A good article on Fox Health:

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/12/01/7-foods-should-never-eat/?test=faces

I've removed all of the suggestions that have you go for specific brands of foods. I don't like how some articles are written for that purpose.

Quote :

"Food scientists are shedding light on items loaded with toxins and chemicals--and simple swaps for a cleaner diet and supersized health. Clean eating means choosing fruits, vegetables, and meats that are raised, grown, and sold with minimal processing. Often they're organic, and rarely (if ever) should they contain additives. But in some cases, the methods of today's food producers are neither clean nor sustainable. The result is damage to our health, the environment, or both. So we decided to take a fresh look at food through the eyes of the people who spend their lives uncovering what's safe--or not--to eat. We asked them a simple question: "What foods do you avoid?" Their answers don't necessarily make up a "banned foods" list. But reaching for the suggested alternatives might bring you better health--and peace of mind. 1. The Endocrinologist Won't Eat: Canned Tomatoes Fredrick Vom Saal, is 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." The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings). 2. The Farmer Won't Eat: Corn-Fed Beef Joel Salatin is 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. But 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. The solution: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers' markets. 3. The Toxicologist Won't Eat: Microwave Popcorn Olga Naidenko, is 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. The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix. 4. The Farm Director Won't Eat: Nonorganic Potatoes Jeffrey Moyer is the 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." The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn't good enough if you're trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh. 5. The Fisheries Expert Won't Eat: Farmed Salmon Dr. David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany, published 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 could 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. The solution: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it's farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon. 6. The Cancer Researcher Won't Drink: Milk Produced With Artificial Hormones Rick North is 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." The solution: Check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products. 7. The Organic-Foods Expert Won't Eat: Conventional Apples Mark Kastel, a former executive for agribusiness, is 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. The solution: Buy organic apples. "

1. :/ We actually use canned tomatoes every now and then. Will have to switch to jarred.

2. I've talked about grass-fed beef on another thread (message_topic.aspx?topic=617581)).

3. I pop some Orville R's popcorn kernels in a nice pot over the stove and sprinkle it with some salt and Old Bay (2 Tbsp oil and 1/4 cup of kernels).

4. Makes sense. We don't eat a whole lot of white potatoes (please tell me the benefits of them, if you can), so spending a little extra money to buy healthier ones is reasonable.

5. We've reduced the amount of salmon we eat. If we started eating more, just our POV has shifted enough to know we would buy non-farm raised salmon.

6. This is similar to (2). Why not let a milking cow eat the grass it is supposed to eat and milk it afterwards? Seems logical to me. Thankfully, we consume very little cow's milk (I use it for my cereal which I eat sparingly, and my wife and son's use soy milk).

7. While I won't completely dismiss the organic apples, it has the least amount of scientific fact (that is, NONE) attributed to it in the article. It's a director of an organic lobbying firm trying to make his point. Again, I'm not saying buying organic isn't better for you (especially with the chemicals in pesticides).

12/2/2011 1:15:32 PM

Quote :

" "Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won't," says Moyer"

Uhh my potatoes do this all the time, which is part of the reason I rarely bother to buy potatoes. I don't eat them regularly enough to not have them start sprouting on me

12/2/2011 1:27:17 PM

yeah, the argument for the organic apples, as written, is downright pitiful and not convincing in the slightest. As for salmon: I think 'quit fucking eating it' would be the safe option for avoiding mercury and incouraging wild populations to recover. However I was going to go buy some canned tomatoes this evening, and now I'd like to see some real numbers on BPA leachate. I was interested in this subject 12 years ago, long before it received much media attention, but there wasn't much clinical data available at that time and I was lacking adequate funding, so I changed topics.




not sprouting is more likely a result of irradiation, a purposeful activity expressly designed to inhibit germination and sprout inhibition. I can't imagine that a purported farm director doesn't know that, so i'm thinking this author took some quotes seriously out of context.

oh, and the microwave popcorn without the scary chemicals seriously sucks. just like this article.

[Edited on December 2, 2011 at 1:34 PM. Reason : ]

12/2/2011 1:30:29 PM

#8 I don't give a fuck.

