13 Secret Toxins Lurking in Your Food, and How to Avoid Them

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Here are some tips to help you steer clear of hidden toxins that masquerade as safe products.

By Tina McCarthy, EcoSalon.

Various shelves throughout every aisle of your grocery store are stocked with wolves in sheep's clothing. Colorful packaging, appetizing pictures, and nutrition claims hide the truth: unhealthy chemicals are lurking in many these seemingly harmless foods. Here are some tips to help you steer clear of hidden toxins that masquerade as safe products.

1. Stay away from processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, and sausage. Sodium nitrate accounts for their appetizing red hue, but this additive can also cause the formation of nitrosamines in your system, which can lead to cancer.

2. Stick to low-mercury fish like American-farmed tilapia instead of swordfish or tuna. Overexposure can cause memory problems, fatigue, and other health issues, and besides, most wild fish stocks are threatened these days. (Looking for an alternative? There's branzini, the fish you've never heard of.)

3. Reduce the amount of canned food you consume. Cans are commonly lined with bisphenol-A, an organic compound that, according to the Lang study, may be associated with diabetes and heart disease.

4. Cut back on meat and dairy products. These animal products may contain trace amounts of harmful contaminants like polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polychlorinated biphenyl and dioxins. Although many of these toxins have been banned, they are still present in the soil. Reducing your intake of animal products is also more friendly to the environment.

5. Skip the diet soda and artificial sweeteners. Prolonged exposure to aspartame, a neurotoxic chemical additive in these products, can lead to nerve cell damage, dizziness, and headaches. Besides, anything that gives rats brain tumors is worth avoiding in my book.

6. Choose the farmed fish carefully. Studies show that farm-raised fish contain more polychlorinated biphenyl and over ten times the amount of dioxin.

7. Opt for organic chicken. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy discovered traces of arsenic in non-organic chickens. Exposure to this dangerous chemical can lead to cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Another study also found numerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria in conventional poultry.

8. Only drink milk that says "no rBGH" on the carton because recombinant bovine growth hormone has been linked with breast cancer. Better yet, opt for responsibly-produced, unsweetened soy, nut or rice milk.

9. Avoid manufactured snacks. Hydrogenated oils are used to lengthen the shelf life of products like crackers and cookies, but they are also associated with diabetes and heart disease. Another reason to stay away from the middle aisles: snack foods are generally loaded with salt, corn syrup and other unhealthy ingredients.

10. Stay away from artificially-colored foods like candy, maraschino cherries, and gelatin. Mice and rats exposed to blue 1 and 2, red 3 and yellow 6 suffered from brain, adrenal gland, thyroid, and kidney tumors.

11. Always buy organic produce. This one's a no-brainer, but the list wouldn't be complete without it. Lingering pesticides can lead to nervous and reproductive system damage, not to mention cancer.

12. Use stainless steel or cast iron cookware to prepare your meals. The Teflon used to create nonstick surfaces can release noxious gases when exposed to high temperatures, which puts you at risk for heart disease.

13. Never microwave food in plastic bowls, containers, or dishes. Exposure to heat causes the bisphenol-A found in plastics to break down and potentially contaminate your food. Also, make sure to hand wash them.

http://www.alternet.org/story/141870/13_se..._to_avoid_them/

[HAL 9000 96]

Communist propaganda. Its better living through chemistry.

[pedroh 21]

bullsh!t, I ain't stoppin eating steak.. this is all propaganda indeed,. says to cut back on dairy, but then it says, if its milk drink the hormone free one.. of course this is lobbying to the organic farmers and whatnot

[HAL 9000 96]

For the Socialist Organic Farmers you mean...

Wanting to bankrupt us all with their blemished fruits and veggies.

[pedroh 21]

I'm sure Trader Joe's paid for this, Steven must be a spokesperson for them

[GaryC 7]

I love Penn and Teller. Careful, bad language.

[Peikko 1,575]

Bleh, just so how not to convince people that if you are what you eat, you need to eat right.

[HAL 9000 96]

No audio here right now (missing headset )

Lets remember that before industrial times... organic farming was the only farming.

[Amby 490]

I think everyone should try to grow at least one thing of their own. Even if they just grow herbs or some tomatoes. The taste is so much better!

[HAL 9000 96]

I think everyone should try to grow at least one thing of their own. Even if they just grow herbs or some tomatoes. The taste is so much better!

Communist propaganda.

[Amby 490]

I think everyone should try to grow at least one thing of their own. Even if they just grow herbs or some tomatoes. The taste is so much better!

Communist propaganda.

stfu!

[HAL 9000 96]

I think everyone should try to grow at least one thing of their own. Even if they just grow herbs or some tomatoes. The taste is so much better!

Communist propaganda.

stfu!

Grind up some pain meds and water your own plants, socialist.

[Peikko 1,575]

Sound advice though, no matter what label you want to put on it

[john & jean 37]

the only herbs that grow well here is illegal

[Amby 490]

I think everyone should try to grow at least one thing of their own. Even if they just grow herbs or some tomatoes. The taste is so much better!

Communist propaganda.

stfu!

Grind up some pain meds and water your own plants, socialist.