Beware: Heavy Metal Toxic Foods!

Heavy metal toxicity is one of the most serious health hazards that we face in today’s modern world.

Many of us are completely unaware of its negative impacts, however, metal poisoning is much more common than you may believe. Don’t think this applies to you? Think again.

Too many people are blissfully unaware of the chronic low-level heavy metal exposure that our bodies have to endure on a daily basis. Our environment is continually being flooded with harmful pollutants and chemicals every day. These toxins are everywhere and they can be extremely difficult to avoid.

Heavy metals are showing up in alarmingly high levels in the water supply, certified organic foods, superfoods, herbs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and more. Even innocent-looking sources such as children’s rubber toys, jewellery, cosmetics, non-stick cookware, plastic bottles and Tupperware containers are all well known for their toxic dangers. Yikes!

What’s even scarier is that babies are being born at considerable risk due to the toxic load of their mothers. A 2004 study conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) revealed blood samples from the umbilical cords of newborn babies contained an average of 287 toxins, including mercury, fire retardants, pesticides, and many other carcinogens and neurotoxins.

These dire warning signs make it clear how important it is to supplement our diet with foods that support our body’s natural detoxification processes. It’s not enough to do a juice cleanse once or twice per year anymore. Our bodies are being assailed 24/7 so we need to be gently detoxing as often as possible to help remove and eliminate the toxins we’re chronically exposed to on an everyday basis.

The most harmful dietary heavy metals are mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium.

These four heavy metals are the most damaging to human health. There are many others that cause considerable risk at high levels, but these four are among the worst.

Mercury is highly toxic to the human body in any amounts. The body has no use for it. High mercury levels can seriously affect the nervous system, cause brain and kidney damage, and loss of cognition. Effects on brain functioning may result in irritability, shyness, tremors, changes in vision or hearing, and memory problems.

Lead has long known to be hazardous. It has been determined as a probable human carcinogen that can affect every organ and system in the body. Chronic high levels of lead in your blood is associated with decreased intelligence and neurological impairment. It has also been linked to poor heart and bone health, brain and kidney damage, and behavioral disorders.

Arsenic is a well-known human carcinogen affecting numerous organs, especially the skin, lungs, liver and bladder. Arsenic exerts its toxicity by effectively blocking the body’s detoxification system and inactivating up to 200 enzymes, especially those involved in cellular energy pathways and DNA synthesis and repair.

Cadmium exposure primarily occurs through contaminated foods. Even at low levels, cadmium is toxic. It has been linked to heart disease, eye, skin, lung and kidney disorders. Cadmium overload is also associated with peripheral neuropathy.

Heavy metal contamination of natural foods and products occur from a number of different factors. The products in question, whether they be organic foods, herbs, vitamins, dietary supplements etc. could be cultivated in soils that contain high concentrations of heavy metals.

A lot of farmland, especially in countries with increasing industrialization like India and China, are rarely free from urban populations. Farmlands can have direct contact or be in close proximity to factories, roads, and other high-pollutant areas. In some cases, fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides containing heavy metals could also be applied.

Additionally, runoff and catchment areas of rivers and streams may become contaminated with industrial pollution and lead to downstream dispersion of heavy metals. We do not want those waterways feeding the crops! Furthermore, the manufacturing facilities can be another area of cross-contamination where different processing methods and techniques can introduce heavy metals into the raw materials.

It’s important that we look at each stage of the manufacturing process to ascertain where any possible heavy metal contamination can occur. Any honest company will reveal their sources to the consumer.

You may not even be aware that you’re heavy metal toxic?

Maybe you’re feeling tired and irritable? Are you experiencing brain fog, memory loss, or suffering from more serious conditions such as Alzheimers, depression, or other neurological disorders? These toxic heavy metals can cause and/or contribute to a long list of diseases.

Heavy metals bioaccumulate in the human body over time. Their negative effects may not be seen or known for many years, but they can range from subtle symptoms to serious diseases. When levels reach a certain point, the health of the body can seriously decline and the optimal functioning of the brain, kidneys, liver, heart, skin, reproductive organs and other systems will all be affected. Even people that are considered ‘healthy’ and follow ‘proper’ dietary guidelines can suffer from serious health problems.

Symptoms of acute heavy metal toxicity is a lot easier to recognize than that of chronic exposure. Indications of acute toxicity may include:

• Sudden, severe cramping and/or convulsions.
• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Sweating.
• Headache.
• Difficulty breathing.
• Impaired cognitive, motor and language skills.

Symptoms of chronic low-level heavy metal exposure are much more subtle. They can manifest into many of these common symptoms:

• Fatigue.
• Digestive issues and reduced ability to properly assimilate and utilize fats.
• Sore and aching joints.
• Depression.
• Impaired blood sugar regulation.
• Female reproductive issues such as menstrual difficulties, infertility, miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension and premature birth.

Sound familiar? Maybe you or someone you know has experienced one or many of these symptoms before? What’s clear is that all heavy metals can interfere and negatively impact healthy cellular function and initiate oxidative stress. The levels that are considered “dangerous” or “toxic” will vary with each individual, depending on their genetics, diet, and overall health.

However, many environmental scientists believe (without a doubt) that lower exposure to dietary heavy metals is best for human health. We must make an effort to avoid them as best we can, and as often as we can.

How you can minimize your risk exposure.

• Always buy all natural and organically grown food.
• Source food from your local and native environments, and eat seasonally.
• Limit your diet of unnatural and processed foods (especially foods high in sugar).
• Make sure you eat enough fermented foods and healthy fats, including plant and animal sources of omega-3 fats, and reduce your intake of omega-6 fats from vegetable oils.
• Increase your intake of foods high in vitamin C.
• Supplement your diet with natural foods that promote heavy metal detoxification such as — parsley, cilantro, seaweeds, chlorella, spirulina, activated charcoal, bentonite clay, zeolites, DMSA, and fulvic acid.
• Get more sunshine! Increasing our vitamin D levels is critical for a healthy functioning immune system.
• Sweat it out. Infrared saunas can help assist the body in eliminating toxins and heavy metals.
• Educate yourself and ask the companies you buy from if they conduct independent heavy metal testing on their products.

What’s the solution?

The current regulatory framework of the industry needs to be strengthened. There is no set heavy metal limits that have been enforced to protect the health of the consumer. This means that products can be legally sold even if they contain extremely high levels of toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, or cadmium that have been proven to be damaging to human health.

A new quality standard must be implemented to ensure that all food products on the shelves are verified and DO NOT contain toxic limits of heavy metals.

But for now, until new regulatory rules and upgraded standards are set in place, it becomes the sole responsibility of the companies that manufacture natural and organic products to provide up to date independent heavy metal testing of their products.

Make sure the companies you purchase your herbs and supplement from show a clear commitment to independently test their products for heavy metals. If they publicly share their results, even better, but don’t be afraid to ask. Ask them to prove that their products are from the purest, cleanest and most natural sources in the world, and are guaranteed safe to consume. You deserve the right know what is in the products you buy.