We’ve all heard of our food containing toxins and dangerous chemicals.
Now we have some food scientists who are highlighting this topic by revealing what exactly they refuse to put in their own bodies.
Eating clean means consuming food which has as minimal processing as possible. These are fruits, veggies, and meats that should rarely, if ever, contain additives. Most of the time they should fly under the banner of “organic.”
Today’s producers of food are often times guilty of producing food which is neither sustainable, nor considered clean, and the result is damage to humans and damage to the planet.
So here are 8 foods which different experts will not eat. Provided are also alternatives to these foods.
1. The Endocrinologist Avoids Canned Tomatoes
Fredrick Vom Saal, is an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A.
It turns out the real problem lies in the actual tin cans themselves. They contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. The acidity causes BPA to leach into foods, and the amount in most people’s bodies exceed the limit that can suppress production of sperm, while causing chromosomal damage to animal eggs.
Vom Saal says: “You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young. I won’t go near canned tomatoes.”
So what is the alternative? Tomatoes in glass bottles. Some good brands are Bionaturae and Coluccio, and also Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe’s and Pomi are good.
2. The Farmer Avoids Corn-Fed Beef
The farmer is Joel Salatin who is co-owner of Polyface Farms and is the author numerous books dealing with sustainable farming.
The natural diet of cattle is grass, not grains. Naturally most of today’s farmers, driven by profit and pressure, feed their cattle corn and soybeans. We pay cheaper costs and the food industry rakes in higher profit. Oh yeah, we suffer health-wise and no doubt the factory farming model is questionable at best on the treatment of animals.
On the other hand, grass fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega 3’s, CLA, calcium, magnesium and potassium, while being lower in saturated fats and inflammatory omega 6’s.
“We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure,” says Salatin.
So what’s the alternative? Grass fed beef. This option can be found more and more at regular grocery stores, and is always an option at health angled grocery stores. It’s always more money, but it’s worth it and the taste is so much better.
3. The Toxicologist Avoids Microwave Popcorn.
The toxicologist is Olga Naidenko, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group.
We are hearing about this more and more and it has to do with PFOA which is a chemical found in the lining of the microwave popcorn bag. It may be linked to infertility, according to a UCLA study. In animals the harmful effects are liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. The microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize. and leach into the popcorn. Naidenko says that they stay in your body for years! Researchers fear the animal levels that cause cancer could be reached by humans. While there is supposed to be a phase-out of these bags by this year, there are still millions out there for sale.
What’s the alternative? Go old school with organic pop corn. Pop your kernels in a skillet. Add real butter or seasonings such as dillweed or veggie flakes. Use coconut oil as well.
4. The Farm Director Avoids Nonorganic Potatoes.
The farm director is Jeffrey Moyer, the chair of the National Organic Standards Board.
What’s the deal with nonorganic potatoes? Herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides. These all end up in the soil right where potatoes end up harvesting. The potatoes are treated with fungicides during the growing season. Next they are sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. And then, after they are harvested, once again they are sprayed to prevent sprouting! That’s three different times they are being exposed to chemicals.
Moyer says: “Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won’t. I’ve talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals.”
So what’s the alternative? Simply buying organic potatoes, or growing your own if possible. Some may think washing the potatoes would be an alternative. Nope. Those chemicals are so heavily absorbed that washing won’t do.
5. The Fisheries Expert Avoids Farmed Salmon
The fisheries expert is Dr. David Carpenter who is the director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany, and has also published a major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish.
Just like nature did not intend cows to eat grain, it also did not intend for salmon to be stuffed into pens and fed crap like soy, poultry litter and, get this, hydrolyzed chicken feathers. The result is carcinogen containing salmon as well as other contaminates like PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. Northern Europe are the prime culprits in contaminated fish, and naturally these make their way onto American menus.
Carpenter says: “You could eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer It’s that bad.”
DDT is also linked to diabetes and obesity. Still, some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh these risks. But this can be put into question as additional concern involves high level of antibiotics and pesticides which are used to treat these fish. Farmed salmon will have you consuming the same drugs and chemicals.
So what’s the alternative? Wild-caught Alaska salmon. Look for, and avoid, a fresh Atlantic package as this indicates farmed. Wild Atlantic salmon have no commercial fisheries left.
6. The Cancer Researcher Avoids Milk Produced With Artificial Hormones
Rick North is project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society.
The issue with milk producers is that they treat their cattle with bovine growth hormone in order to, you guessed it, boost milk production as much as possible. Increased infections and pus in the milk are the results of this drive to produce. Also is increased levels of IGF-1 which can be linked to breast, prostate, and colon cancers.
North says: “When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract. There’s not 100 percent proof that this is increasing cancer in humans. However, it’s banned in most industrialized countries.”
What’s the alternative? Raw milk. Or check labels for the following: rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk.
7. The Biotech Specialist Avoids Conventional Soy: GMO Unfermented Soy.
The biotech specialist is Michael Harris who directed several projects within the biotech sector including those for genetically engineered food. He has been a consultant, manager and director for companies such as Xenon Pharmaceuticals and Genon Corporation.
The manipulation of DNA and the genetic code is why genetically engineered food is of high concern. The only soy fit for human consumption is fermented soy. Naturally 90% of the soy in the world is genetically modified, and hence long-term health issues are inevitable as soy affects hormonal balance and can even cause cancer.
The alternative is to look for non-gmo soy or organic. Don’t ever consume unfermented soy sources. You may also want to find out where the non-gmo soy was obtained.
8. The Organic-Foods Expert Avoids Conventional Apples.
The expert is Mark Kastel, a former executive for agribusiness and co-director of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group that supports organic foods.
Really, even apples? Unfortunately yes as it turns out they are the most doused in pesticides. They don’t develop resistance to pests as well and thus are constantly sprayed. Naturally, “the industry” says these leftover residues are not harmful to consume, but why you would want to knowingly consume nasty pesticide residues is beyond comprehension when you really think about it and learn some facts like the following:
“Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers,” says Kastel. More studies are linking higher pesticide exposure to Parkinson’s disease as well.
What’s the alternative? Simply paying the extra money per pound and buying organic apples, which always taste so much better anyway.
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