Plastic…what would we do without it? The ways in which we benefit from this invention, endless; the ways in which it may affect our health, not so beneficial all the time.
What can we do about it? Educate ourselves by learning what plastics can harm us and how best to reuse and recycle what we do use.
There are certain plastics that leach harmful chemicals into our bodies and there are ones that do not. You can find out what type of plastic a container is made of by looking at the stamp on the bottom.
We want to avoid numbers 3, 6 and 7. From the research that I have done, the most harmful attribute of these plastics is that they can leach hormone-disrupting phthalates. It seemt that reusing or prolonged exposure to heat can exacerbate this process too.
We want to look for numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5. These types of plastics are the safer choice.
I am proud to say that Natasha’s Food for Paws’ packaging is number 2 and is both reusable and recyclable.
Please feel safe in reusing our containers for storage of household items, nic nacs, food or whatever else your creative mind conjurs up!!
To a healthy and happy planet!!!
Natasha
Our meals often don’t get finished and the leftovers that we don’t consume are sometimes given to our pet(s). Some people don’t give them because they don’t want their dogs to become beggars and I completely understand. Although some don’t offer their beloved pets’ these table scraps because they believe that it is not good for them. This can be true if the food is toxic to the dog or if it is an unhealthy food; for example, a food high in fat or sodium. I find this sad because it seems we have forgotten that what is in the kibble (commercialized dry dog food) we have been feeding our pet’s for the past sixty years is often the food that we have on our dinner plates every night; it’s chicken, beef, rice, vegetables, eggs, etc…
So, why do we hear that it’s bad for our pet’s then? Is it something we have just become to believe out of habit or familiarity? Is it something that has been delibirately told to us so that we continue to purchase kibble? I don’t know the answer, I truly believe it’s multiple factors at play. But what I do know is that the less processed a food is, the better it is for any living being. The closer we can get to nourishing our bodies with whole foods, the closer we get to actually nourishing our bodies. I think it’s very important that we don’t loose sight of that when we are choosing a food for ourselves or our pet’s.
Preservatives…they can be a good thing. They have the ability to increase the storage life of many foods that we all like to have on hand in our kitchens; everyday products like oils, salad dressings, cereals, gum, butter, meats, chicken, fish and…you guessed it, dog food. They allow us to keep these food products for long periods of time and it provides not only an economical benefit to us, but a very convenient one as well.
The only problem with the preservatives Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), and Tertitary-Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is while they are cost-effective to the manufacturer, they can potentially be a high cost to our health.
These antioxidants do a good job at preventing rancidity of fats, but there is also proof that they contribute to carcinogenicity and tumorigenicity.
There is a lot of debate regarding the safety of these preservatives. The fact of the matter is that there are other preservatives that we know without a doubt are safe to use. ALL of the low quality kibble (commercialized dry dog food) on the market today contains at least one of these dangerous chemicals; this includes most of the dog food you will find at the supermarket chains, pet food chains and at most veterinarians across the United States. There is no need to be exposing ourselves or our animals to such harmful chemicals in this day and age.
Thanks for listenting!!!
Natasha
Natasha’s Food for Paws is made in the USA and has never been part of a recall. This is important because, thanks to the recalls, 4 out of 5 Americans age 18 or older believe that American made products are safer, and represent better quality according to a survey by the Consumer Practice Group (New York), a network of independently owned public relations counseling firms.
At Natasha’s Food for Paws, we strive for quality first. Everything is US sourced from local producers we trust. We truly want to give you a product you can trust and will never hide our production location or the source of our products.
Best,
Kami
