your food, but the less time it's in contact, the less that will get in. I'd say just try to eat more fresh and less dehydrated stuff...or use a metal tray and some dehydrator paper.

[rawfoodmommy#1]

if you worry about toxins getting into your food then fresh made food that was just cut with a knife instead of using any machinery is the best but I agree with the others that when you heat the food thats when you get the toxins in your food.
Do the best you can

[tanishamarshall]

Interesting question, I will definitely have to research this. This makes me think about how bottled water releases toxins. Good Question.

[raweater]

Both www.mercola.com and www.newstarget.com have great articles and studies about plastic chemicals leaching into food. For example, any canned food has been found to have 200 or more times the legal limit of toxic chemicals due to the thin plastic layer inside the can dissolving into the food (this also applies to "organic" canned food of course, as the can's plastic will dissolve anyway, plus we mostly all know canned stuff is cooked to death).

About the plastic in appliances, well my food processor is made of polycarbonate, a highly toxic plastic known to make food it touches toxic, so I do have science showing the plastic of food processors (and the VitaMix's) do in fact leach into the food, but as others said, in the case of food processors and blenders, it's short contact and at low temperature, so I'm not too worried.

I'm mostly worried of my 5 gallon water bottle on the water cooler, it too is polycarbonate, and holds water for days at a time. My coffee/tea maker's water tank is also made of this plastic

[iamacranberry]

I remember reading a similar warning article about bottled water. I suppose, though, that the less time the food spends touching the plastic the less toxins that will get in it. Compared to the environmental toxins we inevitably face everyday, though, I really don't think that the few seconds your food spends in a blender is really going to hurt you that much.

[tvillemom]

Funny, I seem to be replacing all of my plastic containers with glass. It just seemed cleaner to me.

[iamacranberry]

It probably is....no one's issued any safety warnings about water bottled in glass as far as I know, anyways.

[kaybee]

:eek: :eek: i thought polycarbonate was the "safe" non leaching, "glass like" basically inert form of plastic....?? at least thats what even "green" producers/packers have been saying for a while... for example, i get hair wash and other body care products from a totally organic, small, cottage-industry type company that uses really pure ingredients and is super-concerned about the chemicals in cosmetics and the plastic leaching...even they claim the polycarbonate is inert....... guess not????

[crystalmoon]

thanks for the replies & links....Im sorry to say the polycarbonate plastics do appear to be mega toxic after all. Its really scary to think of all the baby bottles filled with awful formula being heated in microwaves. Sigh!

I also hadnt realised the excaliber dehydartor sheets are made from teflon...Yuk!...I threw out all my non stick bakeware years ago & cant believe Ive been so 'blind' to the toxic way Im making food now...guess I got caught up in the idea that as RAW is so healthy the uncooking practices would be healthy too. I will be hunting for baking parchment instead.

I do wonder why the RAW gurus, especially those working with cancer patients etc, havent stopped using polycarbonates? Or maybe they have & it just isnt common knowledge? does anyone know?

[greenday]

Interesting thread. Yeah, I view plastic as a "terrible material of convenience". It's nearly impossible in these modern times to eliminate it completely, but I echo the other comments here that reducing contact as much as possible is good direction. From basic chemistry: water is the Universal Solvent and heat accelerates reactions....so logical then to prepare/store foods and liquids in plastic for short periods and at low temps whenever possible.