It's Your Life Aug/Sept 2015 | Page 20

20 August/September It’s Your Life Magazine 21 For an insulated option to keep food cold, try a non-toxic lunch box with a removable liner that is free of PVC, phthalates and lead. Food Storage To keep sandwiches, wraps, fruit, veggies and other lunch items intact and ready to eat, there are some safer and more eco-friendly alternatives to disposable plastic bags. Use unbleached parchment paper to wrap up food Stainless steel food containers in various sizes are healthier for your kids and the planet! Organic cotton sandwich wraps are washable and can be used hundreds of times to save money, avoid plastic touching your child’s food and reduce waste! Beverage Bottles To avoid waste and plastic contamination of water and other beverages, choose a safe, reusable option. Avoid BPA and other plastics as well as disposable bottles. Choose a reusable beverage bottle made of glass or stainless steel. A glass bottle with a silicon sleeve is safe and easy for little hands to grip. Choose a size that works for your child’s needs. Stainless steel bottles are available with different types of spouts, such as a convenient, BPA-free sport cap for kids on the go! Utensils As with the lunch box, plastic utensils can leach harmful chemicals and also unnecessarily fill up landfills. Make sure to remind children to avoid throwing away reusable utensils as you transition to this more sustainable option. Use stainless steel utensils from your kitchen Get a non-toxic, compact fork and spoon set Packable stainless steel utensils are a non-toxic, reusable option that won’t take up a lot of space in the lunchbox. Napkins Choose reusable options made from sustainable materials like organic cotton. These are easy to wash, non-toxic and reusable! Choose colorful organic cotton napkins Repurpose some organic cotton tea towels to use as lunchbox napkins Isssue 3 Dr. Jennifer Weinberg, MD, MPH, MBE A preventive and lifestyle medicine physician, yoga instructor and the Founder of the Simple|Pure|Whole Wellness Method Simple | Pure | Whole. She offers a Lifestyle Transformation Program http://www.JenniferWeinbergMD.com/wholecure/lifestyle to help clients recover from the overwhelm of life and fall in love with themselves again based on wisdom from her recently released book, The Whole Cure: 52 Essential Prescriptions to Overcome Overwhelm, Reclaim Balance and Reconnect with a Life You Love! http://amzn.to/1wqppEV which guides the reader in reconnecting with her authentic and passionate purpose and overcoming the challenges of everyday life! She offers innovative online wellness and education programs for individuals looking for sustainable optimal health and non-toxic living as well as health care providers seeking to embrace a transformative approach to health care and corporations wanting to integrate a holistic approach to corporate wellness. You can connect with Dr. Weinberg at her website http://www.JenniferWeinbergMD.com, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jenniferweinbergmd, Instagram http://instagram.com/simplepurewhole and Twitter https://twitter.com/simplepurewhole and get free wellness resources by joining her community http://ow.ly/BkOLL. Ask The Doctor: http://www.itsyourlifemag.com 2015 itsyourlifemag.com