The Presence of Microplastics in Food and the Human Gut Revealed

I'm on a diet, we all are. It's not a very good diet. I try to limit the amount of fried food I eat. I try to limit the amount of soda I drink. But so far, I haven't thought a whole lot about limiting the amount of microplastics I eat. (Yes, microplastics.)

This is now a thing, and it's a little scary. Microplastics are basically little, tiny pieces of plastic that get into just about everything. Researchers are trying to figure out how much microplastics will actually impact our health as human beings and you will love this. There is a recent study out that says that microplastics can not only get into our gut, but also spread to other organs in our body. (Yay.)

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MedicalNewsToday shared the grim news:

According to the study authors, ingested microplastics spread from the gut to the brain, liver, and kidneys. “Our findings suggest that microplastic exposure can lead to metabolic changes in these tissues, indicating potential systemic effects,” study author Marcus Garcia, PharmD, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, told Medical News Today.

The study concluded, among other things, that microspheres (little tiny pieces of plastic) were detected in the brain, liver and kidneys, among other organs. To say this is disturbing is an understatement. I could be wrong, but I don't think a high fiber diet is going to get rid of microplastics in my body. Oatmeal is God's whisk broom you know.

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If that's not bad enough, new reporting from The Guardian highlights the toxicity of our food packaging. Over 3,000 chemicals used in food packaging, processing equipment, or kitchenwear were found in blood, hair, or breast milk in the latest study:

Among them are compounds known to be highly toxic, like PFAS, bisphenol, metals, phthalates and volatile organic compounds. Many are linked to cancer, hormone disruption and other serious health issues.

Just to add insult to injury, I believe I read another study somewhere that said that you should not be cooking food in plastic containers. Why? You guessed it. Microplastics.

I just hope there aren't any microplastics in chocolate. Don't tell me if there are.

This grocery store in Michigan made all its food out of plastic trash.

A traveling art exhibit has entered the city limits of Ann Arbor, offering a surrealistic walk through a fake grocery store where all of the items are created from discarded plastic trash. Creator Robin Frohardt got the idea for the "Plastic Bag Store" exhibit after watching a store clerk bag, double bag, and triple bag her groceries. She collected plastic from friends, family, and garbage cans alongside the street. The results are rather realistic.

Gallery Credit: Brad Carpenter

15+ Life Hacks For Plastic Bread Clips

Plastic Bread Clips, aka Bag Closures are created by the Kwik Lok company in Yakima, Washington, and are used all over the country. Not only are they great for keeping bags closed and air out, but they have many other uses you might not have thought of.

Gallery Credit: tsm/Timmy!