A Day Without Petroleum? Good Luck With That!

This idea may shock you, but we need to get real for a second: we’re basically eating and wearing petroleum all day, every day. Yep. That same black, sticky stuff we drill from the ground to make gas and diesel is also chilling in your kitchen, bathroom, and even on your body right now.

Wait—petroleum? In food?

Yes, my friend. From the cornflakes you crunch in the morning to the ice cream you dig into at night, there's a good chance petroleum's been involved. It shows up as additives, colorants, preservatives—stuff with names like BHA, BHT, and artificial dyes. Some of them come straight out of petroleum refineries. Delicious, right?

Even baby food sometimes gets in on the action. Yuck!!

So… where is all this petroleum hiding?

Here’s a mini rundown of your average day:

Morning:

• You probably brush your teeth with toothpaste that contains petroleum-based ingredients. This also goes for your soap, moisturizer and makeup. Look at the package. These ingredients may be disguised as glycerin, propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol (PEG) or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). These petrochemicals are used to enhance texture and keep it moist. Also, if you use vaseline/petroleum jelly on your lips or elbows or knees, to smooth out the dry patches....well, the name says it all

• You may then eat some cereal with additives derived from oil. Petroleum-based ingredients, primarily in the form of synthetic food dyes, are used to enhance color and visual appeal. These dyes, like FD&C Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5, are in many food products.

Afternoon:

If you get a coffee from your favorite coffee shop and drink from a paper cup, it is lined with plastic. If you purchase a beverage, its most likely in a single-use plastic container. If you purchase some takeaway food, you're eating from a container that’s... yep, plastic, or plastic-lined. Even if you make some tea in a reusable mug, many traditional "paper" tea bags actually contain plastic, primarily polypropylene, used for sealing the bags. This plastic can leach into the tea during brewing, releasing microplastics and nanoplastics.

Evening:

Watch Netflix in your cozy leggings or gym shorts made from synthetic fabrics like polyester or nylon — both born from petroleum. Maybe use some skincare or hair gel loaded with synthetic chemicals. And wind down with a scoop of ice cream made with more mystery additives.

Basically, we’re wrapped in oil, inside and out.

How did we get here?

Somewhere in the past, humans decided it made sense to take crude oil, refine it, and then sneak it into nearly every product we use. All that when we live in the Caribbean, where healthy local food is growing all around us, and cotton and linen clothes were once the norm.

Instead, we’ve got a fridge and cabinets full of imported snacks with ingredients we can’t pronounce. And we’re paying good money to rub oil derivatives on our skin. Crazy!

“But allyuh sustainability people just want to stress us out!”

Listen, we get it. No one’s saying to throw your wardrobe away or go live off-grid in the mountains. But it’s worth thinking about this: are we choosing this, or just going through the motions?

What if we started:

• Reading labels more?

• Choosing local fruits over packaged snacks?

• Supporting small businesses that use natural products?

• Wearing breathable, natural fabrics that don’t feel like plastic?

Even little steps can go far.

So… what’s the most shocking petroleum product you’ve discovered?

Is it the plastic in your teabags? The “natural” lotion that’s not-so-natural? Or maybe that bright red candy you love that gets its color from an oil byproduct?

Let me know. Because honestly, the more you learn, the more you start side-eying half your pantry.

Stay sharp, aware and informed—and maybe skip the petroleum-flavored cornflakes tomorrow. LOL