Canned Peaches (and Food) Claimed to Be as Nutritious as Fresh -- Really?

Canned Peaches Claimed to Be as Nutritious as Fresh -- Really?

10 June 2013

Story at-a-glance

• In a comparison of canned peaches versus fresh, the canned peaches were found to have similar levels of nutrients as fresh, and in some cases were found to actually have higher levels
• Even though nutrient levels may be similar, cans typically contain the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in their linings; consumption of canned goods is a major avoidable route of exposure to this dangerous chemical
• Canned foods also typically contain fewer antioxidants, enzymes and biophotons than fresh, and often have large amounts of processed salt, sugar, high fructose corn syrup or other additives added
• Ideally, strive to consume your food in the most natural form possible, which means fresh, not canned. Other options include fresh frozen, as well as mason jar preservation of seasonal produce

By Dr. Mercola

The fresh taste of in-season produce is arguably one of the purest pleasures in life there is. But the downside (and one of the key reasons why fresh produce is so widely appreciated) is that peak growing seasons are limited for many fruits and veggies to just a few months a year 

If you want a peach in December, and you live in the US, your options for finding a truly ripe peach are limited to imported varieties at the supermarket, which are often dry and tasteless, frozen or canned. But are canned peaches even remotely close to their fresh counterparts?

Are Canned Peaches Just as Nutritious as Fresh?

A new study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture¹ found that not only do canned peaches have similar levels of nutrients as fresh, in some cases they may actually have more.  

How could this be? In some cases the canning process may make nutrients more readily available to your body (such as in the case with the lycopene in tomatoes, which increases when they are cooked). 

In a comparison of canned peaches versus fresh, the canned were found to have significantly higher levels of vitamin C, folate and antioxidants, higher but not statistically different levels of vitamin A, and lower, but not statistically different, levels of vitamin E, total phenolics and total carotenoids. The researchers concluded:²

“The nutritional content of canned peaches has been shown in this study to be comparable to that of fresh peaches. There were no statistically significant decreases in those nutritional parameters measured in this study between fresh freestone peaches and canned cling peaches.

Vitamins A and E along with total carotenoids decrease immediately upon processing, but appear to stabilize after the processing step, showing minimal additional changes upon storage for 3 months.

This study shows that canned peaches can provide comparable nutrient levels to the consumer as fresh peaches, meaning that consumers can enjoy peaches year round without worrying about loss of nutrients in their diet.”

A 2007 study similarly found comparable levels of vitamin A, vitamin E, minerals, vitamins and carotenoids in canned foods and their fresh counterparts.³ For those without access or the resources to buy fresh produce, this makes it sound as though canned is a perfect alternative, and perhaps it would be if not for several other factors that were not taken into account in this research…

Most Can Linings Contain Bisphenol-A (BPA)

BPA is commonly associated with the plastic products that contain it, but it’s also widely used in the lining of canned goods. BPA is an endocrine disrupter, which means it mimics or interferes with your body's hormones and "disrupts" the normal functioning of your endocrine system.

The glands of your endocrine system and the hormones they release are instrumental in regulating mood, growth and development, tissue function, metabolism, as well as sexual function and reproductive processes. 

Some of the greatest concern surrounds early-life, in utero exposure to BPA, which can lead to chromosomal errors in your developing fetus, causing spontaneous miscarriages and genetic damage. But evidence is also very strong showing these chemicals are influencing adults and children, too, and leading to decreased sperm quality, early puberty, stimulation of mammary gland development, disrupted reproductive cycles and ovarian dysfunction, cancer and heart disease, among numerous other health problems.
Eating canned goods could very well increase your BPA levels to alarming levels.  

According to one study, eating canned soup for five days increased study participants' urinary concentrations of BPA by more than 1,000% compared to eating freshly made soup.⁴

Those researchers believe canned goods may be an even more concerning source of exposure to BPA than plastics, which means eating canned goods could increase your risk of BPA-related health problems. In fact, avoiding canned goods as much as possible is one of my topmost recommendations for avoiding exposure to this ubiquitous chemical toxin.

The Canning Process is Detrimental to Antioxidants

The reason why canned food can be stored for years without spoiling is because of the canning process, which has been in use since the 1800s. When a food is canned, it is sealed into a container then heated at high temperatures to kill any organisms inside. This creates a sterile environment that will not go bad for an extremely long period of time.  

The problem with this method is that the heating process doesn’t only kill pathogenic organisms; it’s also detrimental to other beneficial compounds in the food, including antioxidants. As the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture⁵ authors noted, “Vitamins A and E along with total carotenoids decrease immediately upon processing.” 

This decrease means that your body is missing out on some of the healthiest aspects of produce if you choose to eat them canned as opposed to fresh. A raw, fresh peach, for example, has an ORAC score of 1,814 while a can of peaches in heavy syrup has an ORAC score of 436, meaning that more than 75 percent of the antioxidant activity is lost in the canning process.⁶ 

ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, and an ORAC unit or ORAC “score” is a standardized method of measuring the antioxidant capacity of different foods and supplements. The higher the ORAC score, the more effective a food will be at neutralizing free radicals. The fewer free radicals you have running amok within your body, the healthier you will generally be.

