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- Jul 11, 2006
[h3]1. Canned Tomatoes[/h3]
The Expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A.
The Reason: Tin cans are lined with a resin that contains the synthetic estrogen bisphenol-A,which has been linked to a slew of health problems including heartdisease, diabetes, reproductive problems, and obesity. But that's notthe biggest problem. The acid in tomatoes breaks down that bisphenol-A,leaching it into the food, and not just in insignificant amounts.According to the article, Saal comments that "you can get 50 mcg of BCAper liter out of a tomato can, and that's a level that is going toimpact people, particularly the young." That's why he's not touchingthe stuff.
The Solution: If you lo0ve the taste of "canned" tomatoes but prefer to skip the bisphenol-A, select glass bottles instead.
[h3]2. Corn-Fed Beef[/h3]
The Expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming.
The Reason: Cattle are naturally grass eaters... notgrain eaters. In order to fatten the animals (and profit margins),farmers feed them corn and soybeans. And while the farmers are beefingup their earnings, they are minimizing the nutritional benefits. Thearticle mentions the findings from a recent USDA-conducted studycomparing corn-fed beefand grass-fed beef showing that grass-fed beef is "higher inbeta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA),calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; andlower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease."
The Solution: Pretty straight forward: Opt for grass-fed beef instead.
WATCH VIDEO: Why Grass-Fed Beef? Emeril Answers
[h3]3.Microwave Popcorn[/h3]
The Expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group.
The Reason: It's not the popcorn itself, but thechemically-saturated lining of the bag including a compound calledperfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that, according to a recent study fromUCLA, may be linked to infertility. Microwaving vaporizes the chemicalsas they move from coating the bag to lining the popcorn. But it's notlike this fact is un-acknowledged. In fact the article points out thatDuPont, as well as other manufacturers, have "promised to phase outPFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags ofpopcorn will be sold between now and then."
The Solution: Pop your own popcorn the way they did it in the olden days--in a pot.
[h3]4. Conventionally Grown (Not Organic) Potatoes[/h3]
The Expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board.
The Reason: Herbicides and pesticides may not besprayed directly on root vegetables (since they're underground), butthey absorb the chemicals through the soil and water. Because potatoesare considered the nation's most popular vegetable, producing a healthycrop is essential to keep up with demand. In order to maintain theirhealth, the article exposes the scary fact that "they're treated withfungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides tokill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, thepotatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting." Buthere's the scary thing, Moyer says that he's talked to potato growers"who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. Theyhave separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without allthe chemicals."
The Solution: Another no-brainer— Only buy organic potatoes.
[h3]5. Farmed Salmon[/h3]
The Expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of theInstitute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albanyand publisher of a major study in the journal Science on contaminationin fish.
The Reason: When salmon is crammed into pens, fed soy,poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers (obviously an unnaturalenvironment for the up-stream swimmers), they're levels of healthyvitamin D lowers as the contaminants increases. Those contaminantsinclude carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame ******ants, and pesticides(like DDT). The article points out that DDT has been linked to bothdiabetes and obesity, quoting Carpenter in saying that "You can onlysafely eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months withoutincreasing your risk of cancer... It's that bad."
The Solution: Avoid farmed salmon and instead select wild-caught Alaskan salmon. But make sure the packaging reads "wild." If it just says "fresh Atlantic," according to the article, "it's farmed."
[h3]6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones[/h3]
The Expert: Rick North, project director of theCampaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for SocialResponsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the AmericanCancer Society.
The Reason: Unlike in the olden days when fresh milkwas some of the purest nutrients you could get, dairy cows today arefed growth hormones like rBGH and rBST to increase milk production.Problem is, while they may be making more milk, they are alsoincreasing their chances of udder infections (which can lead to pus inthe milk). More than that, the article points out that high levels ofIGF-1 from the rBGH may play a role in the development of breast,prostate, and colon cancers... which is why North says that "it'sbanned in most industrialized countries."
The Solution: Read the labels and be sure that your milk doesn't contain rBGH or rBST and that it is labeled organic or "produced without artificial hormones."
[h3]7. Conventional Apples[/h3]
The Expert: Mark Kastel, former executive foragribusiness and co-director of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policyresearch group that supports organic foods
The Reason: Apples are the recipient of the mostpesticides of all Fall fruits. Chemical producers swear that theresidue is not harmful for human consumption, but the Yahoo! Articlegoes on to quote Kastel in saying that "Farm workers have higher ratesof many cancers."
