I can still recall the intense disappointment I felt when learning that brown rice -which I specifically bought with the idea of boosting my family's fiber intake- contains more arsenic (yuck!) than white rice.
And organic apple juice can contain lead and arsenic? (Unfortunately, yes.) Now you're taking away a bit of my trust in organic label products that previously gave me a sense of false safety. I wanted the best gluten free food stuff for my growing kiddo. A gluten free diet kept his gut -and by extension him happy.
So what did I do?! I reoriented.
Now looking back, I have learned so much more over the years.
I am now at a point where I limit consumption of the following to a minimum; about once a month or less:
Beets of any kind....red, sugar (which sucks because I really like red beets!)
sweet potatoes.
I don't ever consume turmeric as a supplement or fresh root as an ingredient. The only place where it is included in my pantry is the Curry Powder, which we use a few times a year. Definitely falls into the rare category.
I came to the conclusion that it's best to avoid root crops after reading through several papers.
This one is one is a review of studies on the topic & it includes this tidbit:
"Pb mostly accumulates (≥95%) in the roots of plant species and only a small fraction is translocated to APP" APP = Aerial plant parts.
This text also mentions some of the other common exposure routes already mentioned in my prior blog post on the topic of lead exposures.
Because the more you know, the more nuanced your approach to avoiding heavy metals in your daily life can be!
Suffice to say: Brown rice bags have not been in my pantry for years.
What was/is your first big change in the pantry? How has the awareness of heavy metals changed your food choices, food preparation, & maybe even gardening practices or other related activities? let me know...