A healthy meal doesn’t just adhere to the food pyramid anymore. It’s not only about eating vegetables; it’s not even about eating organic vegetables. Nutrition matters, but so do the containers that fit into lunch boxes. A healthy meal is chemical-free, which is why you need green friendly products. Too often we get so preoccupied with the sugar levels and vitamin content in foods that we ignore the plastic containers they’re stored in. With some brands, it doesn’t matter too much, but purer materials are always better for your child’s health.
It’s a fine and good thing to buy everything with consideration for the environment. Landfills would shrink and greenhouse gases would decrease if everyone assessed the ecological implications of their purchases. A lot of parents, though, look for green friendly products just because of the health benefits. Most green friendly products do more than reduce waste and a manufacturer’s carbon footprint; they’re less toxic and pose less long-term risk to people, especially children.
Food containers built with glass or stainless steel lower the amount of plastic produced and then thrown away in the world. Their more immediate benefit, though, is the lowered risk they pose for the people who use them. America has made some great environmental strides in recent decades, but it continues to allow manufacturers to build with plastics that exude harmful chemicals. Products with BPA and PVC remain on the shelves of any supermarket. They leach toxins that have been linked to organ failure and cancer, and they’re especially hazardous as food containers. If you’re worried about sending your kids off with a healthy meal, the nutritional content certainly matters, but so do the green friendly containers that hold the food.
