What are the items we need to give up for a healthier kitchen?

Everyone has a certain spot in their home where they feel most at peace. It might be your living room where you spend time with your family, the quiet corner where you read a book, the tranquil green garden, or perhaps the bedroom where you rest.

But if you love to cook, your kitchen might be your favorite spot because it’s where all of your best recipes and cooking techniques are shared, the spot where scrumptious foods are prepared!

Unfortunately, making eco-friendly and healthy decisions might be the hardest in the kitchen. When food safety is at stake; throwaway items, accessible ingredients, harsh chemical cleansers, and single-use plastic packaging may seem like the best option!

If you care about your health and the environment: healthy, safe, and sustainable items are returning for a healthier kitchen!

Canola Oil to Olive Oil

1. • Olive Oil has seen to lower blood sugar levels and risk factors for heart disease
   • On the other hand, because canola oil is so highly refined, it has far less of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that other oils have.

Table Salt to Himalayan Salt

1. • Himalayan pink salt has traces of minerals like zinc, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium that table salt lacks. Include himalayan salt in your next ingredient list! 
   • If you don’t love Himalayan salt, find a high-quality sea salt.

Plastic Container to Glass Container

1. • There are lots of advantages in using glass containers over plastic!
     1. Glass is more hygienic than plastic. Glass’s nonporous surface doesn’t absorb food or germs (and smells)!
     2. Glass containers are reusable, so you may use them repeatedly while saving money.
     3. Washing, microwaving, and heating plastic containers is a threat to your health as it releases toxic chemicals when heated! 

Disposable Plastic Bag to Reusable Silicone Bags

1. • Unlike plastic, which can start to fracture or melt when exposed to high or low temperatures, silicone is far more robust and ideal for use in the kitchen because it can tolerate freezing and scalding temperatures better.

Individually Wrapped Tea Bags to Tea Steeper

1. • By avoiding plastic teabags, you won’t just decrease your exposure to microplastics; loose-leaf tea frequently tastes much better as well! 

Harsh Chemicals to Sustainable and Safe Cleaning Products

1. • Several of the chemicals we use in the kitchen can be safely replaced with more environmentally friendly alternatives that perform just as well without harming the environment.
   • Instead of using bleach, why not try vinegar, lemon, and baking soda?
   • Air freshener is a necessity when you cook something like fish! But did you know that it emits over 100 different chemicals that can harm you and the environment? To be safer than sorry, try the technique of boiling three tablespoons of vinegar and a cup of water. Let it boil for several minutes, allowing the steam from the uncovered pot to permeate the kitchen. You can even add in some essential oils!

Ready to make sustainable and healthy swaps in your kitchen? Make it work by starting with these suggestions!