Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:55:39 -0800 (PST)
Local: Sun, Dec 13 2009 8:55 am
Subject: The 7 foods experts won't eat...
1. Canned Tomatoes
The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the
University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A
The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a
synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from
reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes
BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most
people's body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or
causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. "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," says vom Saal. "I won't go
near canned tomatoes."
2. Corn-Fed Beef
The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of
half a dozen books on sustainable farming
The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers
today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the
animals faster for slaughter. More money for cattle farmers (and lower
prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A
recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from
Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed
beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated
linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in
inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been
linked to heart disease. "We need to respect the fact that cows are
herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken
manure," says Salatin.
3. Microwave Popcorn
The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the
Environmental Working Group,
The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in
the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be
linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from
UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and
pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals
to vaporize—and migrate into your popcorn. "They stay in your body for
years and accumulate there," says Naidenko, which is why researchers
worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers
in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to
phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of
bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.
4. Nonorganic Potatoes
The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards
Board
The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and
fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation's
most popular vegetable—they're treated with fungicides during the
growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous
vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are
treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. "Try this
experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to
sprout. It won't," says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale
Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention).
"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."
5. Farmed Salmon
The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health
and the Environment at the University at Albany and publisher of a
major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish.
The problem: Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens
and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a
result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in
contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame
retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to
Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which
can be found on American menus. "You can only safely eat one of these
salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer,"
says Carpenter, whose 2004 fish contamination study got broad media
attention. "It's that bad." Preliminary science has also linked DDT to
diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of
omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high
level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you
eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals.
6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones
The expert: Rick North, 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 problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant
bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost
milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus
in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called
insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1
may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers. "When the
government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be
broken down in the human digestive tract," says North. As it turns
out, the casein in milk protects most of it, according to several
independent studies. "There's not 100% proof that this is increasing
cancer in humans," admits North. "However, it's banned in most
industrialized countries."
7. Conventional Apples
The expert: Mark Kastel, former executive for agribusiness and
codirector of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group
that supports organic foods
The problem: If fall fruits held a "most doused in pesticides
contest," apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted
(descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its
distinctive flavor. As such, apples don't develop resistance to pests
and are sprayed frequently. The industry maintains that these residues
are not harmful. But Kastel counters that it's just common sense to
minimize exposure by avoiding the most doused produce, like apples.
"Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers," he says. And
increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body
burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson's disease.
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