Canned Foods May Also Contain More Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs)

When food is cooked at high temperatures (including when it is pasteurized or sterilized), it increases the formation of AGEs in your food. When you eat the food, it can transfer some of these AGEs into your body. AGEs build up in your body over time leading to oxidative stress, inflammation and an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease. While carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables are relatively low in AGEs compared to other foods (such as meat products and fats), the canning process will generally increase the AGEs they contain compared to consuming the produce fresh.

Biophotons and Many Enzymes Are Missing in Canned Foods…

By and large, heating your food, especially at high temperatures, destroys naturally occurring enzymes. Enzymes are proteins -- catalysts to speed up and facilitate reactions in your body. Many biochemical reactions will not even occur without these enzymes (you have about 1,300 of them). So if all of your food is cooked, your body is going to be deficient in the specific enzymes it was designed over countless millennia to get from the diet in order to function properly. It will also be lacking biophotons. 

Living raw foods contain the biophoton light energy your body’s depends on. Every living organism emits biophotons. It is thought that the higher the level of light energy a cell emits, the greater its vitality and the potential for the transfer of that energy to the individual who consumes it. The more light a food is able to store, the more nutritious it is. Naturally grown fresh raw vegetables, for example, and sun-ripened fresh fruits, are rich in light energy. The capacity to store biophotons is therefore a measure of the quality of your food. 

The greater your store of light energy from healthy raw foods, the greater the power of your overall electromagnetic field, and consequently the more energy available for healing and maintenance of optimal health.

Salt, Syrup and Other Common Canned-Food Additives

Canning often changes the taste and texture of foods, which is why they often have copious amounts of processed salt, sugar and other additives, such as MSG, added to restore the lost flavor. Canned soup is notorious for its heavy salt content, but even seemingly simple items, like canned kidney beans, often contain large amounts of salt, high fructose corn syrup and other additives you’re better off avoiding. Consider that just one cup of canned peaches or pears can contain over 30 grams of sugar! So even if canned foods may be able to match the vitamin levels of fresh foods, there are many other considerations to keep in mind.

Fresh Is Virtually Always Preferable to Canned

Canned foods certainly have their place, especially in times when food would otherwise be scarce or impossible to preserve (such as for military personnel on the battle front). If you’re on a very tight budget, canned foods may also offer a way for you to inexpensively supplement your diet with fruits and veggies. 

Ideally, however, understand that it is important to consume your food in the most natural form possible, which means fresh, not canned. The next best options are frozen or freeze dried, as this will reduce or eliminate the BPA and common additive concerns associated with canned foods. Finally, if you choose to consume canned goods the following tips will help you to find the healthiest canned goods available:

1. Although it may not be practical, can your own. Understand that the term canning can also apply to glass Ball jars. This is especially beneficial if you ferment the food.
2. Choose organic, as these canned goods will at least be free of pesticides and genetically modified ingredients.
3. Avoid canned foods packed in syrup or sodium; look for canned goods that contain no additives, and if possible, find a local artisan who sources local seasonal fruits and vegetables using mason jars, as these will be free of the aforementioned problems and normally contain some probiotic cultures as well.

[-] Sources and References

• Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture February 2013;93(3):593-603
• NPR May 23, 2013

• ¹ Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture February 2013;93(3):593-603
• ² Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture February 2013;93(3):593-603
• ³ Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture May 2007, Volume 87, Issue 7, Pages 1185-1196
• ⁴ JAMA. 2011 Nov 23;306(20):2218-20.
• ⁵ Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture February 2013;93(3):593-603
• ⁶ ORACValues.com

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/10/eating-canned-foods.aspx?
 

10 Easy Ways to Prevent Cancer at Home - Dr Mercola

April 22, 2013

Story at-a-glance

• More than half of all cancer deaths can be prevented by making healthy lifestyle changes; cancer prevention starts, first and foremost, with you and your home
• You can reduce your cancer risk by optimizing your vitamin D level and avoiding excess protein in your diet
• Other cancer-prevention tips for use in your home include avoiding harmful cleaning supplies, canned foods, synthetic fragrances and personal care products, along with filtering your water and rethinking the use of your microwave

By Dr. Mercola

Cancer is the disease Americans fear most,¹ and understandably so since it’s responsible for nearly one out of every four deaths in the US.² Adding to its stigma, cancer diagnosis and treatment are the moneymakers in this industry – and also the focus of most government-funded cancer campaigns.

Comparatively little is done in the way of prevention education, leaving many feeling powerless against this potentially deadly disease – as though all you can do is cross your fingers and hope you don’t become one of the quickly growing cancer statistics. What a relief it should be to learn that prevention strategies not only exist, but also are remarkably effective at lowering your risk of most types of cancer.
 

Cancer Prevention: 10 Top Tips

“More than half of all cancer deaths could be prevented by making healthy choices like not smoking, staying at a healthy weight, eating right, keeping active, and getting recommended screening tests.”³

This quote is taken directly from the American Cancer Society, and it should be eye-opening and empowering if you’re not yet aware that cancer prevention starts, first and foremost, with you and, as the featured article explains, your home.⁴

1. Optimize Your Vitamin D

If you want to slash your risk of cancer, it's essential that you spend adequate time in the sun or a safe tanning bed, or if that’s not possible supplement with proper amounts of vitamin D3. It’s been definitively proven using data from more than 100 countries that the higher the solar UVB, the lower the incidence of 15 different types of cancer, including:⁵

Bladder	Breast	Cervical	Colon	Endometrial
Esophageal	Gastric	Lung	Ovarian	Pancreatic
Rectal	Renal	Vulvar	Hodgkin's lymphoma	Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

  

The most important factor is your vitamin D serum level. In order to help prevent a wide variety of diseases and health ailments, including cancer, your vitamin D level needs to be between 50 and 70 ng/ml year-round. Vitamin D from sun exposure or a safe tanning bed is the BEST way to optimize your vitamin D levels.

