On cutting boards, microplastics and bacteria
Summary
TLDRThe video script addresses the controversy surrounding microplastics from plastic cutting boards in food preparation. It discusses the prevalence of microplastics in our environment and the lack of concrete evidence on their health effects. The speaker argues that while microplastics are a concern, the hysteria is unwarranted, and the benefits of using plastic cutting boards, such as ease of cleaning and safety, outweigh the unknown risks. The script also highlights the importance of actual cooking and eating healthy food over the choice of cutting board material.
Takeaways
- 🍽️ Plastic cutting boards are common in commercial kitchens due to their durability and ease of cleaning, despite concerns about microplastics.
- 🌐 Microplastics are ubiquitous in our environment and bodies, but the exact health impact is still not well understood.
- 🔍 HACCP regulations in many developed countries often require color-coded cutting boards, typically made from plastic for ease of color coding.
- 🪵 Restaurants prefer plastic over wooden boards to avoid issues like splinters and the potential spread of bacteria when cleaned in a sink.
- 🧪 Studies have shown no significant difference in bacteria levels between plastic and wooden cutting boards in laboratory settings.
- 📊 A 90s epidemiological study found a correlation between plastic cutting boards and salmonella infections, but it did not establish causation.
- 🥕 A recent study from North Dakota State University found that wooden cutting boards release more microparticles than plastic ones.
- 🌱 The cellulose from wooden boards is similar to dietary fiber and not a cause for concern, unlike the potential effects of ingested plastic.
- 🧬 Animal studies have shown negative effects from microplastics, but the direct implications for human health are still unclear.
- 🛑 The current scientific consensus is that the health effects of microplastics are not yet well enough understood to justify alarm.
- 🥗 The choice between plastic and wooden cutting boards is a personal one, and both have their pros and cons in terms of health and practicality.
Q & A
What was the main topic of the video script discussing?
-The video script is discussing the controversy surrounding the use of plastic cutting boards in food preparation, particularly in commercial kitchens, and the concerns about microplastics.
Why are microplastics from plastic cutting boards a concern?
-Microplastics from plastic cutting boards are a concern because they can potentially enter the food chain and the human body, but the exact health implications are not well understood.
What does HACCP stand for and why is it relevant to the discussion?
-HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a safety protocol that includes the use of color-coded cutting boards, which often leads to the preference for plastic over wood in commercial kitchens.
Why might restaurants prefer plastic cutting boards over wooden ones?
-Restaurants might prefer plastic cutting boards due to their ease of cleaning, durability, the ability to color-code them for HACCP compliance, and concerns about splinters from wooden boards.
What are some of the reasons people might sarcastically comment on the use of plastic cutting boards?
-People might sarcastically comment because they are concerned about the potential health risks of microplastics, even though the scientific consensus on the impact of these microplastics is not yet clear.
What does the script suggest about the difference in bacteria harboring between wooden and plastic cutting boards?
-The script suggests that most studies show no meaningful difference in bacteria harboring between wooden and plastic cutting boards, indicating that both materials can be equally hygienic when properly maintained.
What was the finding of the study from North Dakota State University regarding microparticles released from cutting boards?
-The study found that wooden cutting boards release far more microparticles into food compared to plastic cutting boards, which contradicts the common concern about plastic boards.
What is the main argument against the 'freakout' over plastic cutting boards?
-The main argument against the 'freakout' is that there is insufficient scientific evidence to support the idea that plastic cutting boards pose a significant health risk, and the concern may be misplaced compared to other sources of microplastics.
What is the script's stance on the use of plastic cutting boards in restaurants?
-The script suggests that the use of plastic cutting boards in restaurants is largely dictated by regulatory codes and practical considerations, and that blaming their use for broader societal or health issues is not rational.
What is the script's final recommendation regarding the choice between wooden and plastic cutting boards for home use?
-The script recommends that the choice between wooden and plastic cutting boards for home use should be based on personal preference and practical considerations, with a slight preference for wood to avoid additional plastic consumption, but acknowledges that the health impact of either is likely minimal.
What is the role of the Grüns product mentioned in the script?
