Nutrition is something we don’t always think of when we eat food. We all need to eat and when we are hungry, assessing the QUALITY of our food may not always be the first thing we think of. At the end of 2010, a Presidential report on Pesticides, BPA, Mercury, and other harmful chemicals was printed in The New York Times. This report was based on the President’s Cancer Panel as “the mission control of mainstream scientific and medical thinking”. It reported “The incidence of some cancers, including some most common among children, is increasing for unexplained reasons.” This is scary. You don’t have to be an American to benefit from the research nor are we immune from harm north of the border. These chemicals: pesticides, insecticides, BPA, and Mercury are also linked to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and infertility. A body that is full of toxins usually has high levels of inflammation. Inflammation is the precursor to disease and at that the very least, makes losing weight very difficult if not impossible. What should we be doing? Here are some steps that can help clean up our diets. This is NOT a diet – these are steps moving us toward an even cleaner, purer approach to a healthy lifestyle. And, yes – this could mean giving up the diet drinks in plastic bottles!
“The contamination of food by chemical hazards is a worldwide public health concern and is a leading cause of trade problems internationally. Contamination may occur through environmental pollution of the air, water and soil, such as the case with toxic metals, PCBs and dioxins, or through the intentional use of various chemicals, such as pesticides, animal drugs and other agrochemicals.
Since 1976, WHO has implemented the Global Environment Monitoring System – Food Contamination Monitoring and Assessment Programme (GEMS/Food), which has informed governments, the Codex Alimentarius Commission and other relevant institutions, as well as the public, on levels and trends of contaminants in food, their contribution to total human exposure, and significance with regard to public health and trade.
Food additives and contaminants resulting from food manufacturing and processing can also adversely affect health. Sound scientific risk assessment to define exposure levels of no health concern for such chemicals form the basis for national and international food safety standards.”
If going Organic is unreasonable or not in line with your philosophy, here are some tips on how to reduce your exposure to these unwanted poisons. Sometimes exposure is unavoidable and Health Canada does regulate what is safe and allowable with respect to our food found in grocery stores. However, I like to think of the human body as a bucket. It keeps filling up with good and with bad. Let’s not let our buckets overflow into bad. Start getting clean by making these changes today:
1. No Pesticides
Bug and rodent poisons and sprays that keep our lawns greens-worthy include hundreds of chemicals. Our bodies do not need any of them. Going organic greatly reduces and even eliminates these pollutants from our food sources. If you are against buying organic, read the regularly updated lists: “The Dirty Dozen” for fruits and vegetables. Apples are among the worst for being heavily sprayed. As for your lawn – learn to live without your home looking like a golf course.
2. PCBs and Dioxins – NO Thanks!
These are chemicals with well-known cancer causing problems. They accumulate in fat, so they are appearing multiple times in our food chains. You can start to protect yourself by choosing lower-fat dairy products and animal proteins. Choose meat from grass-fed animals which tend to be leaner than factory-farmed, grain fed animals. Eating a diet rich in fruits, nuts and vegetables delivers numerous health benefits without the worry of unwanted fat. Please note: the fat in avocados, olives, nuts – all plant sources – are healthy fats and therefore are not in the same category as saturated and trans fat from animal sources.
3. Processed Foods=Nutrient void but Phthalates high
This family of chemicals, Phthalates, are what make plastics soft and pliable. Scientific research is showing that phthalates can act as endocrine disruptors. This means they can interfere with your body’s hormone system. Packaged foods are often high in sugar, trans fat and sodium. Individually wrapped foods are exposing you to these plastics. By only using processed foods minimally, you lower your exposure.
4. Mercury should remain a planet!
Mercury in large doses harms our body systems: cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine, and immune. We get it naturally and man-made. Dental fillings (silver), fluorescent light bulbs and batteries all contain mercury. Use guides from reputable sea food organizations to assess what fish have the lowest levels. Suggestions from seafoodwatch.org is to limit albacore tuna to 6 oz per week and all sea food to 12 oz per week.
5. Give up the Bottle. Ban plastic bottles from your life and only drink water from a reusable water bottle.
Store and reheat all foods in glass containers. BPA (bisphenol A) is found in water and some baby bottles. It is also used to line certain canned foods. Switch to frozen or fresh! BPAs are also thought to be endocrine disruptors – playing havoc with our hormones and increasing our risk for cancers, infertility, and heart disease.
I have included an anti-inflammatory recipe that can do double duty this time a year. It provides warmth and comfort for those sub-zero days and is full of healthy ingredients, specifically turmeric – a spice known for centuries for its anti-inflammatory properties.
By Debra Basch, RHN
Director of Nutrition & Certified Personal Trainer
