Category Archives: Toxic News

Apr4

What’s in your tap water?

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Finally … your Toxic Tip of the Day!

Want to know what’s in your tap water?

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Check out your water supply with EWG’s National Drinking Water Database. Visit this link and type in your zip code to see your city’s drinking water quality report! Then … investigate all the contaminants found in your tap water. Warning … pesticides and/or other toxins may exceed the health or legal limit in your area!

Meaning … It might be time to invest in a water filter!!

For example, in Davis, CA, 11 chemicals, such as manganese and arsenic, are found in levels that exceed health guidelines.

Related articles

Sep3

Your Very Own Organic Shopping Guide

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Hey all, here’s a quick, organic post that I hope you’ll enjoy! I recently wrote a newsletter for LolaBee’s that is very similar to this post, and I wanted to share. You can see the full version of the article on the LolaBee’s website on their Community Blog.

Here it goes …

The 411 on:

Organic Shopping

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognizes 4 different categories of organic labels, and it’s important to know which is which.

Below is your very own organic label guide!

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And there’s more …

Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic produce means that the produce was grown without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified seeds (GMOs), or use of sewage sludge.

And lastly, organic is not a nutritional or health claim. “Organic” refers to agricultural production methods that meet certain criteria.  In general, organic production methods are sustainable, practice ecological-based management that promotes biodiversity, reduce dependence from off-farm inputs, and emphasize soil and water conservation– however, these practices are much more likely when practiced by local, organic, small farms as opposed to conventional, organic, large farms.

Also, something else to add to your organic shopping guide, the clean 15 and dirty dozen!!!!

Visit my old post, How to Shop Pesticide Smart to learn more.

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So, I leave you with this, support your local farmers! Visit farmers markets and … 

Happy Organic Shopping!

Jun5

Great News! Disney Ditches Junk Food Ads!

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I’m super excited to share that …


The Walt Disney Company has become the very first major media company to ban all junk-food ads on their programming that targets children by 2015! This means that they will be banning all ads for fast food, sugar cereals, high calorie snacks, or any food that doesn’t meet Federal nutrition standards for fat, sugar, and sodium, from their television, radio airwaves, and websites intended for kids.

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This includes Oscar Mayer Lunchables meat-and-cracker snacks (high in sodium) and Capri Sun (too much sugar), any cereal with more than 10 grams of sugar per serving, and any full meal over 600 calories.

Disney also introduced the “Mickey Check” seal of approval for nutritious foods sold in stores, online, and in Disney parks and resorts.

This is an amazing step in defeating America’s Obesity Epidemic!!!!!

“Our kids are constantly bombarded with sophisticated messages designed to sell them foods that simply aren’t good for them,” Michelle Obama said. “And let me tell you, we know it works, right?”

“With this new initiative, Disney is doing what no major media company has ever done before in the U.S. — and what I hope every company will do going forward,” The First Lady said.

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May23

Anchovy Alert!

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Recent Recall: May 22nd, 2012

Honeyville Honey Farms of Durango, CO recalled Honeyville Honey Barbecue Sauce, manufactured and sold between August 1st-May 21st, due to undeclared anchovies in the Worcestershire sauce.

People that have allergies to anchovies, and consume this product, run the risk of serious or life threatening allergic reactions. Thankfully, no health problems or illnesses have been reported yet. The new sauce bottles will have a “contain anchovies” sticker on them in order to inform their customers.

Now, I know this post may have been a bit boring … however, it’s important to keep yourself informed on these recalls, because you never know when it may pertain to one of your dietary constraints!

I’m here to inform you about food safety and food toxicology … which can be a bit boring at times! But stayed tuned, a bit more interesting posts are coming your way!!

Hint, Hint: I’ve been learning about Food Additives in lecture the past few days!
May22

Toxic Tips & Tricks: Video Style!

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Today I discovered two great Food and Drug Administration (FDA) YouTube videos!

Both videos teach you the ins-and-outs of food selection, storage, and preparation. The first video involves fruits and veggies, while the second video is all about fish.

Enjoy the tips and tricks from these videos and I hope to see you again tomorrow for some more food toxicology!

