Palm Oil and Plastic Free 2021 Goals & Tips
All it takes is your first step:
If you haven’t read my blog on “6 Reliable Ways to Avoid Palm Oil,” I’d go there first to learn why it is so important to learn about this manufactured cooking oil.
I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to my friends who inspired me to write this blog. Your efforts towards purchasing less palm oil have made a difference, and I have loved your techniques in doing so.
It isn’t easy giving up palm-oil products.
It isn’t easy giving up the snacks, candy, crackers, baked goods and frozen treats we love. It also isn’t simple to share compassion for people you’ve never met. Those across the world, those losing their homes due to the illegal and even legal farming of this palm tree. Ditching palm oil (and other products like it) requires the understanding of where our food comes from, its ingredients and who it is affecting.
The privilege of grocery stores allow for the curiosities of the origin of our food to escape us at times.
This was me.
However after my experiences, it is always on my mind when grocery shopping. Twenty years passed before this realization, but little by little, through conscious buying and research, I am learning. The rewards are widespread and create a positive impact. Who’s with me?!
FACT: “Palm oil is one of the main ingredients in Oreo cookies, and like some other American companies, they don’t have any idea where their palm oil is sourced.”
pictured
A young Dayak Simpang tribe member stands on the burned land of his people burned for the planting of palm trees.
West Kalimantan, Indonesia
Tip No. 1
A good friend of mine inspired this first tip and I applaud her because, believe me, I know the struggle! My vice was Ritz crackers, hers was Cheez-Its.
Equating to a New Year’s resolution or Lent, she chose to eliminate one item that she normally bought (that contained palm oil) with every grocery trip.
This is so great and…well, I don’t want to say easy because let’s face it…Oreos are pretty awesome. But this is TOTALLY doable!
Try this tip next time you visit the grocery store and see what items you can find to replace your favorite snacks. You may find the replacement better than the original!
#KnowTheSource #KnowYourIngredients
“Best known Pepsico brands using palm oil globally: Frito-Lay including Lay's and Cheetos, Chisato, Qtela and Gamesa.”
Tip No. 2
This tip comes courtesy of my husband, Tyler. This man loves simple and easy, and his way of making sure he is being responsible with his grocery purchases is to shop at places that make it less difficult to give up palm oil.
Whole Foods Market.
Now, stay with me. The stigma behind Whole Foods is the price point of its products, but I can assure you (and so can Tyler), there are ways of staying on a budget, absolutely staying healthy, and staying palm-oil free by shopping at this market.
“Whole Foods Market is concerned with the social and environmental impacts of palm oil production in tropical rainforest ecosystems around the world….”
www.wholefoodsmarket.com
One easy step is to purchase the Whole Foods’ brand “365.” Tyler’s favorite item, which we’ve touched on before, is the 365 equivalent of Oreos! Labeled “Chocolate Sandwich Cookies,” these bad boys are a guilt-free pleasure that is made with organic ingredients and ZERO palm oil!
Honestly, you cannot tell a discernible difference.
Give this tip a try on your next outing and experience what this store has to offer!
wholefoods:
“We are proud to report that 100% of Whole Foods Market’s 365 Everyday Value® brand food items containing palm oil, palm kernel oil, palm fruit oil, and palm shortening are produced using Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified sustainable oil products. We are fulfilling this pledge through the purchase of Identity-Preserved, Segregated, and Mass Balance palm oil.”
There are options …
By reaching for other options in the grocery store, I’ve found the experience and possibilities are quite exciting! Let’s mix it up and go for the options that are not only better for us but instill a positive impact for others as well! There are apps out there that will aid and assist you when grocery shopping to easily detect products that contain palm oil. My favorite is Giki, which is also a favorite of WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).
Speaking of the WWF, they have recently released their annual scorecard for 2020. This outlines companies and manufacturers of the biggest food and product distributors across the globe. Here, you can find a plethora of useful and insightful information on the most common products out there today!