Just be cautious about the length of your exposure. You only need enough exposure to have your skin turn the lightest shade of pink. Once you reach this point your body will not make any additional vitamin D due to its self-regulating mechanism. Any additional exposure will only cause harm and damage to your skin.

If you’re taking oral vitamin D, you also need to make sure you’re taking vitamin K2 as well, as K2 deficiency is actually what produces the symptoms of vitamin D toxicity, which includes inappropriate calcification that can lead to hardening of your arteries. To learn more, please see my previous article: What You Need to Know About Vitamin K2, D and Calcium. If you take oral vitamin D and have cancer, it would be very prudent to monitor your vitamin D blood levels regularly.
 

2. Avoid Eating Excess Protein

Most of us eat far too much protein. Consider reducing your protein levels to one gram per kilogram of lean body weight unless you are in competitive athletics or are pregnant. It would be unusual for most adults to need more than 100 grams of protein and most likely need close to half that amount. This may come as a surprise, as we’ve been told for decades how important protein is for your health, but the truth is that excessive protein intake can have a great impact on cancer growth.

The mTOR pathway is short for mammalian target of rapamycin. This pathway is ancient but relatively recently appreciated and has only been known for less than 20 years. Odds are very high your doctor was never taught this in medical school and isn't even aware of it. Many new cancer drugs are actually being targeted to use this pathway. Drugs using this pathway have also been given to animals to radically extend their lifespan. But you don't have to use drugs to get this pathway to work for you.

You can “biohack” your body by restricting your protein intake and replacing the decreased protein with healthy fats; this will provide virtually identical benefits as these dangerous and expensive drugs. According to a recent interview I conducted with Dr. Ron Rosedale, when you consume protein in levels higher than one gram of protein per kilogram of LEAN body mass you can activate the mTOR pathway, which will radically increase your risk of cancer. It is very easy to consume excess protein and my guess is that most people reading this are. I know I was, and as a result of this new insight I have reduced my protein intake by about half.

To determine your lean body mass find out your percentage of body fat and subtract it from 100. So if you have 20% body fat you would have 80% lean body mass. Multiply that by your current weight to get your lean body mass. For most people, reducing your protein levels to one gram per kilogram of lean body weight means restricting protein intake from 35 to 75 grams.  

Pregnant women and those working out extensively need about 25% more protein, though. Further, when you reduce protein you need to replace it with other calories, specifically high-quality fats such as avocados, butter, coconut oil, olives, olive oil, nuts and eggs.
 

3. Eat Living Foods with Amazing Health Benefits

Sprouts are a “super” food that many overlook. In addition to their nutritional profile, sprouts are also easy to grow on your own. I started sprouting seeds in ball jars 10 to 15 years ago. A Care2 article published last year⁶ listed 10 reasons for eating sprouts, including the following. You can see my recent article that extols their benefits. I should be providing a more comprehensive report in the near future.

• Sprouts can contain up to 100 times more enzymes than raw fruits and vegetables, allowing your body to extract more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fats from the foods you eat
• Both the quality of the protein and the fiber content of beans, nuts, seeds and grains improves when sprouted
• The content of vitamins and essential fatty acids also increase dramatically during the sprouting process. For example, depending on the sprout, the nutrient content can increase as much as 30 times the original value within just a few days of sprouting. Sunflower seed and pea sprouts tend to top the list of all the seeds that you can sprout and are typically each about 30 times more nutritious than organic vegetables you can even harvest in your backyard garden
• During sprouting, minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, bind to protein, making them more bioavailable
• Sprouts are the ultimate locally grown food, and can easily be grown in your own kitchen, so you know exactly what you’re eating. And since they’re very inexpensive, cost is no excuse for avoiding them

 

4. Simplify Your Cleaning Supplies

My top list of cancer prevention strategies has always included reducing your exposure to environmental toxins like household chemical cleaners. While it is very difficult to prove that a person's exposure to household cleaners over the course of 10, 20 or 30 years is what caused their cancer diagnosis, it is well known that commonly used household chemicals do, in fact, cause cancer, along with other serious health effects like reproductive and developmental problems in developing children.

Research has found, for instance, that breast cancer risk is twice as high among women who report the most use of cleaning products and air fresheners, compared to those who rarely use such products.⁷ Mold and mildew cleaners and air fresheners have shown the greatest correlation with breast cancer. Some of the chemicals of greatest concern that you'll want to avoid include:

Synthetic musks	Phthalates	1,4-diclorobenzene
Terpenes	Benzene	Styrene
Phenol	Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs)	Formaldehyde
Petroleum solvents	Butyl cellosolve	Triclosan (antibacterial)

 Fortunately, it’s simple to replace toxic commercial cleansers with safer options. One of the best non-toxic disinfectants is plain soap and water. You can use this for washing your hands, your body and for other household cleaning. Another all-purpose cleaner that works great for kitchen counters, cutting boards and bathrooms is 3% hydrogen peroxide and vinegar. You can also keep your home very fresh and clean by making your own natural cleaning products using items you probably already have around your home.  