May7

Beep Beep

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My Grandma found this great video about food trucks and their health standards! She said, “This would be great for your blog” …  and she was right!
Grandma’s Always Right!
Thanksgiving 2010

 

However, I have to say, food trucks have really unique and GOOD food! To me food trucks are like hidden gems! But after watching this video… I feel a little more wary about ordering their food.

 

 

 

Stay Tuned… for the next few days I’ll be giving you the low down on TEA!
May6

Banned Additives, Take a Look!

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The Center For Science In The Public Interest has great information on legal and banned food additives. I just recently came across this brilliant list of banned food additives on their website and had to share it!!

The list is quite long, so I’m giving you a little snippet below, for the full list click on the picture above!!!

Additive

Function

Natural or Synthetic

Year Banned

Problem
Orange B artificial coloring synthetic 1978 (ban never finalized) Contained low levels of a cancer-causing contaminant. Orange B was used only in sausage casings to color sausages, but is no longer used in the United States.
Red 1, 2 artificial coloring synthetic 1961, 1976 Liver cancer, possible carcinogen
Red 4 artificial coloring synthetic 1976 High levels damaged adrenal cortex of dog; after 1965 it was used only in maraschino cherries and certain pills; it is still allowed in externally applied drugs and cosmetics.
Red 32 artificial coloring synthetic 1956 Damages internal organs and may be a weak carcinogen; since 1956 it continues to be used under the name Citrus Red 2 only to color oranges (2 ppm).
Yellow 1 & 2 artificial coloring synthetic 1959 Intestinal lesions at high dosages.
cobalt salts stabilize beer foam synthetic 1966 Toxic effects on heart
diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEPC) preservative (beverages) synthetic 1972 Combines with ammonia to form urethane, a carcinogen
ethylene glycol solvent synthetic 1998 Kidney damage
oil of calamus flavoring root of calamus 1968 Intestinal cancer

safrole

 flavoring (root beer) sassafras 1960

Liver cancer
So, when people say that all food additives are tested and safe… take that advice with a grain of salt!!!
May5

Large Fries with a side of Acrylamide

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Last Friday night, I went to a San Francisco Giants game with my family and sorority… unfortunately, they lost!

But luckily I was able to enjoy a nice and delicious ball park meal, which consisted of a veggie burger, garlic fries, and an extra large diet coke. Don’t worry I shared the coke… well some of it anyway!

However, when I was munching on my fries all I could think about was … acrylamide!

Acrylamide is a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm (listed on the Prop 65 chemical list).

Acrylamide comes from the “browning” process of starchy carbohydrates and forms when these carbs are heated; such as, baking bread or frying potatoes. Acrylamide can be found in the highest concentrations when overcooked or fried; more specifically, in french fries and fried potato chips.

Surprisingly, an uncooked french fry has NO acrylamide at all … however, a french fry cooked for 15 minutes has acrylamide levels of 11 parts per billion (ppb), 30 minutes has levels of 1326 ppb, and 45 minutes has levels of 4885 ppb. So, basically, STAY AWAY from the brown, burnt french fries!!!

 

The browner the fry the worse it is!!!

Potatoes have yet another toxic chemical known as solanine! We have fortunately bred potatoes to have very low solanine levels; however, beware of the green parts of potatoes… In other words, DO NOT EAT THE GREEN!!! Instead, cut off the green parts and cook the rest of the potato! Solanine is not degraded by cooking and is known as a cholinesterase inhibitor! Toxicity of this chemical could cause tremors, convulsions, paralysis, and ultimately a coma.

So what I’m trying to say is… do not eat brown or green potatoes! That’s all the toxic advice I have for today! Until next time …
May2

Soys of our Lives

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Senior year of high school I unfortunately became lactose intolerant and took up the joys of drinking soy milk. Lately, however, I’ve been hearing a lot of gossip about how soy milk and other soy products mimic and/or contain hormonal estrogen, which in turn adversely affects the estrogen levels in the body. Ergo, about a month ago I switched to lactose free dairy milk, instead of soy milk! Which to me isn’t as delicious, but it will have to do if I want to continue binge eating on cereal! Ironically however, when I was at the gym today, watching Dr. Oz, I heard that soy milk is a great sources of protein and can help guard against hormonally driven cancers.

