So, I bet you're wondering..."how do microplastics get into my poop"?
That's a good question. Here's the answer...
Plastics are everywhere. They are in our clothes, underwear, makeup, toys, toothpaste, our computers and our food. Specifically, microplastics are being found in apples, pears, carrots, broccoli, salt and beer! Yeah, beer.
We all have heard about the floating garbage islands, we all are aware that we use plastic in our everyday lives, but what we don't know (or let me speak for myself, what I didn't know) is that microplastic fibers are in our dryer lint, our irrigation systems, food crops, and in our gastrointestinal tract.
Here's what's interesting...
We are ingesting tens of thousands of microfibers and nanoplastic parts every year. There are currently no regulations for microplastics in food and there probably won't be any in the near future because this is all new stuff!
The problem is, we can't stop using plastics. We can't, no matter how many ears of GMO corn we grow to try and replace it.
We rely on a culture of convenience. We need plastic for food safety. We need plastic for electrical connections so that our homes don't burn down, and we need plastics for plumbing so that we can flush our plastic laden turds down the pooper and not create a public health hazard.
That's the harsh reality. And if you're now thinking..."well, can we get plastics out of our food supply chain at least?"
The answer is NO. Farmers use plastic irrigation, hoses and plastic weed barriers so these microplastics are in our water and soil...and now in our fruits and vegetable crops like carrots and apples. The things we turn to when we want to eat "healthier".
Oh, and let us not glaze over the fact that when your doctor tells you to eat less iodized salt and transition to sea salt, you're getting microplastics in there too.
I guess it's time to start using pink mineral salt...but I'm sure there are problems with that...ugh.
Anyway, I'll stop there...
Thanks, as always, for listening in. I really appreciate you being here, supporting this work and sharing episodes with people you love.
I'm going to take a break and be back in September for the Premiere of Season Seven. I'm not going away...I just need a little breaky break.
Here's some good news though...I just found out that I will be presenting a little ditty on farm marketing at the National Farm Viability Conference in October, so YAY! I'll keep you posted on that soon. There are some wonderful things in the works...
Until then, remember to eat clean, eat healthy and love your food and I'll see you on the other side of the plate.
Chow,
Michele
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