Some more tips for making simple and effective all-natural cleansers:

• Use baking soda mixed with apple cider vinegar to clean drains and bathtubs, or sprinkle baking soda along with a few drops of lavender oil or tea tree oil (which have antibacterial qualities) as a simple scrub for your bathroom or kitchen.
• Vinegar can be used to clean almost anything in your home. Try it mixed with liquid castile soap, essential oils and water to clean floors, windows, bathrooms and kitchens. It can even be used as a natural fabric softener.
• Hydrogen peroxide is safer to use than chlorine bleach for disinfecting and whitening.
• Vodka is a disinfectant that can remove red wine stains, kill wasps and bees and refresh upholstery (put it into a mister and simply spray on the fabric).

For a great video on how to use these ingredients and other tips for cleaning your home without hazardous chemicals, please review the article How to Keep Your Home Clean Naturally. The free eBook Toxic Free⁸ also has 70 recipes for a toxic-free home that are worth checking out.

 

5. Use Greener Beauty Products

When cleaning up your lifestyle you may be tempted to start with your diet (which is a good place to start), but your personal care products are also important to address. Putting chemicals on your skin is actually far worse than ingesting them, because when you eat something everything must go to your liver before entering your blood stream, providing your body an opportunity to detoxify substances that could be harmful. When you put chemicals on your skin however, they're absorbed straight into your bloodstream without filtering of any kind, so the toxic chemicals from toiletries and beauty products are largely going into your blood, lymphatic system and then directly into your internal organs.

There are literally thousands of chemicals used in personal care products, and only a tiny fraction of them have ever been tested for safety. According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, nearly 900 of the chemicals used in cosmetics are known to be toxic. It's impossible to list them all, but some of the most common culprits to avoid include:

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)	Musks	Mercury
Paraben	1,4-Dioxane	Lead
Phthalates, including dibutyl phthalate (DBP), dimethyl phthalate (DMP), and diethyl phthalate (DEP)	Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum	Nano particles
Antibacterials	Hydroquinone	Formaldehyde

When it comes to personal care products, I like to use this rule -- if you wouldn’t eat it, don't put it on your body. Ideally, you'll want to look for the USDA's verified Organic seal. I also highly recommend using the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database,⁹ where you can look up a wide variety of products and brands to find out what they're really made of, and whether or not they're safe. You can also make your own personal care products, using simple all-natural ingredients that many of you may already have in your home Our Nourishing Roots has a recipe for a watermelon face mask that you can try,¹⁰ and here are a few of my recommendations:

• All-natural moisturizers -- Pure emu oil is a great alternative to facial- and body moisturizers and lotions, as is pure coconut oil. It’s a fantastic moisturizer and a potent source of the beneficial fat lauric acid.
• All-natural acne fighter -- Rubbing just a drop of oregano oil on a breakout can speed up the healing and prevent unsightly scarring (remember to wash your hands thoroughly afterward).
• All-natural deodorant – Plain soap and water works fine. If you still need further help then try a pinch of baking soda mixed into water as an effective all-day deodorant.

 

6. Ditch Your Non-Stick Cookware

About 70 percent of the cookware sold in the US contains a non-stick coating that contains PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and other perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), which are used to make grease-resistant food packaging and stain-resistant clothing as well. Even though there are many names, if the item in question is "non-stick" or "stain/grease resistant," it will generally have some type of fluoride-impregnated coating that is best avoided.

It's well documented that when non-stick pans are heated the coating begins breaking down, releasing toxins into the air in your kitchen. When the pan reaches 680 degrees F (which takes about three to five minutes of heating), at least six toxic gases are released. At 1,000 degrees F, the coatings on your cookware break down into a chemical warfare agent known as PFIB.  

Research has revealed that these toxins can accumulate in your blood at an alarming rate and may lead to chronic disease like cancer over time. You can keep your exposure as low as possible by avoiding (or getting rid of) products that contain PFCs. This includes:

Non-stick cookware (choose either ceramic or glass instead)	Microwave popcorn	Packaging for greasy foods (including paper and cardboard packaging)
Stain-proof clothing	Flame retardants and products that contain them	Stain-resistant carpeting, and fabric stain protectors

7. Drink Clear Pure Water

If you receive municipal water that is treated with chlorine or chloramines, toxic disinfection byproducts (DBPs) form when these disinfectants react with natural organic matter like decaying vegetation in the source water. DBPs are over 10,000 times more toxic than chlorine, and out of all the other toxins and contaminants present in your water, such as fluoride and miscellaneous pharmaceutical drugs, DBPs are likely the absolute worst of the bunch.

Already, it’s known that trihalomethanes (THMs), one of the most common DBPs, are Cancer Group B carcinogens, meaning they’ve been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. They’ve also been linked to reproductive problems in both animals and humans, such as spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, and congenital malformations, even at lower levels. A whole-house filtration system is your best choice to remove chlorine, chloramine, ammonia, DBPs and other contaminants from all of your water sources (bath, shower and tap). If you don’t have the resources for a whole-house filtration system at this time, there are a couple of other tricks you can try.  