World Wide Fund for Nature:
“The Scorecard assesses 173 companies on the commitments they have made, and the actions they have taken, to: ensure that there is no destruction of nature including no deforestation (“conversion-free”) along their supply chains and support a responsible and sustainable palm oil industry beyond their own supply chain.”
The Convenience…
is unrelenting and difficult to get away from. What am I talking about?
Plastic. Plastic. Plastic!
There are so many ways to reduce the amount of plastic you consume and dispose of on a daily basis it might amaze you!
Why is it important to reduce plastic consumption? Ah, if landfills could talk. Although, if you have ever seen one in person and stood on top of “the mountain,” you’d feel like it should talk. Plastic takes a thousand years to decompose. I’m sure you’ve heard, but have you really thought about it? That’s a thousand years of chemicals sitting on our earth, being dumped into our oceans, and polluting our streets. Populations grow- where does all of the plastic go?
First, the tip of… the spear on this would be the everlasting reusable water bottle.
I never leave my house without it, and it comes in clutch with so many situations. My favorite is the Hydroflask brand, but there are so many others out there that function just as well!
Second tip:
Eliminate the use of plastic bags when shopping by bringing your own canvas tote bags with you! Find them inconvenient or annoying to wash? Look into TracingThought’s. Recycled cotton canvas tote bag, made on fair wage, fair labor, fair trade with organic fibers- no chemicals or synthetic fertilizers.
One company “calculated that they handed out about 6 billion plastic bags a year, about six percent of the total number of bags distributed annually across the country. That's the equivalent of about 32,000 tons of plastic, or enough to fill over 3,000 moving trucks jam-packed with bags.”
This is where I get my biggest high:
DENYING plastic bags. It’s a feel-good feeling. I promise.
There are three things I keep in my car at ALL times for when I take a last-minute trip to the grocery store or grab some take out on the road:
Tote bags
Metal Utensils/Straw
A water container for spontaneous water bottle refills
When you visit the grocery store:
Never use small plastic produce bags. What? Yeah, I know. It’s hard to do at first but stick with me.
Pick your nuts, candy, and anything else that is available at the self-serve bar.
but a tote bag translates to less trash you bring home, which decreases the amount of trash bags you use (which are also plastic) and eliminates trips taking the trash out. BAM.
Third tip
not to harp on grocery shopping, but this tip applies to it once again. Stop using, or at least cut back on produce bags.
Nature has already provided the best form of protection for your produce, it’s that outer skin protecting the inside!
Placing your lemons in a plastic bag to only take them out once you get home is more of a hassle for you! Instead, use your tote bag and place those fruits in veggies inside and wash them when you get home.
The best way to wash is by using a cold water bath in the sink with a few tablespoons of baking soda. Let the produce sit for about 15 minutes and rinse. The peace of mind this gives is so great and makes your fruit bowl look amazing!
Lastly,
The struggle of Saran wrap clinging to itself has always been a pain but comes in handy when all of your Tupperware is being used. Though, to make this less of a struggle and to eliminate the tossed plastic, consider using bee’s wax wraps instead!
I just got my husband some of these for his birthday and they are one of the coolest items we have in our kitchen. Totally moldable, durable, washable, and odor-free! They take up less room than a bulky box and actually protect your food better! This is also a great gift to give any time of the year.
To see the videos of the harms of palm oil and mass disposal of plastics, watch my videos here: Palm Oil & Plastic.
Thank you ALL for viewing these tips and tricks, I hope they serve you well and we can move towards a better and cleaner world. You can count on more tips and blogs from me in the future! Be sure to sign up for my newsletter at the bottom of this blog so you don’t miss a beat.
All it takes is your first step!
“The US Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture and other scientists agree: use a cold water soak with baking soda to effectively help remove dirt, chemical residue, and other unwanted materials from your fresh vegetables and fruits.”
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