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Molly's avatar

I love that you are sharing this information, and offering great suggestions!

So glad you exist, Jennifer. You have so much to share with the world.

I pray for your healing and send you much love!

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Jennifer Margulis's avatar

Thank you for the kind words, Molly. Glad I exist too. Wishing there were fewer carcinogens on this planet so we can all exist longer. Sending lots of love back to you, dear.

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Lee HammMX's avatar

I have a family member who hasn't reacted well to information on the side effects of statins. How do I even talk to him about his wearing plastic contact lenses for 20+ years?

I'm not expecting real answers to this rhetorical question. I appreciate your articles and your contribution to these battles.

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Jennifer Margulis's avatar

I like to remind myself that everyone is on their own journey. And that we can plant some seeds but do very little else. I know my family members wish **I** would do everything **their** way...

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Lee HammMX's avatar

You're right about the journey, of course. Some people will fight you, rather than accept seeds, from someone who doesn't wear a white coat or a stethoscope.

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Mercy's avatar

This is a morbid and helpful article. Thanks for taking the time to compile and share everything with us.

I counsel parents to skip the plastic bottle with the plastic/silicone nipple. If the mom can't breastfeed, just use a small glass -- since none are made for babies, whiskey shot glasses work brilliantly.

Your carabiner + coffee cup reminds me fondly of my mom.

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Jennifer Margulis's avatar

Your breastfeeding/bottle advice is spot on, Mercy. They're lucky to have you. In Scandinavian countries they give breast milk from a small spoon to newborns. If they have to use artificial milk, they also use a spoon. That way the baby doesn't get nipple confusion and also stays away from plastic. Warming plastic makes it leech chemicals. Most parents don't realize this and put warm fake milk directly into plastic bottles. No bueno for baby.

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Mercy's avatar

Fascinating! I'd never heard of the Scandinavians using spoons. Such a perfect solution. If you feel like doing a post on it, I'll share your post. Or I can do one as soon as I learn more. Btw, I have a post on your most excellent baby book coming up soon!

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Al Christie's avatar

Thanks - good info. I've known never to microwave anything in plastic, but I'll need to see if I can find cheese, bread, milk, and cream that's not in plastic. Also, need to use glass containers for leftovers instead of the plastic ones. I'll try to remember to carry a ceramic coffee cup when stopping for coffee which usually comes in plastic-coated paper cups.

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Jennifer Margulis's avatar

Hey there Al Christie: You can find milk and cream in glass bottles. We have to pay a $3 deposit at our local food cooperative. You get the money back when you bring back the bottles. Bread you have to usually buy "naked" or bake your own. Cheese that you buy in bulk can be in wax or you can go to the deli and bring your own reusable beeswax cheese wrap and ask them to put your cheese in that. My trick for the leftovers is to GIVE AWAY every plastic Tupperware in your home. Works like a charm! Also if you have a carabiner and you put it on your coffee mug and attach it to your backpack or belt loop, you'll always have it with you. It's fun to try all of this. No need to be perfect or even consistent. And baby steps count too!

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Mercy's avatar

This is the reason I gave away my dishwasher. A friend of a friend published a good study on the microplastics whirling around in dishwashers -- I think it was on the JHU site somewhere -- so I gifted mine to a friend who said she'd buy one, plastic notwithstanding.

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Jennifer Margulis's avatar

I'm impressed (and fascinated) that you gave away your dishwasher, Mercy. Do you wash all your dishes by hand? Do you find they pile up or do you have a good routine for keeping things clean?

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Mercy's avatar

At the same time, I revamped my kitchenware and dishes by removing all the unhealthy stuff (non-stick, aluminum...), replacing it with cast iron and glass. So, we'll have a bone broth with meat simmering in one pot, use a simple glass bowl for eating, share cleaning duties for the few bowls, and restock the pot to simmer for the next meal. This keeps us from having to scrub pots. We each keep one really nice coffee cup, so we don't dirty lots of cups during the day. If we do decide to cook some complicated dishes, we try to tackle the big things as soon as they are empty.

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Denise D'Harlingue's avatar

Great post. Thank you!

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Jennifer Margulis's avatar

❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏🙏

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Sounds Like Nonsense's avatar

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Jennifer Margulis's avatar

100% vegetable and non-plastic food packaging and probiotic based organic biodegradable bioplastic products sound promising...

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Mercy's avatar

Not to be the negative Nelly here, but the biodegradable stuff is usually GMO corn product. An increasingly large percentage of kids will react very badly to it. I bet portability was one reason behind those Chinese lotus leaf wrapped foods!

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Jennifer Margulis's avatar

Good point! Thank you for mentioning this. Is it possible to get lotus leaves in America? Or is their some equivalent in our gardens that we can use to wrap food in?

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Mercy's avatar

I have seen dried lotus leaves online, but I haven't used them. Glad you asked as I've been meaning to try them. I can't think of anything that would be a good wrapper by itself, but any large sturdy leaf would protect the food inside from the exterior wrapper. There exist beeswaxed cloth wrappers, too.

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