At FindaSpring.com you can identify local springs where you can get pure, chloramine-free drinking water for a minimal cost. You can also try:¹¹

• Adding fruit, such as slices of peeled orange, to a 1-gallon water pitcher, which will help neutralize chloramine in about 30 minutes
• Dissolving a 1,000-mg vitamin C tablet into your bath water, which will neutralize the chloramine in an average-size bathtub  

8. Choose Organic and Locally Grown Food

Many pesticides and herbicides are potentially carcinogenic, and you may be exposed to them when you eat conventionally grown produce and animal products. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers 60 percent of herbicides, 90 percent of fungicides, and 30 percent of insecticides to be carcinogenic, and most are also damaging to your nervous system as well. Some of the pesticides/herbicides classified as probable or possible human carcinogens by the EPA include:

Chlordane	Heptachlor	Tetrachlorvinphos
Carbaryl	Propoxur	Lindane
Dichlorvos	Phosmet	Permethrin

The answer, of course, is to opt for organically grown produce and organically raised, pastured animal products, which are raised without chemicals and other potentially cancer-causing products, like rBGH (a genetically engineered growth hormone commonly found in milk).

It's well known that conventionally grown fruits and vegetables are often tainted with unacceptable levels of pesticide residues, but you're also exposed when you eat animal products. Animals raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFO's) eat feed full of pesticides, and these toxins accumulate in their flesh and fat over the course of their lifetimes. When you eat factory-farmed meat, you then ingest these accumulated pesticides.

As for fresh produce, certain fruits and vegetables tend to be far more contaminated than others, simply because they're more susceptible to various infestations and therefore sprayed more heavily. Some foods are also more "absorbent," with thin, tender skins. Such foods would be high on your list for buying organic. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) produces an annual shopper's guide to pesticides in produce¹² that you can download. It lists the produce with the highest and lowest levels of pesticide residue, which can help save you money if you can't afford to buy everything organic.

Choosing organically raised animal products is potentially even more important, however, as animal products tend to bioaccumulate toxins from their pesticide-laced feed, concentrating them to far higher concentrations than are typically present in vegetables.

Fermented foods can be helpful here as well, as some of the beneficial bacteria produced in fermented foods have been found to help detoxify organophosphorus insecticide. A 2009 study¹³ showed that during the fermentation of kimchi, the insecticide degraded rapidly until day 3, and had degraded completely by day 9. Four lactic acid bacteria were identified as being responsible for the effect, so regularly consuming fermented foods (or alternatively a high-quality probiotic) may help you buffer some of the damage that pesticide exposures can cause.
 

9. Skip the Canned Foods

Avoiding canned foods is perhaps your best way to avoid bisphenol-A (BPA) – an endocrine-disrupting chemical linked to cancer and reproductive and fetal development problems, among other health issues.

Though BPA is a widely used component of plastic containers, it’s also found in food packaging and the inner lining of cans. Research from the Harvard School of Public Health¹⁴ revealed that canned foods and beverages can increase your BPA levels by a staggering 1,000 percent in a mere five days! The lead researcher noted that given this finding, canned goods may be an even greater contribution to your BPA levels than plastics. Here are 10 tips to help reduce your exposure to BPA around the house:

Only use glass baby bottles and dishes for your baby	Use glass, ceramic, or stainless steel travel coffee mugs rather than plastic or Styrofoam coffee cups
Get rid of your plastic dishes and cups, and replace them with glass varieties	Avoid using plastic wrap (and never microwave anything covered in it)
Give your baby natural fabric toys instead of plastic ones	If you opt to use plastic kitchenware, at least get rid of the older, scratched-up varieties, avoid putting them in the dishwasher, and don't wash them with harsh detergents, as these things can cause more chemicals to leach into your food
Store your food and beverages in glass containers	Avoid using bottled water; filter your own using a reverse osmosis filter instead
IF you choose to use a microwave, don't microwave food in a plastic container	Before allowing a dental sealant to be applied to your, or your children's, teeth, ask your dentist to verify that it does not contain BPA

10. Ditch Your Microwave

If you microwave your food in plastic containers, it can hasten the rate at which potentially cancer-causing chemicals can leach into your food. Additionally, microwaving creates new compounds that are not found in humans or in nature, called radiolytic compounds. We don't yet know what these compounds are doing to your body.

In addition to the violent frictional heat effects, called thermic effects, there are also athermic effects, which are poorly understood because they are not as easily measured. It is these athermic effects that are suspected to be responsible for much of the deformation and degradation of cells and molecules.¹⁵ As an example, microwaves are used in the field of gene-altering technology to weaken cell membranes. Scientists use microwaves to actually break cells apart. Impaired cells then become easy prey for viruses, fungi and other microorganisms. You really CAN survive sans microwave—people are living quite happily without one, believe it or not. You just have to make a few small lifestyle adjustments, such as:

• Plan ahead. Take your dinner out of the freezer that morning or the night before so you don't end up having to scramble to defrost a 5-pound chunk of beef two hours before dinnertime.
• Make soups and stews in bulk, and then freeze them in gallon-sized freezer bags or other containers. An hour before meal time, just take one out and defrost it in a sink of water until it's thawed enough to slip into a pot, then reheat it on the stove.
• A toaster oven makes a GREAT faux-microwave for heating up leftovers! Keep it at a low temperature — like 200-250 degrees F — and gently warm a plate of food over the course of 20-30 minutes. Another great alternative is a convection oven.
• Prepare your meals in advance so that you always have a good meal available on those days when you're too busy or too tired to cook.
• Try eating more organic raw foods. This is one of the best ways to improve your health over the long run.

