One of the reasons I started making bentos is because I want my family to have healthy, homecooked meals as often as possible. However, my efforts would have gone down the drain if the containers holding their food are actually leaching chemicals into their food and poisoning them day by day.
Do you know certain plastic containers contain harmful chemicals like lead, phthalate and BPA? When lunchboxes and bottles are exposed to heat, chemicals can leach out of the plastic and cause exposures to children through skin contact, inhalation or ingestion.
Why BPA free products are not necessarily safer?
Parents always buy baby products with the "BPA-free" label, thinking that they are the safest, but are they really safe?
"BPA-free" label means that the product does not contain bisphenol A, a synthetic compound associated with a litany of health problems, from cardiovascular disease to poor brain development and and increased risk fro certain cancers. When manufacturers realized that no consumer would touch a food container with a recognized toxin, BPA-free became the consumer products industry standard.
But the problem is the chemicals used instead of BPA, including bisphenol S and F, may act in similar ways to BPA. In rats and mice, BPA is know to disrupt the endocrine system, the network of glands that produce hormones that regulate metabolism, growth, brain function and reproduction.
So many a times, we are just substituting something harmful with something equally or even more harmful! Don't you feel suspicious when you see "sugar-free" labels on food or drinks packaging and wonder how come they still taste sweet? Have you ever wonder how much more harmful is the substitute of sugar than sugar itself?
And if you are reading this post, please stop heating your food in plastic containers in the microwaves! And stop buying hot soupy food outside because the chemicals released from the plastic containers are leaching into our food!
Of course, plastic has become a part of our daily lives. We have become so reliant on plastics there is certainly no turning back for humankind. Well, I will choose to exercise prudence without paranoia since poisons are already found everywhere in our environment.
There's so much out there that I can't protect them from, but at least the food that I made for them should be safe.
Better alternatives to plastic containers
Better alternatives to plastic containers would be to use stainless steel lunchboxes, not any stainless steel but food-grade stainless steel, tempered glass (not very children-friendly though), organic cotton (more for sandwich wraps) and rice husk products (read on to find out more about rice husk!)
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| My family is using food-grade stainless steel lunchboxes from Lunchbots |
Disney Rice Husk Bento Box (Blue) from LittlebyLittle
I am really excited to be reviewing this Disney Rice Husk Bento Box (Blue) from Little by Little.
What is Rice Husk?
Rice husk is an agricultural waste that is commonly burnt in the fields after rice harvests, producing large amounts of carbon dioxide and causing severe air pollution. Husk's Ware gives this waste material a new lease of life by turning it into a natural resource and making it into trendy, reusable and biodegradable tableware and cutlery (sounds good?). Click here for more information on rice husk,
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| Nice packaging |
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| It's a beauty! So irresistibly cute! |
- Made from Rice husk fibre
- Long lasting and durable product
- Biodegradable
- Heat & freezer safe (-20 deg - 120 deg)
- Anti bacteria
- Non - Toxic
- Will decompose once buried
- Microwave (3 min) and Dishwasher safe
Before I let my boys use the lunchbox, I have to ensure that they know how to open it! So I tested it out as shown in the 2 video clips below. The first clip shows Rayson (my elder who is 6 years old) opening and closing the lunchbox with ease.
The second clip shows Rayden (my second boy who is 3+ years old) opening the lunchbox. He took a slightly longer time but still succeeded. However, he did not ensure that he closed the lid properly and hence the white silicon Mickey hands were not flat down on the lunch box.
The size seems a bit small but I think it is still sufficient for a preschooler's lunch or a lower primary schooler recess's snack. It doesn't have any compartments but I prefer it this way because it gives me the freedom to arrange the food the way I want.
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| Rayson's Pikachu lunch in the Rice Husk lunchbox |
The above Pikachu lunch actually holds quite a lot of food which Rayson did not manage to finish. The rice ball was compressed so the rice was actually more than you imagined. Click here for recipe of Rayson's miso salmon. I did not test if the lunchbox is leak proof but I notice that it closes very tightly. Being leak proof is not very important to me as I usually won't pack soupy food or food with a lot of sauces for my boys to school. Imagine the mess created if they drop their lunchboxes or overturn their lunchboxes accidentally.
The lunchbox is also very easy to wash as the white silicon hands can be taken out completely to be washed and dried.
Conclusion:
Overall, I LOVE this Rice Husk lunchbox!
However, I am not sure if the cutey white silicon Mickey Mouse hands will last after flipping it for umpteen times. And if it really spoils........how am I going to find the replacement? Will I be able to just buy the silicon hands? The lunchbox can't be used without the hands as it won't close.
The pricing is a bit steep selling for $28.90 on the website. However, food grade stainless steel lunchboxes aren't cheap either. I really do not mind forking out more money for good quality products. This rice rusk lunchbox is not only safer for our health (most importantly for our children's health), we can also do our part for the environment as it is eco-friendly.
Good news!
Key in discount code: BentoForLove
Valid until 31 October 2016
Disney Bento would be $24.90 (UP$28.90) and Disney Cutlery Set would be $18.90 (UP$22.90)
Visit Little by Little for more rice husk products. I would really love to get a rice husk cutlery set to go along with my lunchbox.
It's time to ditch your plastics for rice husk products today!
Disclosure: We are given a rice rusk lunchbox for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was received. All pictures and opinions are ours.
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