-The Grüns product is a multivitamin, greens powder, and probiotic all-in-one supplement that is mentioned as a personal health choice of the speaker, unrelated to the main topic of cutting boards but included as a sponsored content.
Outlines
🍽️ Plastic Cutting Boards and Microplastics Concerns
The script addresses the controversy surrounding plastic cutting boards and the potential release of microplastics. It criticizes the sarcastic comments on a video from an Indian restaurant in the UK, where viewers focused on the use of plastic boards despite their widespread use in commercial kitchens. The narrator explains that while microplastics from plastic boards are documented, the overall environmental contribution and health impact are not well understood. The script also discusses the HACCP safety protocol, which often requires color-coded plastic boards in commercial settings for food safety reasons, and touches on the practical advantages of plastic over wood in restaurants, such as ease of cleaning and reduced risk of splinters.
🧐 The Science of Cutting Boards and Bacteria
This paragraph delves into the scientific studies comparing bacteria on wooden and plastic cutting boards. It mentions that most studies show no significant difference in bacteria levels between the two materials. The narrator discusses the porosity of wood, which allows bacteria to penetrate deeper but not resurface, and the natural antimicrobial properties of some woods, like pine. The script also references an epidemiological study from the 90s that correlated plastic boards with salmonella infections, but notes the lack of causative evidence. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the lack of strong scientific evidence to prefer one type of cutting board over the other in terms of germs and the importance of proper cleaning practices.
🌱 Wood vs. Plastic Cutting Boards: A nuanced view
The script presents a balanced view on the choice between wood and plastic cutting boards, highlighting a study from North Dakota State University that found wooden boards release more microparticles. It discusses the relative harmlessness of cellulose from wood, which is similar to dietary fiber, and contrasts it with the potential concerns about ingesting plastic particles, which are supported by animal studies showing harm to aquatic life. The paragraph also critiques the overreaction to microplastics online, suggesting it may be driven by a desire to find simple explanations for complex issues. It compares the situation to concerns over Teflon pans and suggests that while plastic boards might be preferable from an environmental perspective, the overall impact of an individual's choice is likely minimal.
🔪 Cooking Habits and Social Media Sensitivity
In the final paragraph, the script encourages viewers to make informed decisions about their cooking tools without succumbing to social media outrage. It suggests that while plastic cutting boards are almost a necessity in commercial kitchens, personal choices at home can lean towards wooden boards to reduce plastic consumption. The narrator admits a personal preference for wooden boards at home but acknowledges the practical reasons for using plastic in certain situations. The script ends with a reminder to focus on the act of cooking and eating healthily, rather than getting caught up in minor details of kitchen tool choice, and a subtle nod to the complexity of product choices, as exemplified by the use of wood composites in some 'wooden' cutting boards.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Microplastics
💡Plastic Cutting Boards
💡HACCP
💡Wooden Cutting Boards
💡Color-Coding
💡Cross-Contamination
💡Antimicrobial Resins
💡Epidemiological Study
💡Grüñs
💡Endocrine Disruption
💡Cellulose
Highlights
Microplastics from plastic cutting boards are a documented concern, but the extent of their impact compared to other environmental sources is unknown.
The environment is saturated with microplastics, which are also present in our bodies, but the health implications are not well understood.
Commercial food preparation often uses plastic cutting boards due to regulations like HACCP, which may require color-coded boards.
Plastic cutting boards are favored for their ease of cleaning and durability compared to wooden boards.
Wooden cutting boards may harbor bacteria differently due to their porous nature, but studies show no significant difference in bacteria levels between wood and plastic.
A study from North Dakota State University found that wooden cutting boards release more microparticles into food than plastic ones.
The health effects of ingesting plastic are minimal according to a study exposing mouse cells to microparticles from cutting boards.
Animal studies show harm to aquatic life from microplastics, but the comparison to human exposure levels is uncertain.
The public's reaction to microplastics in food preparation may be influenced by misinformation and a lack of scientific understanding.
The choice between plastic and wooden cutting boards should be based on personal preference and practical considerations rather than fear of microplastics.
The video discusses the importance of not overreacting to social media scares about microplastics in food preparation.