Why is everything so contradicting??? I was on the search for answers!

When reading my food tox lecture notes I stumbled on a slide that reassured me of Dr. Oz’s answer. “Dietary Cancer Protectors. Soy: Epidemiologic data are inconsistent however, 30-60 mg a day are associated with decreased risk of prostate, lung, breast, and colon cancer.”

Here’s the deal. Soy does not contain estrogen, it does, however, contain isoflavones, better known as phytoestrogens or “plant estrogens.” Phytoestrogens are weaker versions of estrogen and prevent the effects of your natural estrogen levels from being too high or too low. High consumption of isoflavones causes the body to think it’s producing too much estrogen, in turn your body slows down the production of estrogen and increases its breakdown.Thus, isoflavones have been studied for many beneficial effects; including supporting heart and bone health, minimizing menopausal symptoms, and reducing the risk of some cancers including prostate, lung, breast, and colon cancer. In addition, replacing dairy milk with soy milk lowers your saturated fat and cholesterol intake!

The recommended soybean product serving size is 1-2 servings a day. Remember, everything is toxic, it all depends on the dose! Thus, I’ll be switching back to soy milk!

So, enjoy your glass of soy milk tomorrow morning! Whether it’s with cereal or  coupled with a toasted bagel!

P.S. here’s some last-minute food safety tips! According livestrong.com, if you have or have had breast, prostate, endometrial, or other hormonal cancers, you should consult with your doctor before increasing your soy consumption. Furthermore, high soy consumption may interfere with certain blood thinners or thyroid medications.

Apr22

Beetlejuice Beetlefood Beetlefrap…

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I left you all with a cliffhanger on Friday… insects used for coloring in the Starbucks Strawberries and Crème Frap???

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Well, as a college student, I have entered into the world of coffee… the world of Starbucks. There are at least 12 coffee places on UC Davis’s campus, 2 of them being Starbucks; the rest are student run coffee stands or Dining Commons… and this doesn’t include the Starbucks across the street from campus, or the Starbucks inside both Safeways in Davis.

Believe me, I visit the Starbucks in the Silo at least 3 times a week just to get my 11 AM iced coffee or my iced tea (unsweetened green tea with a splash of passion tea and light ice). So, when I started seeing that oh-so-common mermaid on the news, I thought immediately… I need to find out what’s going on!!!

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no coloring used… this is just delicious,refreshing passion tea

So here it is…

On Thursday, April 19, 2012, Starbucks announced that they would discontinue the use of cochineal extract – a food dye made from crushed up BUGS…. GROSS!

Starbucks products that used cochineal extract include: Raspberry Swirl Cake, Birthday Cake Pop, Mini Donut with pink icing, Red Velvet Whoopie Pie, Strawberries and Crème Frappuccino, and Strawberry Banana Smoothies.

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The crushed bug problem was uncovered when a vegetarian/vegan website (thisdishisvegetarian.com) got a tip from a Starbuck’s Barista saying that the Soy Strawberry and Crème Frap was actually not vegan at all… it was bug infused. This caused a public outcry… which further spurred the company to think of an alternative.

Lycopene, a natural (antioxidant) tomato-based extract used for coloring, will be used instead. Starbucks’ intention is to be fully transitioned from the cochineal product inventories to the new lycopene colored foods and beverages by the end of June.

But not to worry, for you non-vegetarians, the FDA says the cochineal dye is safe, but food and cosmetic labels must make public if cochineal extract is used.

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And don’t get me wrong, Starbucks is not the only one using cochineal extract! The bug-dye can be found in yogurts, candies, fruit drinks, ice creams, ketchup, lipsticks, eye shadow, nail polish, fabric dye, and other pink or red dyed products.

Now, I’m not saying that bug-dye is bad for you, or that it’s unhealthy…. because, honestly, it’s not… but the problem is… ummm excuse me… GROSS!!!! I want to know exactly what I’m putting in my mouth… and how am I, and the general public, supposed to know that the color dye called “cochineal extract” really means “crushed-dried-bug-bodies extract????”

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