The Solution: Buy organic apples where available or at least thoroughly wash and peel apples before eating them.
The Expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A.
The Reason: Tin cans are lined with a resin that contains the synthetic estrogen bisphenol-A,which has been linked to a slew of health problems including heartdisease, diabetes, reproductive problems, and obesity. But that's notthe biggest problem. The acid in tomatoes breaks down that bisphenol-A,leaching it into the food, and not just in insignificant amounts.According to the article, Saal comments that "you can get 50 mcg of BCAper liter out of a tomato can, and that's a level that is going toimpact people, particularly the young." That's why he's not touchingthe stuff.
The Solution: If you lo0ve the taste of "canned" tomatoes but prefer to skip the bisphenol-A, select glass bottles instead.
[h3]2. Corn-Fed Beef[/h3]
The Expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming.
The Reason: Cattle are naturally grass eaters... notgrain eaters. In order to fatten the animals (and profit margins),farmers feed them corn and soybeans. And while the farmers are beefingup their earnings, they are minimizing the nutritional benefits. Thearticle mentions the findings from a recent USDA-conducted studycomparing corn-fed beefand grass-fed beef showing that grass-fed beef is "higher inbeta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA),calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; andlower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease."
The Solution: Pretty straight forward: Opt for grass-fed beef instead.
[h3]3.Microwave Popcorn[/h3]
The Expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group.
The Reason: It's not the popcorn itself, but thechemically-saturated lining of the bag including a compound calledperfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) that, according to a recent study fromUCLA, may be linked to infertility. Microwaving vaporizes the chemicalsas they move from coating the bag to lining the popcorn. But it's notlike this fact is un-acknowledged. In fact the article points out thatDuPont, as well as other manufacturers, have "promised to phase outPFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags ofpopcorn will be sold between now and then."
The Solution: Pop your own popcorn the way they did it in the olden days--in a pot.
[h3]4. Conventionally Grown (Not Organic) Potatoes[/h3]
The Expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board.
The Reason: Herbicides and pesticides may not besprayed directly on root vegetables (since they're underground), butthey absorb the chemicals through the soil and water. Because potatoesare considered the nation's most popular vegetable, producing a healthycrop is essential to keep up with demand. In order to maintain theirhealth, the article exposes the scary fact that "they're treated withfungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides tokill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, thepotatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting." Buthere's the scary thing, Moyer says that he's talked to potato growers"who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. Theyhave separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without allthe chemicals."
The Solution: Another no-brainer— Only buy organic potatoes.
[h3]5. Farmed Salmon[/h3]
The Expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of theInstitute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albanyand publisher of a major study in the journal Science on contaminationin fish.
The Reason: When salmon is crammed into pens, fed soy,poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers (obviously an unnaturalenvironment for the up-stream swimmers), they're levels of healthyvitamin D lowers as the contaminants increases. Those contaminantsinclude carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame ******ants, and pesticides(like DDT). The article points out that DDT has been linked to bothdiabetes and obesity, quoting Carpenter in saying that "You can onlysafely eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months withoutincreasing your risk of cancer... It's that bad."
The Solution: Avoid farmed salmon and instead select wild-caught Alaskan salmon. But make sure the packaging reads "wild." If it just says "fresh Atlantic," according to the article, "it's farmed."
[h3]6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones[/h3]
The Expert: Rick North, project director of theCampaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for SocialResponsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the AmericanCancer Society.
The Reason: Unlike in the olden days when fresh milkwas some of the purest nutrients you could get, dairy cows today arefed growth hormones like rBGH and rBST to increase milk production.Problem is, while they may be making more milk, they are alsoincreasing their chances of udder infections (which can lead to pus inthe milk). More than that, the article points out that high levels ofIGF-1 from the rBGH may play a role in the development of breast,prostate, and colon cancers... which is why North says that "it'sbanned in most industrialized countries."
The Solution: Read the labels and be sure that your milk doesn't contain rBGH or rBST and that it is labeled organic or "produced without artificial hormones."
[h3]7. Conventional Apples[/h3]
The Expert: Mark Kastel, former executive foragribusiness and co-director of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policyresearch group that supports organic foods
The Reason: Apples are the recipient of the mostpesticides of all Fall fruits. Chemical producers swear that theresidue is not harmful for human consumption, but the Yahoo! Articlegoes on to quote Kastel in saying that "Farm workers have higher ratesof many cancers."
The Solution: Buy organic apples where available or at least thoroughly wash and peel apples before eating them.