12/2/2011 1:31:02 PM

Grain of Salt

Quote :

"t's a director of an organic lobbying firm"

Who/what do you think Joel Salatin and Polyface are?

[Edited on December 2, 2011 at 1:33 PM. Reason : ...]

12/2/2011 1:31:39 PM

Where the hell does one find jarred tomatoes, exactly? Whole Foods? We actually use a fair amount of canned tomatoes because they are a flavor base for so many items, so this one worries me a bit. I suppose we could can our own tomatoes, though that's kind of a PITA, especially to put up enough to last for any reasonable amount of time.

Also, not trying to start a political argument here, but I'm kind of surprised that this came from Fox News.

[Edited on December 2, 2011 at 1:39 PM. Reason : d]

12/2/2011 1:38:17 PM

Thanks, every yahoo health article ever

12/2/2011 1:41:56 PM

^^ You can buy cans of tomatoes that are purportedly BPA-free. You can also buy tomatoes in those aseptically packaged cardboard box things like juice comes in. Not sure what they use as a liner in those though.

12/2/2011 1:57:41 PM

this horseshit list get it out of here


special interest endorsed psuedo "study"

[Edited on December 2, 2011 at 1:59 PM. Reason : f]

12/2/2011 1:58:13 PM

yeah that's not biased

Quote :

"#8 I don't give a fuck. "

12/2/2011 1:58:54 PM

Quote :

"Who/what do you think Joel Salatin and Polyface are?"

Fair point, but comparing to the content of the descriptions (beef and apples), you can't say that the apples paragraph is convincing, when the Clemson study produced actual data.

As far as jarred tomatoes, we'll look for them in either Farm Fresh, Whole Foods, or Trader Joe's.

12/2/2011 1:59:43 PM

why didn't carcinogenic french fries and ice cream loaded with dioxin make the list?

12/2/2011 2:00:28 PM

Either way, I imagine the best (healthiest) food you eat is the food that is grown/raised in its natural environment.

Cows don't graze in a corn field.

12/2/2011 2:01:16 PM

They did.

4. for the fries
6. for the milk

Anyway, a person who is eating french fries and ice cream probably isn't reading the health articles on a website. If they are, maybe they'll do a little research after the article and change their lifestyle.

12/2/2011 2:03:04 PM

Quote :

""natural""

you should stick to quantifiable qualities such as cellulose/sugar/fat content of the feed. pasture-fed beef may be quantified as more healthful in measurable ways, but we've left natural behind a long time ago.


^come on, the food items trivially made the list as "non-organic potatoes" and "non-hormone-free milk", but the reasons I listed are potentially more of an acute threat than the reasons they are banned on the list.

[Edited on December 2, 2011 at 2:11 PM. Reason : ]

12/2/2011 2:07:21 PM

If you don't read shit like this and want change your eating habits at least a little bit, then lol

12/2/2011 2:09:34 PM

Quote :

"Either way, I imagine the best (healthiest) food you eat is the food that is grown/raised in its natural environment. Cows don't graze in a corn field. "

.... Maybe you should drive up I-29 through south dakota and re-think that. After the corn's been harvested they turn out the beef cattle to graze.

12/2/2011 2:17:31 PM

^ Aren't the cows eating the stalks and weeds, not the ears of corn?

12/2/2011 2:28:25 PM

that list is at least 1 year old

12/2/2011 2:30:01 PM

12/2/2011 2:31:25 PM

There's still some percentage of spillage/leftovers in the field (but yes, my argument isn't comparable to the feed-lot scenario.)

12/2/2011 2:32:03 PM

Next, kdogg(c) is going to read Cures They Don't Want You to Know About, and make a thread about it, proselytizing the wonders of his newfound knowledge.

12/2/2011 2:38:14 PM

I understand the health concerns quoted here, but sadly the hard truth for me comes down to that the tl;dr solution of the whole article is:

Solution: spend 4x as much and go to 3 different specialty stores/markets.

