Plastics and Weight: The Scary Truth!

Quick – how many times did you touch something plastic today? This product is prevalent – we store food in it, it’s in doors, toys, water bottles; and, in some cases, it’s even in our clothes! Scientists have been discovering that there is also a connection between plastics and weight. Specifically, too much exposure to plastic can cause weight gain!

Obesogens

If you’ve never heard this term, you may be concerned in a minute!

Obesogens are chemicals that are found in a bunch of everyday products that disrupt your hormones. Yep. These are endocrine disrupter and one reason for the relationship between plastic and weight!

Plastic has totally overrun our lives and this isn’t a good thing! Convenient, sure! But not good!

Plus, besides what’s going on with plastics and weight issues, plastic is literally ruined our environment.

Specifics with Plastics and Weight Gain

There are a bunch of types of obesogens (which I’ll talk more about in a later post) but 2 specific ones can be related to both plastic and weight. These two compounds interfere with metabolism, thyroid hormones, estrogen, insulin receptors and more! And, as you know by now, all these hormones play a role in weight!

Bisphenol-A (BPA)

I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess you’ve probably heard of BPA by now. BPA is a synthetic compound found in so many plastics, especially hard plastics like water bottles and those cheap food storage containers. (Which I am guilty of relying on too.)

Specifically, BPA interferes with estradiol receptors in the body. Estradiol is your most important estrogen so you don’t want to lose out on this one too early! Studies show that low estradiol can lead to weight gain, too.

Another important note is that a person is most sensitive to BPA in the womb. And children born exposed to lots of BPA have a much higher chance of obesity later in life.

Phthalates

On the other hand, phthalates are a compound used to make plastics soft and supple. Like in some other types of food containers, toys, shower curtains and pharmaceuticals. (Look for phthalates in cosmetics too.)

Phthalates are associated with disruptions in metabolism because they affect hormones receptors. And, some studies have even found a connection between phthalate exposure and type 2 diabetes.

So, after learning all this, it seems pretty clear there is a connection between plastics and weight. And that it’s probably a good time to start replacing all your plastic stuff with something else!

Wait! Another Great Reason to Give it Up!

Sure, our waistlines are important to us. But we have to live harmoniously with the environment and all its creatures (well, snakes…I could do without snakes).

Did you know that for every foot of coastline, roughly 5 grocery bags of plastic exist? That is what’s going into our oceans every single year! Crazy and sad, right?

It’s estimated that, by 2050, plastic trash will outnumber the fish in the seas. That kind of makes me want to be sick.

This means we all need to do our part to ditch plastic, especially single-use plastics, and look for healthier alternatives.

8 Ways to Ditch Plastic ASAP

Get yourself a stainless steel or glass water bottle and use it all the time. Or, get 2 or 3, whatever you need to stop buying single-use plastic water bottles.
Try a reusable travel mug for your morning Starbucks (or whatever your favorite to-go coffee shop is). Sometimes you’ll even get a discount for this!
Avoid bloating, gas and indigestion by ditching plastic straws. The air you sip through straws can cause all these bad things. So, not only are plastics and weight related from the chemicals, how you use them can work against you too!
Keep some reusable grocery bags in your car. That way you won’t be stuck shopping, palm-slapping your forehead, because you forgot yours at home again! (Is that just me???)
Buy things in bulk, avoid the produce plastic bags for your fruits and veggies, and purchase cosmetics without a lot of extra packaging.
Cook at home using whole food ingredients. You’ll drastically reduce your plastic waste from pre-packaged or commercially-prepared foods!
Keep glass jars around to use for storage! NEVER reheat food in plastic containers, too – so bad!!!
And, finally, ditch those plastic sandwich or snack baggies. Yep, it’s hard, but look for really tiny glass containers to use instead. See #7 for some money-saving tips for this!

Conclusion

Plastics and weight gain is a well-known connection these days. The more plastics and chemicals you can ditch from your life, the more balanced your hormones and overall health will be.

Remember, to lose weight and keep it off, you need to eat a balanced, hormone-balancing diet PLUS your body needs to feel safe and happy!