IN WITH THE NEW: Cutting Boards
Welcome to my weekly featured ”IN WITH THE NEW” CLEAN SWAP! This week we are taking a closer look at Cutting Boards!
I’m always fielding questions from clients and friends about how they can swap out some of their favorite products for safer, toxin-free options without a loss in quality, taste, or performance (depending on the product). Every week, I cover food, cosmetics, personal care, cleaning and laundry products, and even behavior, so if you enjoy these Clean Swap features, please follow me on Instagram and sign up for my 360° OF WELLNESS Newsletter (⬅️by clicking on this link to the left) so that you never miss a new one.
LET’S TALK Plastic CUTTING BOARDS 🔪
Plastic is a favorite material for cutting boards. It’s seemingly durable, easy to clean, and dishwasher-safe (unlike wood).
SO WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT PLASTIC CUTTING BOARDS? 💁♀️
Wood is porous and plastic isn’t, so the logical assumption would be that plastic is safer to use in the kitchen. Add in the fact that plastic boards are cheap, easy to wipe down and stay looking cleaner for longer, it’s no wonder that most people think they are the best choice.
Unfortunately, that’s completely backwards. Recent studies show that plastic boards are not very good for us and not very good for the environment either.
Why? Because:
🚫 BACTERIA. According to a study by the University of Michigan, plastic is actually the yuckiest material for a cutting board. Every time you make a cut, the knife leaves tiny groove in the plastic, which makes a nice little home for bacteria to grow in. The study found that “more bacteria are recovered from a used plastic surface than from a used wood surface.” The study also found that although a new plastic board could be disinfected, a knife-scarred plastic surface was impossible to clean and disinfect.
🚫 CLEANING EASE. Isn’t that the main reason you bought the thing? But the issue is that even though you CAN throw it in the dishwasher, you really shouldn’t. According to research, even a dishwasher may not be able to fully sanitize a plastic board. A hot dishwasher cycle will kill bacteria, but it will still likely leave behind hard to reach debris in the crevices that harbor the bacteria, where it will start thriving and multiplying.
So it’s not really as easy as you thought. In order to safely clean a plastic cutting board, you have to give it a good scrub with soap and hot water so you can get into the nooks, rinse, and then sanitize it with a chlorine-based sanitizer, like bleach diluted in water. Um… no thank you. On all counts!
🚫 COST. It may seem like a plastic cutting boards last forever, but that’s because you’ve been keeping them for way too long and haven’t considered the scars your plastic cutting board gets from daily use And the danger they pose. The truth is that once there are a lot of noticeable grooves in the plastic, it's time to chuck and replace. This means that you may… or rather, SHOULD go through a cutting board every few months, which isn't very cost-effective or good for the environment… and speaking of environment…
🚫 MICROPLASTICS. Researchers discovered evidence of microplastics (i.e., tiny pieces of plastic beads, fibers, or fragments, measuring less than .02 inches) in human feces. These particles can enter the bloodstream, lymphatic system, and may even reach the liver. While their effects on human health are still being studied, scientists believe that they can cause cellular changes, genetic mutations, altered glandular functions and hormone disruption.
What does this have to do with plastic cutting boards?
Well, you may have noticed that it’s impossible to chop on a plastic cutting board without slicing through and leaving visible scars In the plastic. What you probably didn’t notice the microplastics your slicing and dicing is creating, which goes as directly into your food. Scars upon scars on a plastic board results in plastic fibres being released from the board.
Moreover, when you throw a plastic cutting board in the dishwasher, it will release loose plastic fibers during the dishwasher cycle. These microplastic fibers will either end up in the water supply or on your dishes. Lose-lose!
🚫 POLLUTION. Once a plastic chopping board has reached the end of its useful life, it will still exist for over a thousand more years vs. wood chopping boards, which will decompose in full within a few years.
READY FOR THE CLEAN SWAP?🙋♀️
Personally, I like bamboo. It’s low maintenance and the “wood” (it’s actually grass) is hard enough to resist retaining water.
Check out K BASIX Bamboo Cutting Board Set. These boards are reversible, have a juice groove, and are made from top-grade, eco-friendly bamboo trees. Most Importantly, they contain no harmful chemicals, toxic elements, dyes, lacquers, sealants, formaldehyde, etc.
And cleaning is a snap! I hand wash the board after each use, rinse, and wipe it dry. Once a month, I rub it with mineral oil to protect the surface. That’s it. 🤗
From an environmental perspective, bamboo is often labeled “the world’s most renewable material” and is the fastest-growing woody plant in the world. It is a fast growing grass, requires no fertiliser, and self-regenerates from its own roots, so it doesn't need to be replanted.
What‘s not to like?
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE CLEAN BRAND?
Send me a message or leave a comment below and share what it is. If I feature it, I’ll give you credit and may even send you a free gift!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Gregory is an Integrative Nutritionist and founder of NEWTRITION NEWYOU. Her focus—whether with private clients, readers of her blog, or her followers on social media— is whole body wellness, incorporating whole-food nutrition, supplementation, exercise, toxin-free living, and mindset coaching. Victoria’s personal mission is to help make the world a healthier place, one person at a time, and she has helped thousands of people find joy and self-love through better eating habits and mindfulness. Learn more about Victoria.