Home Good things to know about food toxins

Good things to know about food toxins

Chemical companies and manufactures have introduced over 80,000 chemicals into our environment. Only 200 of those have been tested by the EPA. Chemicals in this country are innocent until proven guilty…

 

This means someone has to prove they are harmful to get results. With such an onslaught of chemicals out there, the EPA is without the resources to protect us. Which means... it’s all up to us!

 

Take BPA (Bishpenol a) for example. It’s a chemical used to harden polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It’s also a synthetic estrogen that has been shown in laboratory tests to be an endocrine disruptor, triggering a variety of disorders, including chromosomal and reproductive abnormalities, obesity, adult-onset diabetes, impaired neurological functions, cancer, cardiovascular damage, early puberty, even resistance to chemotherapy.  Safe_child_4

 

We’ve known this chemical was in canned foods, baby bottles, and sippy cups for years, but the EPA didn’t regulate it. Only when a lot of people stopped buying those baby bottles and sippy cups, did we start seeing manufactures start removing it from some consumer products. Some manufacturers are even switching from polycarbonate based plastics entirely, and Maryland, at least, has passed a law to ban BPA. In the face of this, it still lines the inside of the cans that contain the vast majority of our canned food products including baby formula.

 

What we buy is our strongest voice to bring about change...

When you buy organic, you’re helping a lot of people be healthier, including yourself. The demand for organic products is having a noticeable effect, creating healthier farms and products for all of us.

 

Scientists are seeing that even small doses of pesticides can cause lasting damage to human health, especially during fetal development and early childhood. Studies have found that people who eat the 12 most contami­nated fruits and vegetables consume an average of 10 pesticides a day. People who eat the 15 least contaminated conventionally-grown produce ingest fewer than 2 pesticides a day.

 

Here’s a list of produce to pay attention to because it’s often pesticide heavy.
Buy these organic!

  • Strawberry
  • Peach
  • Bell Pepper
  • Celery
  • Apple
  • Nectarine
  • Cherry
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Carrot
  • Pear

Some other things that can help…

  • Eat good fats. Omega-3 fatty acids help offset toxic effects of lead and mercury. They’re in fish, eggs, nuts, oils, and produce. Breast milk is a great source of good fats (and other benefits) for babies, and protects them from toxic chemicals.
  • Get your iodine. Use iodized salt, especially while pregnant and nursing, and take iodine-containing prenatal vitamins. Iodine buffers against chemicals like perchlorate, which can disrupt your thyroid system and affect brain development during pregnancy and infancy.
  • Pick your plastic containers carefully. Avoid clear, hard plastic bottles marked with a “7” or “PC” and choose baby bottles made from glass or BPA-free plastic. Don’t microwave plastic containers.
  • And of course, support your local organic farm. Get a Vital Zuman farm box, so you can have organic, sustainable produce throughout the year - Here are the details....