[-] Sources and References

• Our Nourishing Roots

• ¹ Harris Interactive February 2011
• ² American Cancer Society 2013
• ³ American Cancer Society, Stay Healthy
• ⁴ Our Nourishing Roots
• ⁵ Anticancer Res. 2012 Jan;32(1):223-36.
• ⁶ Care2.com April 21, 2012
• ⁷ Environmental Health July 20, 2010; 9(1):40
• ⁸ ThankYourBody.com, eBook: Toxic Free
• ⁹ Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database
• ¹⁰ Our Nourishing Roots, Watermelon Face Mask
• ¹¹ EcologyCenter.org
• ¹²Environmental Working Group 2012 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce
• ¹³ Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry March 2009; 57(5): 1882-1889
• ¹⁴ JAMA 2011 Nov 23;306(20):2218-2
• ¹⁵ Microwave oven and microwave cooking overview," Powerwatch

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/22/cancer-prevention.aspx

Top 10 Packaged Foods You Shouldn't Buy

December 10, 2012                   

Story at-a-glance

• Processed, pre-packaged foods typically contain processed salt, additives, food colorings, MSG, and genetically engineered ingredients. Many companies also still use cans with bisphenol-A (BPA) in the lining of cans and non-stick packaging. This plastic chemical has been identified as a potent endocrine disruptor, which means it mimics or interferes with your hormones and "disrupts" your endocrine system.
• Ten packaged foods that are easily and inexpensively replaced with whole foods are reviewed, including canned soup, stock/bouillon, canned beans, hummus, breakfast cereal, microwave popcorn, bottled- and functional waters, fruit- and vegetable juice, yoghurt, and fermented vegetables.

By Dr. Mercola

Grist Magazine started me off on this list by providing the first five packaged foods that are completely unnecessary, as making them at home is not only simple, but far healthier and more inexpensive. I added five more to Jane Mountain's list, for a total of 10.

1. Canned soup typically contains large amounts of processed salt, additives, MSG, and genetically engineered ingredients. Many companies also still use cans with bisphenol-A (BPA) in the lining. This plastic chemical has been identified as a potent endocrine disruptor, which means it mimics or interferes with your body's hormones and "disrupts" your endocrine system.
Fortunately, making home-made soup is easy to learn and ensures you know exactly what's in it. Jane offers three soup recipes in her Grist articleⁱ . The Internet offers countless more. She also offers the following three tips:

1. "Sign up for a CSA [local community supported agriculture] box and you'll have lots of crazy fruits and vegetables on hand to make soup.
2. Invest in a hand blender... we use ours every single day and it's so much easier to blend the soup right in the pot.
3. Make your own stock!"
2. Stock and Bouillon: Making stock is even easier than making soup. Instead of composting potato peels, onion skins, leek tops, eggplant stems and whatever else you happen to be left with, freeze them and make stock when you have enough to make a batch of vegetable stock.
Jane links to a page with instructions for making "Scrappy Veggie Stock" on PoorGirlEatsWell.comⁱⁱ that looks to be easy enough even for the most intimidated of beginners. I also like Jane's suggestion to: "pour the stock into some flexible ice-cube trays and freeze them. Then it's ready to use in small portions..." Excellent advice.

3. Canned Beans: Just like soup, beans taste better and fresher, and are better for you, if you buy them dried and prepare them at home -- and again, this way you'll ensure your beans aren't laced with BPA. CookingManager.com offers all sorts of cooking tips, including how to prepare dried beans from scratchⁱⁱⁱ . Commercially prepared beans are also typically cooked at very high heat for short periods of time, which is not as good as cooking them longer at lower temperatures.
When foods are cooked at high temperatures, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are produced. These compounds, which stimulate cells to produce proteins that cause inflammation, can be toxic to the body. AGEs are normally produced at a slow rate, but the rate increases when food is highly heated. There is also a substantial body of evidence supporting the notion that heat treatment of food alters, damages or destroys many nutrients in the food.
Think dried beans are too time consuming? Consider Jane's comment on the matter:
"In reality, it takes around three minutes to put the beans in some water, another minute to change that water during soaking, and then about five more minutes to put them on the stove. All the beans you'll eat all week in less than 10 minutes."

4. Hummus: Making your own hummus using fresh chickpeas takes just minutes once you get the hang of it, and gives you the freedom to season it to taste.  
5. Cereal: Most cereal is a combination of high-fructose corn syrup and GM corn, and cereals marketed to children are the worst offenders. According to one 2008 study, one serving of cereal equated to 11 percent of the daily limit of added sugar for active boys aged 14 to 18 years old, and an astounding 92 percent of the daily sugar intake for sedentary girls aged 9 to 13^iv .
Reducing sugar intake should be on the top of your list regardless of whether you or your child is currently overweight, because it's been proven over and over that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging, and more.
While the featured article points out that you can make muesli in a matter of minutes, sans added sugars, I don't recommend eating grain carbs for breakfast, even if it doesn't have any added sugars. Instead, I recommend focusing on protein for breakfast, such as easily-digested whey protein.
Look for high quality whey protein derived from grass-fed, non-hormonally treated cows that's been minimally processed. This ensures it still contains beneficial immuno components, including immunoglobins, bovine serum albumin, and lactoferins, in addition to all the key amino acids and other beneficial nutrients you typically get from a high quality whey protein. Organic, pastured eggs are another excellent breakfast food, as long as it's consumed as close to raw as possible. Avoid scrambled eggs, as cooking destroys many of the beneficial nutrients.

