The 7 foods experts won't eat

[one...two...tree 2,762]

by Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief, PREVENTION

How healthy (or not) certain foods are—for us, for the environment—is a hotly debated topic among experts and consumers alike, and there are no easy answers. But when Prevention talked to the people at the forefront of food safety and asked them one simple question—"What foods do you avoid?"—we got some pretty interesting answers. Although these foods don't necessarily make up a "banned" list, as you head into the holidays—and all the grocery shopping that comes with it—their answers are, well, food for thought:

1. Canned Tomatoes

The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, 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), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe's and Pomi.

2. Corn-Fed Beef

The expert: Joel Salatin, 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. 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, and nationally at Whole Foods. It's usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don't see it, ask your butcher.

3. Microwave Popcorn

The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, 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. Nonorganic Potatoes

The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, 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. Farmed Salmon

The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany and publisher of 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 can only safely 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. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

The expert: Rick North, 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. Conventional Apples

The expert: Mark Kastel, former executive for agribusiness and 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. If you can't afford organic, be sure to wash and peel them first.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/the-...ont-eat-547963/

[Nessa 23]

#6 i wouldnt

[Dr. Obvious 49]

I have had zero problems getting conventional potatoes to sprout. I have no idea what they are talking about.

[Wyld Blu 35]

I have had zero problems getting conventional potatoes to sprout. I have no idea what they are talking about.

I was just thinking this SAME thing. In fact I have had to, on occassion, throw them out because I was sprouting a potato garden in my pantry!

-Blu-

[Kathryn41 3,207]

Me too.

And the last time I looked 'grains' were the seeds of grass so herbivores grazing in the wild would get grains as well as part of their grazing diet. Also, chicken manure doesn't count as a 'grain' and I have never heard of 'manure' being used as a feed. There was a problem a number of years back with cattle developing mad cow disease as a result of being fed animal meal that had been made from infected animals. It is now illegal in many places to feed animal meal (ground up and processed animal parts not used directly for food) to cattle.

[Pooky 3,930]

Man cannot survive on Cadbury's chocolate alone - but I'm willing to give it a try

[Uncle Wally 2]

If these a$$holes didn't come up with something new for us to be all worried about every few weeks, they'd be out of a job.

[Uncle Wally 2]

It's ####### like this that makes me wish I still smoked cigarettes sometimes. When you're a smoker and someone says something to you like "Oh no, you shouldn't buy that garlic from China (that costs 1/3 the price of the domestic garlic), it has a much higher heavy metal content!", you can just say "Listen, you wanker- I smoke a pack of butts a day. You think I give a toss about the heavy metal content of Chinese garlic?"

[Jenn! 918]

It's ####### like this that makes me wish I still smoked cigarettes sometimes. When you're a smoker and someone says something to you like "Oh no, you shouldn't buy that garlic from China (that costs 1/3 the price of the domestic garlic), it has a much higher heavy metal content!", you can just say "Listen, you wanker- I smoke a pack of butts a day. You think I give a toss about the heavy metal content of Chinese garlic?"

[Rhiannercakes 14]

It's amazing sometimes seeing signs in grocery stores.

Back when I was in Canada, we had a sign saying "Garlic not grown in China".

It was about 3 something a pound.

I guess they think they can compete like that.

[Niels Bohr 72]

When something is linked to cancer, it still doesn't mean that it really cause cancer. Heck, almost everything in the environment is linked to cancer, free radicals that are invisible to the naked eye, radiation from space, metals, water (heck, without water there would be no cancer - the cells need water - so it linked to cancer), etc...

Some of these things requires more thought into it than just blindly following the experts advice. The experts advice are abstraction at a level so the average joe can understand. But, it requires more well rounded knowledge to actually jump to the conclusion.

[slim 1,533]

Uncle Wally is spot-on!

Posts like this remind me of why I stick to my strict diet of Double Quarter Pounders, Baconators, Whoppers, etc. You just don't know what's in that other #######!

[NickD 203]

Been using Contadina tomato paste for years as did my mom.

Does this mean I really do not have six kids and that I am dead now?

Only other food on the list that concerns us is farmed salmon, but not a fish you can buy or catch anywhere without worries of contamination. Mercury and PCB's. I get my vitamin D from drinking two gallons of milk every week, still like milk, milk is good. When in the military, milk was the only food the cooks didn't screw up. They claim fish caught in the Northern Atlantic is still good, but have no idea where they caught it.

[slim 1,533]

When in the military, milk was the only food the cooks didn't screw up.

You never had the pleasure of going to SWA, did you?

[HAL 9000 96]

OK so last night I made some red lentils with diced leeks, onions, red peppers... no added condiment other than a little salt and minced garlic/olive oil. Wow I woke up this morning feeling super charged and I did release a few farts of the Charles variety, or so I remember reading.