A multivitamin and greens powder called Grüns is introduced as a health supplement, unrelated to the main topic but sponsored.
The Grüns supplement is described as a convenient and consumable daily nutritional option, suitable for those with dietary restrictions.
The video emphasizes the importance of cooking and eating healthily over the choice of cutting board material.
The author suggests that the impact of cutting boards on health and the environment is minimal compared to other sources of microplastics.
The author recommends using wooden cutting boards at home for environmental reasons, despite the scientific evidence being inconclusive.
The video concludes by advising viewers to focus on cooking and consuming healthy food rather than obsessing over the type of cutting board used.
Transcripts
So one of the algorithms the other day served me a video from an Indian restaurant in the
UK. They were demonstrating some gorgeous dish that they make, and I swear every other comment
on this video was somebody sarcastically saying, "Ooh, microplastics delicious," all because they
were preparing their food on plastic cutting boards like nearly every other restaurant or
commercial food preparation place in the developed world. They were using poly cutting boards. This
is an incredibly stupid comment for people to be leaving and it's mean, and we're going to
talk about why. Microplastics from plastic cutting boards that's real. It's documented, it's a thing.
What we do not know is how much microplastics you're getting from your plastic cutting boards
compared to the volume of microplastics that you're getting from other vectors,
other sources in your environment. The environment is full of microplastics. It's ubiquitous in
our world and in our bodies at this point. We also do not know how big of a deal that is.
We don't really know what it's doing to us and at this point, my estimation of the research that I'm
going to share with you is basically we don't know enough to be freaked out at this point. Of course,
there are many reasons why commercial food preparers generally use plastic cutting boards
rather than wood and many jurisdictions they may be literally required to, or they might be
all but required to. It's called HACCP, hazard analysis and critical control points. This is
the safety protocol that has been enshrined into the regulatory codes covering restaurants in all
kinds of developed countries, and what it says is that you have to use color-coded cutting boards,
a red one for meat and what is it, green one for vegetables, white one for fish, I think it is.
And in order to have color-coded cutting boards, you probably need to have poly cutting boards.
It's much harder to safely color-code a wooden cutting board. Of course, there are other reasons
why restaurants would generally favor plastic, plastic you can throw into the dishwasher,
wood you probably want to scrape clean in a sink. There are of course wooden cutting boards that
you can put into the dishwasher too, and in fact, you could put any wooden cutting board
into the dishwasher. It probably just won't last as long, and that's a concern for restaurants,
so they generally opt for plastic. Restaurants also worry about splinters coming up off of
wooden cutting boards and the customer chokes on it and that would be bad on Instagram and it's a
much more acute health risk to be concerned about compared to the long-term hypothetical
health risk of chronic microplastic exposure. Another thing worry about is that when you take a
cutting board and you scrape it down in a sink like this, like you would generally do with a
wooden cutting board, there have been laboratory experiments that have shown that this action
sprays a lot of bacteria onto the surrounding counter surface and up into the air, and that
could be a source of cross-contamination that's probably greater than if you were taking a plastic
cutting board and then is dropping it directly into the dishwasher. Which cutting surface
harbors more bacteria has been studied a few times directly and most studies directly examining the
bacteria on the surface of the cutting board show no meaningful difference between wood and plastic.
Wood is generally more porous than plastic and they've done experiments where they've found
that bacteria does tend to migrate deeper into the material here, but then again, it tends to
stay there and doesn't work its way back up, and if it does stay there, it may be killed by
some of the natural antimicrobial resins in pine in particular that's been shown in one study.