6. Microwave popcorn. Perfluoroalkyls—chemicals used to keep grease from leaking through fast food wrappers—are being ingested by people through their food and showing up as contaminants in their blood. One common source of these hazardous chemicals is—you guessed it—microwave popcorn bags...
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has been linked to infertility and a slew of other health problems. For example, these "gender-bending" chemicals can disrupt your endocrine system and affect your sex hormones, but they've also been linked to thyroid disease, cancer, immune system problems, and increased LDL cholesterol levels.
Popping popcorn "from scratch" on the stove is simple, and gives you the option to salt and season to taste. I recommend using tasty and nutritious Himalayan Pink salt instead of processed table salt. Microwave popcorn typically contains harmful trans fats (although some brands will use the healthier palm oil rather than canola- or soybean oil). If you choose to consume popcorn (it is not the healthiest food out there) you can at least use organic corn and a far healthier oil like organic virgin coconut oil and smoother it with raw grass-fed organic butter.

7. Bottled water and "functional" waters. Plain, pure water is by far the most healthful beverage you can conceive of, and you need water to survive. However, slick marketing campaigns have managed to turn an essential part of your diet into a pure disaster... We now have an ever-widening array of flavored water, "zero calorie" water, and so-called "enhanced" or "functional" water products on the market.
Avoid them all.
Typically, they will add artificial sweeteners and dyes, listed in virtually microscopic four-point font hidden on the bottom or side of the bottle. These enhanced water products can also contain enormous amounts of sugar and fructose, adding to the numerous health problems caused by both excessive fructose consumption and genetically engineered ingredients (as an unknown amount of high fructose corn syrup is made from genetically engineered corn). Clearly, any type of water other than purified water is NOT going to improve your health, and should be avoided entirely.
Additionally, plastic chemicals can leach out of the bottles and contaminate the water, like phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA). Then there's the issue with all that plastic trash being generated, which is wreaking havoc on our environment. Your best bet for clean, pure water is to simply install a high quality water filter for your tap, or entire home.

8. Fruit- and vegetable juices: Fruit juices are far worse then vegetable juices and should be avoided as it is far better to have the whole unprocessed fruit. While labels promise the contents are "100 percent juice," there's virtually no such thing when you're buying commercial juice. Not only does the flavor come courtesy of professional flavor and fragrance chemists, fruit juice is also notoriously high in fructose, whether it's from added high fructose corn syrup or naturally-occurring fructose in the fruit.
You're better off juicing vegetables at home to boost the nutrition of your overall diet. Raw vegetable juice teems with valuable and sensitive micronutrients that become damaged or destroyed when the juice is pasteurized, so avoid the store-bought versions and juice your own from scratch instead. Raw juice can be likened to a "living broth." It is the closest transfer of solar energy (biophotons) directly to you that we know of. Additionally, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes can be rapidly absorbed. The benefits of raw organic vegetable juice are numerous. For example, it can help:

• Promote weight loss
• Boost your immune system by supercharging it with concentrated phytochemicals
• Increase energy. When your body has an abundance of the nutrients it needs, and your pH is optimally balanced, you feel energized. Since it can be utilized by your body immediately, those who juice report feeling the "kick" of energy almost instantly.
• Support brain health. People who drank juices (fruit and vegetable) more than three times per week, compared to less than once a week, were 76 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to the Kame Project^v .
I have previously written an extensive guide to juicing, which I highly recommend reading to help you get started. One important factor to keep in mind is that, since vegetable juice is very perishable, it's best to drink all of your juice right after you make it. However, if you're careful, you can store it for up to 24 hours with only moderate nutritional decline.
Additionally there is the concern that free methanol will be created once you process the juice and store it in a container. Methanol (wood alcohol) has been associated with autoimmune diseases like MS. Fresh fruits and vegetables contain small amounts of naturally-occurring methanol. Normally this is not a problem as the methanol is typically bound to pectin, and since your body has no enzyme to metabolize that bond, it is simply excreted in your stool and none of the methanol is absorbed into your body. However, the problem occurs when you can or bottle fruit- or vegetable juice, as the methanol tends to then dissociate from the pectin into free methanol, which you do absorb.
The methanol you absorb readily passes the blood brain barrier where it can be converted to form formaldehyde, which is a potent toxin that actually causes most of the damage. An exciting paper that delves into this topic is food scientist Woody Monte's Methanol: A chemical Trojan horse as the root of the inscrutable U,^vi published in the March, 2010 issue of Medical Hypotheses^vii .

