Maybe I should just eat air?!? The thought has jokingly crossed my mind, maybe yours too? How on earth can we be certain anything we’re eating is free of contamination these days? In fact, eating air is likely worse! Many of you emailed me months ago after Dr. Oz broke the news about arsenic in apple juice, and now the news broke about arsenic in baby/toddler formula that uses brown rice syrup.
Rather than cover all the details of the studies on arsenic in our food, I’ve listed resources below for further reading. Apparently even if you eat organic, arsenic can still be a problem. Why? Because it’s in our soil, from years of using it as a pesticide, and therefore can also contaminate our water. Bummer. Yes, I agree.
So what’s the answer? Stop drinking water? Here’s my oversimplified answer: You do the best you can do.
We live in a toxic world. I know I’m not keeping my children safe in every way possible, but I am doing my best. When I learn new information, I adjust and move forward.
1. Stop the juice. I’m not a fan of juice for many reason you can read HERE.
2. Breastfeed. If you are faced with making a choice between formulas for your baby, I recommend choosing an organic brand formula, free of genetically-modified ingredients, herbicides, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics. Due to the isoflavins in soy that can disrupt hormones such as thyroid, I recommend dairy formula over soy formula. Not all infants will tolerate dairy formulas, and in such cases organic soy formula is an alternate solution. Goat’s milk formula is not available in the United States. I used to recommend the brand Baby’s Only Organic since it uses brown rice as a starch rather than corn. Now learning rice has a high affinity for arsenic, I can no longer recommend that brand since brown rice syrup is the first ingredient listed, and we don’t have established safety levels of arsenic for infants. Learn the formula I do recommend and ways to increase your breast milk supply, including the herbal supplement I used for myself HERE.
3. Improve the quality of your water. Water purification systems can be expensive. You can learn more about different water purification systems through Radiant Life HERE. You can have your home’s water tested for arsenic and lead by contacting your local health department or the federal Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.
I still will feed my family organic (sprouted) brown rice. We usually eat it once a week. I have yet to have our water tested and haven’t spent our money on a water purification system either. There’s always room for improvement.
~ Dr. Sue
P.S. Have you visited our non-profit get REAL for kids? We are so blessed to have actress Selma Blair as our first celebrity get REAL mom – more to come so stay tuned. Watch our video and sign-up for our weekly get REAL challenge . The get REAL Revolution starts with YOU!
Sources:
1. Potera, C. Food Safety: U.S. Rice Serves Up Arsenic. Environ Health Perspect. 2007 June; 115(6): A296. Retrieved February 22, 2012 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1892142/
2. Shute, N. Yes, There’s Arsenic in Your Rice. But Is That Bad? NPR. Retrieved February 22, 2012 from http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/16/146994249/yes-theres-arsenic-in-your-rice-but-is-that-bad
3. Arsenic in your juice. How much is too much? Federal limits don’t exist. Consumer Reports. Retrieved February 22, 2012 from http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/01/arsenic-in-your-juice/index.htm#risk
4. Arsenic in Apple Juice – Update – Part 5. DrOz.com Retrieved February 22, 2012 from http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/arsenic-apple-juice-update-pt-5