I love organic products (especially organic milk) and I almost always shop produce at the farmer's market (of course that doesn't mean their apples are organic at all), but money is tight for me and the specialty supermarket Whole Foods / Fresh Market organic brands are hella expensive, plus have been greatly criticized for the degree that the products offered are "actually" organic.

The only thing I could possibly address in the short run is canned tomatoes--but fuck, do they have jarred/boxed paste, stewed, crushed, et cetera types of tomatoes? And they definitely don't have them (or more than one product type) at Harris Teeter or Food Lion. Just not a really practical option for me personally.

12/2/2011 2:45:26 PM

^

Quote :

"You can buy cans of tomatoes that are purportedly BPA-free. You can also buy tomatoes in those aseptically packaged cardboard box things like juice comes in. Not sure what they use as a liner in those though. "

I've seen them at Harris Teeter and Wal-mart. Can't speak for Food Lion.

12/2/2011 2:49:16 PM

Quote :

"^come on, the food items trivially made the list as "non-organic potatoes" and "non-hormone-free milk", but the reasons I listed are potentially more of an acute threat than the reasons they are banned on the list. "

If you want them to include french fries and ice cream, then there are a 100 other foods that should have made the list too.

However, if you look carefully, the items on the list are raw produce, not processed food items. That's the reason french fries and ice cream (and cured meats and apple sauce) aren't on the list.

12/2/2011 3:00:30 PM

this horseshit list get it out of here


special interest endorsed psuedo "study"

[Edited on December 2, 2011 at 1:59 PM. Reason : f]

12/2/2011 3:25:07 PM

^ Hey now, some of it is legit. They've known about the popcorn one for a long time now.

12/2/2011 3:30:24 PM

Some stuff is valid info, but the amount of stupid in article is amazing.

How the fuck does a farm director (oh, because he's a director, not a farmer) not know that herbicides decompose long before you eat them? Plant herbicides attack plant proteins anyway. You could safely take a gulp of Round Up. It's not like farmers still use trioxone


[Edited on December 2, 2011 at 3:56 PM. Reason : ]

12/2/2011 3:42:07 PM

^ decompose into what? i would like to see a study which shows that they decompose into compounds which are safe for human consumption, i.e., which have been shown to be safe in the long-term, if such a study exists.

a lot of the stuff in the article is known:

1) new for me.

2) corn-fed intensively-raised beef... people have been saying for years not to eat it.

3) don't heat any plastic (with food in/on it) in the microwave. no matter what the plastic, it leaches into the food. this is well-known. however, this is talking about a chemical lining the inside of the bag. regardless, don't heat plastic.

4) new for me. is there any study showing the chemicals have been "absorbed into the flesh"?

5) well-known fact that farmed fish is very high in dangerous chemicals.

6) also well-known, just like 2).

7) a couple of studies have shown peaches to be the highest in pesticides. anyway, well-known, in the sense that non-organic produce will have chemicals on it. so can the stuff be washed off of apples, or has it been "absorbed into the flesh", as in the case of the potatoes, allegedly?

12/2/2011 4:14:56 PM

some herbicides decompose into harmless components, some herbicides decompose into more harmful components (though not necessarily to humans but to some facet of the environment)

tree fruits use chemicals most liberally because they are niche high value markets relative to most row crops and due to their high value and smaller acreage its more beneficial to be more aggressive in pest and disease control and for some reason a piece of fruit with a little blemish of a saprophytic fungus is abhorred by the consumer when it is sitting on a shelf. Also be aware of non conventional crops such as like asparagus, lima beans and kiwis and things that arent routinely eaten because the residue levels are allowed to be considerably higher than things like apples and grains, because they are eaten more regularly.

thats why you have to be sure to be very balanced in the crops you consume. But given that, theres no reason to avoid residues in my opinion they are regulated to be well below harmful. You can choose to eat organic and what not, but they are allowed to use mineral based fungicides, things like coppers and sulfurs and what not because they are naturally occuring compounds. Im not sure if that is anymore safe than synthetic compounds.



[Edited on December 2, 2011 at 4:30 PM. Reason : ']

12/2/2011 4:21:39 PM

this is a lobbyist pushing organic, obviously as mentioned.