9. Yoghurt: Kefir or traditionally fermented yoghurt is chock full of healthful bacteria (probiotics). In ancient times, food preservation was accomplished through lacto-fermentation, a process that adds a host of beneficial micro-organisms to food. This makes them easier to digest, and increases the healthy flora in your intestinal tract.
But don't expect to be able to pick up the real deal in your local supermarket. Pasteurized products will not provide you with these health benefits, as the pasteurization process destroys most of the precious enzymes and other nutrients. In addition to beneficial probiotics, traditionally fermented kefir also contains: 

Beneficial yeast	Minerals, such as magnesium	Essential amino acids (such as tryptophan, which is well-known for its relaxing effect on the nervous system)	Complete proteins
Calcium	Vitamins B1, B2, and biotin (B7)	Vitamin K	Phosphorus


Fortunately, kefir or fermented yoghurt is both easy and inexpensive to make at home using a starter culture and raw grass-fed milk. While raw grass-fed organic yoghurt has many similar immune-boosting benefits, kefir contains several major strains of friendly bacteria not commonly found in yogurt, including Lactobacillus Caucasus, Leuconostoc, Acetobacter species, and Streptococcus species.

Fermented vegetables. Cultured or fermented foods have a very long history in virtually all native diets, and have always been highly prized for their health benefits. The culturing process produces beneficial microbes that are extremely important for human health as they help balance your intestinal flora, thereby boosting overall immunity. Moreover, your gut literally serves as your second brain, and even produces more of the neurotransmitter serotonin—known to have a beneficial influence on your mood—than your brain does, so maintaining a healthy gut will benefit your mind as well as your body. Fermented foods are also some of the best chelators and detox agents available, meaning they can help rid your body of a wide variety of toxins, including heavy metals.  

As with kefir, you'll want to avoid any product that's been pasteurized or contains preservatives or other additives. Fortunately, culturing your own vegetables is much easier than you might think, and more economical than buying from someone else. For instructions on making your own, see this previous article featuring an interview with Caroline Barringer and discusses the health benefits of fermented vegetables in greater detail.  

Download Interview Transcript

 

[+] Sources and References

• Grist January 11, 2012

• ¹ Grist January 11, 2012
• ² Scrappy Veggie Stock, PoorGirlEatsWell.com
• ³ Complete Guide to Cooking Dried Beans from Scratch, CookingManager.com
• ⁴ The Journal of American Dietetic Association April 2008; 108: 4(702-705)
• ⁵ American Journal of Medicine 2006 Sep;119(9):751-9
• ⁶ Woodrow C. Monte, PhD, Methanol: A chemical Trojan horse as the root of the inscrutable U (PDF)
• ⁷ Medical Hypotheses 2010 Mar;74(3):493-6

[+] Comments (5)

 

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Canned Food and BPA Toxicity

Toxic BPA levels increase by a shocking 1,200 percent after eating canned food
  Monday, January 30, 2012 by: Elizabeth Walling


(NaturalNews) A Harvard study suggests that avoiding BPA packaging most of the time isn't enough to avoid its toxic side effects. Even a daily bowl of canned soup is enough to spike your BPA levels by more than 1,200 percent.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health studied levels of the chemical BPA (bisphenol A) in 75 volunteers who ate 12 ounces of soup each day for five days. One group ate fresh soup, while the other ate canned. When BPA levels were measured, the results were no less than shocking: eating canned soup on a daily basis raised urinary BPA levels by a whopping 1,221 percent.

"The magnitude of the rise in urinary BPA we observed after just one serving of soup was unexpected and may be of concern among individuals who regularly consume foods from cans or drink several canned beverages daily," said Karin Michels, senior author of the study.

She adds, "It may be advisable for manufacturers to consider eliminating BPA from can linings."

Researchers say more studies need to be done to determine how long these elevated BPA levels can last.

BPA has many dangerous side effects

Why is this so concerning? Study after study has linked high BPA levels to serious health risks. Just glancing through a small portion of BPA studies is like walking through a health house of horrors.

Believe it or not, the following are just a few of the problems caused by BPA:

- High urinary BPA levels have been strongly linked with heart disease and diabetes risk. (http://www.naturalnews.com/024207_BPA_health_plastics.html)

- Prenatal BPA exposure is connected with a higher breast cancer risk later in life. (http://www.naturalnews.com/033782_BPA_exposure_breast_cancer.html

- New findings say prenatal BPA exposure can cause aggressiveness in toddlers (http://www.naturalnews.com/034288_BPA_prenatal_exposure.html) and asthma in babies (http://www.naturalnews.com/032304_BPA_asthma.html).

- BPA can also impact fertility by damaging sperm health. (http://www.naturalnews.com/031161_BPA_sperm.html)

While some organic food suppliers have taken the hint and removed BPA from their packaging, most food manufacturers blatantly ignore BPA risks and package their foods in materials that contain BPA. This is one more important reason to choose fresh foods whenever possible.

Sources for this article include:

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011-11-23/BPA-levels-spiked-after-eating-canned-soup/51368968/1

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5id9bkzm72jPr5kksdPsUWj5vSXqA?docId=CNG.79f628c9c1938ad91cee1d0a964c4b1a.a01

http://www.consumersearch.com/blog/canned-food-consumption-may-pose-health-risk

About the author:
Elizabeth Walling is a freelance writer specializing in health and family nutrition. She is a strong believer in natural living as a way to improve health and prevent modern disease. She enjoys thinking outside of the box and challenging common myths about health and wellness. You can visit her blog to learn more:
www.livingthenourishedlife.com/2009/10/welcome.html

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