How Toxic Metals Enter and Re-enter the Food Chain: And How You Can Protect Yourself
Metal pollution in our foods is one of the hidden ways that major illnesses are caused. Metals such as arsenic and mercury are harmful at even small quantities and yet they are pervasive in our foods; especially rice and fish.
Metal intoxication literally poisons the body. It creates neurological damage as well as cancers. It can disrupt and disturb the digestive system as well as the nervous system. No part of the body is safe from the harmful effects of metal intoxication.
So how are toxic metals entering our foods and our bodies? The answer is multifaceted. One of the biggest sources of metal pollution are coal power plants. Coal when burnt releases a whole bunch of heavy metals into the atmosphere which then get deposited by rain into the oceans and seas as well as directly over farm land and cities. From there the metal pollutants are absorbed by the foods of animals such as fish that eat algae, and directly into grains such as rice.
Toxic metals are also used in manufacturing and mining. The waste water from such processes contains metals that then enter the environment. As well as this, toxic metals can also be found in fertilisers and other chemicals used on soil.
Metals also naturally occur in the environment from a range of sources such as soil and volcanos.
Once we eat fish and other foods containing these metals, the metals are then stored in our bodies, and partly expelled when we go to the bathroom. This leads to the metals’ constant re-entry into the food chain.
Metals can also accumulate in the body over time. So while one meal containing tuna won’t harm you, having tuna every day will be more likely to cause you harm due to a build up of mercury.
Fish: The Mercury Problem
One of the major sources of mercury in our food chain is fish. Mercury from coal power plants and other sources contaminates the oceans and fish become intoxicated with mercury. We then eat this fish and get intoxicated by mercury ourselves.
I’m not saying to stop eating fish but I do want you to know that different types of fish have different levels of mercury content. Generally bigger fishes that last for longer in the ocean, and eat other smaller fish, contain higher levels of mercury. Tuna for example contains one of the highest amounts of mercury whereas fish such as salmon have smaller amounts.
Rice: The Arsenic Problem
You’ve probably heard of arsenic as being a classic poison used in detective and murder mystery shows. Arsenic is used by farmers as a form of pest control. It also can originate from pollution from a range of sources such as manufacturing and even smoke from cigarettes.
One of the crops that absorbs arsenic the most is rice. This is unfortunate as it’s a staple crop for billions of the world’s population.
Other grains and pseudo-grains such as quinoa, wheat and buckwheat contain far lower levels of arsenic and therefore are a lot safer than rice.
How to Protect Yourself
Now we know some of the horrible effects of metal toxicity I’m going to show you some ways that together we can fight to make the world healthier and cleaner. Ways you can utilise now to protect yourself and loved ones as well as to fight the source of the metal pollution problem.
Choose foods naturally lower in metals.
Actively avoiding fish such as tuna and eating alternatives with less metal content, such as salmon or other sources of protein, can help to avoid the accumulation of metals in your body over time especially mercury and arsenic.
Other grains and pseudo-grains such as quinoa, wheat and buckwheat contain far lower levels of arsenic compared to rice which has much higher levels of arsenic in it.
Vary your diet
Eating different foods each day can offer you protection from metals building up in your body. In the same way that eating only chocolate cake for each meal every day would get you fat and ill, the same applies for foods containing high levels of metals. If you eat rice once or twice a week the effects of the metal it contains on your body will be negligible, whereas if you eat it most days of the month it’s likely going to increase the arsenic levels in your body compared to only having it a couple of times a week.
Choose superfoods
Cruciferous foods such as broccoli can help to filter out and eliminate metals from the body. Generally vegetables, some grains, nuts, and fruits are healthy for the body and aid in detoxifying it.
Support renewable / clean / green energy
Since one of the major sources of metals in the environment are coal power plants. The sooner we can transition to 100% renewable clean energy production such as wind, and solar power, the quicker that the amount of metals in our environment will lower.
When choosing energy tariffs from energy companies try to buy a green tariff. This will encourage energy producers to speed up their transition to 100% clean energy production.
As well as this you can influence the demise of coal-fuelled power production by not using the products and services of certain banks and other companies that invest in coal power plants. I’ll let you do the research on this but a simple search online will give you the knowledge of what companies you should boycott.
These actions might seem small but collectively if we all did them, or even a large amount of us did them, then we’d help to lower the amount of metals and other pollutants that are released into the environment each year. In doing so we will safeguard our health, the health of our families, and the health of the planet. By taking collective action in time we can stop the constant re-entry of metals into our food chain and bodies.