12/2/2011 4:32:36 PM

i think the author has twisted some soundbites way out of context

[Edited on December 2, 2011 at 4:40 PM. Reason : ]

12/2/2011 4:35:30 PM

^^only three of the items have to do with organic versus non-organic.

Quote :

"Solution: spend 4x as much and go to 3 different specialty stores/markets."

hello strawman. nice to see you in the lounge for once!

Quote :

"yeah, the argument for the organic apples, as written, is downright pitiful and not convincing in the slightest"

the data on that point is pretty well known.

http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/safety/story/2011/06/Apples-top-list-of-produce-contaminated-with-pesticides/48332000/1
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20110613/apples-top-12-foods-with-most-pesticides

12/2/2011 4:56:37 PM

Quote :

"7) a couple of studies have shown peaches to be the highest in pesticides."

I can understand that, after you compare the skins of each fruit.

Quote :

"Next, kdogg(c) is going to read Cures They Don't Want You to Know About, and make a thread about it, proselytizing the wonders of his newfound knowledge."

It is a good possibility, BD. If I do, I'll send you a PM so you can go in there and add absolutely nothing to the discussion.

12/2/2011 5:19:50 PM

Quote :

" don't heat any plastic (with food in/on it) in the microwave. no matter what the plastic, it leaches into the food. this is well-known. however, this is talking about a chemical lining the inside of the bag. regardless, don't heat plastic."

I guess I'm fucked cause I microwave food in tupperware almost everyday

12/2/2011 5:31:06 PM

not a big deal.. just messes with your reproductive system

12/2/2011 5:40:48 PM

good thing I've already reproduced

12/2/2011 5:46:24 PM

What will be most beneficial for your health:

Get lean, strong, active and keep stress low. Also get enough sleep. Square those away before you fret over minutiae

12/2/2011 7:37:55 PM

this horseshit list get it out of here

[Edited on December 3, 2011 at 1:16 AM. Reason : typical fox news credibility ]

12/3/2011 1:15:46 AM

Quote :

"Either way, I imagine the best (healthiest) food you eat is the food that is grown/raised in its natural environment"

Man, I miss eating like I did when I was a kid/teenager...most meals home cooked and with a good bit of it grown/raised by my family (granddad grew a ton of stuff and raised black angus; all of the family helped to tend and harvest it).

12/3/2011 2:01:44 AM

Fuck your grandads cows

[Edited on December 3, 2011 at 3:14 AM. Reason : O]

12/3/2011 3:13:52 AM

yea duke im sure you were eating produce raised in its natural environment

12/3/2011 4:03:20 AM

i think some of you people think humans should go back to being hunter-gatherers and live to a ripe old age of 30.

12/3/2011 7:04:59 AM

to be fair, most deaths prior to the age of 30 were strictly dinosaur related. we don't have the problem anymore. U S A. U S A.

12/3/2011 9:10:57 AM

Quote :

"i think some of you people think humans should go back to being hunter-gatherers and live to a ripe old age of 30."

Paleo-diet.

In many ways, technology extends life.

In some other ways, it is killing us.

12/3/2011 9:40:51 AM

Quote :

"The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles"

wait what?

I'm Krallum and i approved this message.

12/3/2011 1:04:55 PM

Its laughable that you are feeding your kids soy milk as a replacement for cows milk and actually think it's a good thing.

Processed soy is fucking terrible for your body. If they have lactose tolerance issues, just don't drink milk, don't try to replace it with a processed equivalent.

12/3/2011 1:22:00 PM

Limit your meat and fish consumption, try to eat local, freeze or can what you can't use.

Don't eat processed foods.

Exercise more.

There, I simplified this list.

12/3/2011 1:26:37 PM

canned tomatoes are the only thing on that list that i eat, and the downside (upside?) is less fertility. feeling good.

12/3/2011 2:38:27 PM

if you have never had it, grass fed beef definitely takes some getting used to

i prefer the flavor, but my gf is not a fan

12/3/2011 3:12:39 PM