Best Kitchen Gadgets for a Hormone-Friendly Microplastic-Free Kitchen

The best kitchen gadgets aren’t just about how to make cooking easier — they’re also about supporting a healthy lifestyle! In today’s world, minimizing exposure to microplastics is more important than ever, especially when it comes to the tools we use to prepare our food. Let’s explore why a microplastic-free kitchen matters for hormone health and share our favorite kitchen products designed to keep your meals (and your body) free from hidden toxins.

Why Microplastics Matter for Hormone Health

When it comes to creating a hormone-supportive, non-toxic kitchen, understanding the hidden dangers of microplastics is essential. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that sneak into our kitchen environments through everyday items like plastic cooking utensils, food storage containers, non-stick cookware, and even the packaging our food comes in. 

We know how exposure to chemicals commonly found in plastics, such as BPA, phthalates, and PFAS, can disrupt the balance of our endocrine system, impacting hormone health. These chemicals, often referred to as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), have been linked to a variety of health issues including thyroid dysfunction, irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, PCOS, estrogen dominance, and metabolic disorders. 

One of the factors that contributes to the dangers of EDCs is that they build up in our bodies and are stored in fat tissue. As their concentrations increase in the body, they can wreak more havoc on different body systems, especially hormones. Minimizing microplastic exposure is a foundational step toward protecting hormonal health and overall well-being.

Our Favorite Kitchen Gadgets for a Hormone-Friendly, Microplastic-Free Kitchen

1. Stainless Steel Slow Cooker

Choosing a nontoxic, all-stainless steel slow cooker (like this one linked here) can upgrade the nutrient density of your meals and make batch cooking meals a breeze, all while keeping your kitchen toxin-free. Tougher cuts of meat lend themselves really well to slow cooking, and are also great sources of collagen, glycine, and other amino acids that support gut and joint health.

Stainless steel is your go-to material for pots and pans, in addition to cast iron. While they may take a bit to get used to because these are not non-stick materials, it’s a worthy investment to avoid the endocrine-disrupting PFAS chemicals that are in non-stick coatings. 

While some ceramic cookware brands claim to be “nontoxic” by avoiding PFAS, they often lack transparency about the alternative chemicals used and their safety. Stainless steel offers peace of mind and functional nutrition benefits without the greenwashing.

2. Stainless Steel Air Fryer

If you love quick, crispy meals, a stainless steel air fryer is a must-have. Most air fryers use non-stick coatings, which can break down at high temperatures and leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals and microplastics into your food. A stainless steel option (like this one) eliminates this risk, helping you create hormone-supportive meals in a flash. 

It’s a game-changer for whipping up simple balanced meals for one to two people, like this recipe for honey mustard chicken and brussels sprouts (linked). It’s also great for batching up proteins for the family, like these air fryer turkey legs (recipe linked)! Opt for a stainless steel air fryer that doubles as a mini oven to enjoy any baked recipe without heating up your whole kitchen.

Pro tip: If you do find yourself needing to use a non-stick baking sheet for a recipe, be sure to line it with unbleached parchment paper (like this), in order to not cook your food on the non-stick surface.

3. Stainless Steel or Glass Blender

Blenders are a daily staple in many functional kitchens, especially if you are whipping up one of our favorite smoothie recipes, like our Daily Functional Smoothie, Mocha Maca Smoothie, or Detoxification Smoothie. Smoothies are a fantastic way to build balanced meals or snacks rich in fiber, antioxidants, healthy fats, and protein. 

Among the blender options out there, we highly recommend stainless steel or tempered glass over plastic. Plastic blender pitchers can get scratched, clouded, and can leach microplastics into foods (especially if blending warm foods). They also can become harder to clean over time, harboring bacteria that can impact your gut microbiome. 

A stainless steel or tempered glass blender is a smart switch for minimizing microplastic exposure. Plus, a sturdy blender makes it easy to prepare nutrient-dense soups and sauces packed with functional ingredients like fresh herbs and leafy greens, further boosting your meal’s hormone-supportive properties.

4. Filtered Water Essentials

Proper hydration improves digestion and adrenal function, and lays the groundwork for vibrant health. Drinking clean filtered water is non-negotiable to ensure you are hydrating in a way that isn’t introducing microplastics, heavy metals, or other harmful chemicals into your body. 

Investing in a high-quality filtration system like AquaTru (countertop) or APEC (under-sink reverse osmosis) reduces exposure to heavy metals, PFAS, chlorine, and other hormone-disrupting contaminants. These systems are a worthy investment, especially if it allows you to stop drinking out of plastic bottles!

Even reusable plastic bottles can leach microplastics into your drinking water. Opt for stainless steel (link this one) or glass reusable water bottles (like this one) to hydrate in a way that is as supportive for your hormones as possible.

5. Plastic-Free Coffee Solutions

Coffee is rich in antioxidants and research shows it can actually have significant heart and liver health benefits. Of course, this depends on what you might be adding to your coffee, as well as how you are brewing it. 

If you’re brewing coffee daily or even a few days each week, avoiding machines with plastic parts is crucial. From the water reservoir to where the hot brewed coffee is leaving the machine, that is a lot of plastic for your near-boiling hot water to pass through!

Switching to a plastic-free system and mold mycotoxin-free coffee (like the brands Purity Coffee or Bulletproof) allows you to enjoy your morning cup without harming your hormone health. The Aarke Coffee Maker is an electric drip coffee brewer made almost entirely of stainless steel. It’s the closest thing to a plastic-free coffee machine, aside from a stainless steel stovetop coffee maker (like this one) or a ceramic pour-over coffee dripper (like this one).

6. Additional Plastic-Free Essentials

Smaller kitchen upgrades can also make a big difference to eliminate microplastics and make boosting your meals with more functional food properties a breeze! 

Wood cutting boards (like this one made from acacia wood) offer a non-toxic surface to prep everything from vegetables to fresh herbs, which are packed with phytonutrients that combat oxidative stress and fight inflammation. 

A stainless steel garlic press is among our most utilized kitchen gadgets. Add fresh garlic into your meals with ease, and enjoy the benefits of allicin, a potent anti-inflammatory compound in garlic with great immune-boosting benefits. 

Another must have is a stainless steel citrus juicer. This makes it quick and easy to add vitamin C to your dishes and beverages, which boosts iron absorption and supports the adrenal glands. 

Let’s Get Cooking!

By reducing microplastic exposure and investing in high-quality, non-toxic kitchen gadgets, you can better support your hormone health and boost the nutritional value of your meals. As you can see, small changes in your kitchen can have a lasting impact on your overall wellness.

Looking for even more inspiration? Be sure to check out our free Holiday Guide, featuring additional functional kitchen favorites that are perfect gifts for Mother’s Day! What a thoughtful way to help your loved ones create healthier, toxin-free homes!

Written by Romana Brennan, MS, RD