But really every literature review you're going to turn up is going to say the same basic thing,
which is that there's no strong case to be made for wood or plastic [inaudible 00:03:28] germs,
at least in a laboratory setting. Of course, what happens with germs on surfaces in a laboratory
setting is very different from what happens with germs in actual kitchens among actual free-living
human beings who may in fact cook and wash very differently with plastic versus wood and there's
all kinds of things we can't capture. Really, the only epidemiological study that I've been able to
find is one from the 90s where they just found a correlation between plastic cutting boards and
salmonella infections in California. People were actually in the study far more likely to have
salmonella infections if they use plastic cutting boards than wooden cutting boards, but this was
just like a pure correlation thing in a survey. We just don't know much from that. What kind of
person, what kind of demographic was favoring plastic cutting boards in California in the
1990s compared to wood cutting boards? My demographic factors explain this difference
in salmonella outcomes. Now of course, we can't all just sit on our hands and wait
for overwhelming scientific evidence to tell us exactly what to do. We all have to make
day-to-day choices in terms of our own individual health and which kind of cutting board you choose
to use I respect either way. Another personal choice that I make in terms of my own health,
it's based upon research, is I do supplement a multivitamin and a great one now is Grüns,
sponsor of this video. In fact, this is more than just a multivitamin. It's a multivitamin.
It's what they're calling a greens powder these days and it's a probiotic all-in-one thing.
And what is the thing? It's a candy, a gummy. It's nut-free, gluten-free, anything that people have
common sensitivities to and it's not in here. And they told me that I could just eat it for
the first time on camera. Okay. They encouraged me to do that. They said, "Try it for the first
time on camera. We're so confident you're going to like it." Yeah, it just tastes like a fruit
snack. It should be shaped like a little car or a cartoon character or something. Actually, I guess
it just shaped like a bear. It's just green. That is good. And it is thickened with pectin
rather than gelatin, so it's vegan. Now if you're somebody who has trouble swallowing big pills
or choking down powders, this could be a really great option for you. You eat the whole package,
that is your daily supplement. There's just things in here that take up a lot of space,
the fiber to be a prebiotic, and then also the mushrooms that are in here that are associated
with good cognitive outcomes. They are good. It's got all over the basic vitamins that science
says you need and will support healthy immune function, healthy skin, all that kind of stuff and
in reasonable amounts. Some other products contain gigantic doses of certain vitamins and I'm not
sure how I feel about that. This is very rational. Vitamins are methylated, which makes them more
bioavailable, especially to 30% of the population with a particular genetic abnormality. And the
gummies themselves only have three grams added sugar. There is a sugar-free option as well. So
whether you're mainly concerned about gut health or free radicals in your body, this is a really
good science-backed daily all-in-one nutritional supplement that just is highly consumable, very
eatable. Right now you can get up to 45% off. Just click my link in the description, up to 45%
off your order with my link in the description. Thank you, Grüns. So in terms of science, there
is no strong case to be made for wood or plastic as far as germs are concerned. We don't even know
if that whole restaurant procedure of having different color-coded plastic cutting boards,
we don't even know if that makes people healthier in aggregate. They're simply too hard of a thing
to research. What we do know is that when you cut on any kind of cutting board, stuff comes off and
ends up in your food and in your environment. This is the study out of North Dakota State University
from last year that I think is the cause of the present furor on plastic cutting boards and
microplastics. They actually found that wooden cutting boards release far more microparticles
into the food like three times as much. So if your problem is that you're grossed out
by just non-edible stuff in your food than maybe wood should be the one that you're worried about,
but you probably shouldn't be worried about that because wood is mostly just cellulose. Cellulose
is just fiber. It's what your vegetables are made out of. There is actual reason to
be worried about plastic that you ingest. We know just about nothing from human studies,
but from animal studies. We do know that aquatic animals in particular are really, really harmed by
all of the microplastics that we are pouring into the environment, filter feeders, physical effects
like they just choke on them or their digestive systems are abraded by the plastics, but also kind
of chemical biological effects, oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, DNA damage, that kind of
thing, but also endocrine disruption, hormones getting messed up, reproduction getting messed up.
But we do not know how these levels of exposure these animals are experiencing compared to the
levels of exposure that we are experiencing. And we don't know how our bodies process plastics
versus how their bodies process plastics. We're very, very early in our understanding of this
problem. So indeed in this North Dakota study where they isolated the microplastics coming
off of a cutting board where they were cutting carrots, what they did is they did a little
experiment to try to apply it to actual health. They took a mouse cell and they exposed it to the
microparticles that they had harvested from their cutting board. And what they found was absolutely
nothing. There was no meaningful result on the health of this cell. And indeed one would assume
that the health effects from ingesting plastic could be really minimal because the whole point of
plastic is that it's relatively chemically inert. We are absolutely consuming it all the time,
but we are also eliminating it all the time without event. Whether something else happens
there in the interim, whether there's a gradual buildup of plastic in our bodies,
we don't know and what the long-term chronic health effects of that is, we don't know.
