For I CAN do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Philippians 4, 13
Dear family in Jesus!
How wonderful it is to be strengthened by Jesus! Nothing compares to living your life out of his strength and for his glory, than our own. A never ceasing fountain is our God! We can do what we are asked to because God provides us with the strength and wisdom "to can".
Not so with the other "can" in our lives. Cans have been a fascinating and very helpful invention back in the 18th century, but today we have other, and let me say: BETTER options to store or conserve food.
I am not picking on cans because I am running out of topics!
You might consider cans a tiny detail in your cuisine where the convenience overthrows concerns.
Consider this:
I, always on the grocery store hunt for new healthy food items, invested a little over $3 in a can of wild caught tuna. You can get cans of tuna for 50cent at Aldi, but here I am thinking I am doing my health a great favor. Within minutes of consuming the tuna I noticed a quite surprisingly new sense of discomfort, we can call this "pain", in my stomach. I lived with it for a few days, but when the accompanying nausea would not settle either, I decided it was time to see my Naturopathic Doctor. Due to his specific testing he was able to pin point the cause to metal poisoning. Needless to say that I then had to invest into my health in an equally painful way, but at least after a few days I was better.
There are many reasons as to why to stay away from (canned) processed foods, but even supposedly healthy foods found in cans can be dangerous. Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an industrial chemical that is supposed to prevent the can from deteriorating. Unfortunately it poses a high risk to our health as it is linked to many diseases, including the hormones, kidneys and the heart. BPA is even present in urine samples of adults and children alike. This all sounds very concerning to me. Of course the problem isn't limited to cans; plastic containers, such as baby bottles, can also be sources.
3 Ideas To Minimize Your BPA Exposure Drastically:
1. DO NOT rely (for the very most part) on cans. Buy the glass version instead or make from scratch.
2. DO NOT (NEVER EVER!!!!!) microwave plastic containers, unless they are microwave safe.
3. NO PLASTIC BAGS/ FREEZER BAGS/CLING WRAP IN THE MICROWAVE!!! Thaw frozen items in warm water or leave out for a few hours instead.
I am not going to leave you as mere can orphans, but remind you of the fantastic invention of THE CROCK POT!
- Rather than consuming heavy sodium laden chicken soup from the can (lacking most of the nutrients you hoped to receive), make your own chicken stock and soup with the crock pot! All it takes is a little planning ahead, but the benefits will outweigh any inconvenience by far.
- Rather than consuming beans from the can, buy organic beans or peas in bulk (Coborn's natural area for instance), leave them with enough water in the crock pot on medium heat for about 18 hours (the wonderful process of soaking!), rinse them, and eat them merrily. Leftovers stay good in the fridge for about 5 days! SO EASY!
I release you back into your day hoping that you will be blessed by learning about another way that you can be a good stewart of your own, and your families, health!
Be blessed abundantly!