But there is no information to justify the freakout that is happening online just yet.
I think it's probably the research about endocrine disruption that has caused this whole issue to be
vacuumed up into the aggrieved manosphere on the internet, mostly young men who are upset
that they have not achieved the kind of status in the economy or in life that they would like
or in love, they're not able to have sex with the people they want to have sex with and they want
to blame something external for that. And it's really easy to try to blame something that is
both external and easily eliminated. It would be easy to eliminate plastic cutting boards from your
life and therefore that's a really attractive explanation for why you're not the kind of man
you want to be. I mean, it couldn't possibly be that you sit on your butt all day staring
into the misery machine and you don't go out and spend time with real people and you don't
move your body and you eat way too many calories. I mean it couldn't be that right? So where I think
we're at with the science is that it's kind of a similar situation to Teflon pans. Yeah,
the forever chemicals they use in the manufacture of these pans are bad and they're bad for the
environment, but your use of a pan is probably just a tiny little drop in the bucket of the
problem. They're used in products all throughout your life that are totally ubiquitous and even if
you stop cooking in these, it's really not going to affect your health or the
environmental health of the planet very much at all. That's not a reason to avoid them. I mean,
I actually do kind of avoid them. I minimize them. I only use nonstick when I absolutely need to,
and indeed, I actually mostly favor wooden cutting boards at home nowadays. I just tend
to use the plastic ones in videos because the wood ones tend to have gigantic logos burned
into them, which is super annoying. Plus I have kind of an attraction to
this green guy that has been in my videos since video number one. You could say that
I should be cutting on wood in my videos to model good behavior for my audience and I'll
take that under advisement. But gosh, here, look at this literature review that I've got
linked in the description. This is very recent. It's out of Norway, it has no shady sponsors,
and it's all about all of the microplastics from all of the food and food-related products that
are in your life. It is just so, so much bigger than cutting boards. Look at this Indian meal
that Lauren and I got takeout the other day. Look at all of the plastic and the plastic is
getting hot and heat is a particularly bad thing for microplastic extraction. So should you favor
wood cutting boards all else being equal? Yeah, I'd say maybe, yeah, if for no other
reason than to just kind of avoid buying yet another plastic product. If you have some
particular reason to use the plastic, the case for the wood is just very, very weak,
and I just think you should just go with whatever you have a particularly good reason to do and also
go with whatever is going to get you actually cooking. Whether you cut the carrot on the wood
versus the plastic probably matters a whole lot less than whether or not you eat the carrot.
Kind of similar to in the gym where people obsess over whether you're doing your bench press with
your wrists like this or your wrists like this. Yeah, there's scientific cases to be made for
either depending upon your goals, but if it's going to account for maybe 1% of your outcome,
whereas the 99% of your outcome is going to be determined by whether or not you got in the gym
and did the bench press in the first place, just cook, just cook and eat healthy food and
clean your stuff thoroughly when you're cutting meat and stuff like that on it.
Well, and all kinds of other things. It's not just meat. And what I would say most conclusively is
don't have a social media freak out whenever you see somebody on the internet cooking on plastic.
If they're in a restaurant, they all but have to cook on plastic and that is not their fault. Also,
take a second and think about whether or not you're being rational. I get crap sometimes when I
cook on this plastic. Nobody ever says anything when I cook on this wooden one in my videos,
despite the fact that what kind of wood is this? Look at that wood grain. You ever seen
a tree like that? This isn't wood, it's a wood composite. It's bound with plastic or resin,
which is a kind of plastic. It's kind of like when people get
on me for cooking with Nestle-branded products in my videos. Nestle is legit very problematic
company in a number of meaningful ways, but if you look at the center aisles of your grocery store,
half the products, half the brands in there are owned by Nestle. So come on, what are
we talking about here? Actually, we should talk more about that another day. We will.
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