Complete Organic Protein

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How Did Heavy Metals get in My Food/Supplement?
Heavy metals are not new to the food-supply,
believe it or not. Heavy metals are also known
as elementsthe same ones on the periodic table
that you probably learned about in grade
school. These elements (like cadmium, lead,
arsenic, etc.) are natural components of the
Earths crust and have existed on there since the
Earths formation. The World Health Organization
and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry both note that certain geological
processes and/or volcanic activity can naturally
increase the level of these elements in soil in
certain areas worldwide. This is contrary to the
belief that heavy metals on the Earths soil are
solely due to pollution or sites of industrial
activity. ANY vegetation (be it fruits,
vegetables, grains or legumes) grown directly in
soil or surrounding bodies of water, will absorb
these naturally-occurring metals just as they
would other nutrients like zinc or iron. (The
same goes to the rice used to make our Complete
Organic Protein.) This affects both organic and
conventionally grown crops. Additionally,
certain plants like those grown beneath the soil
(e.g. potatoes) and leafy greens (e.g. lettuce
and spinach) tend to absorb more heavy metals
than others. If plants grown directly in soil
are used to feed livestock (cows, chickens, etc.)
then the metals will leech into animal-based food
or animal-based products as well. In the ocean,
seafood like tuna absorbs the mercury that the
ocean gets from the Earth and sea
algae/vegetables will absorb any heavy metals
directly on the seabed or ocean. Drinking water
obtained from natural springs could also contain
some of these heavy metals. In fact, a 2011
study in California found 14 heavy metals in six
different sources of bottled natural spring water
(1). All concentrations were within federal and
state maximum contaminant levels, except for
arsenic which exceeded California public health
goal levels in all six sources. The FDA and
other health agencies recognize that food
(especially plant-based) is a major source of
heavy metal exposure. In fact, every few years
the USDA/FDA tests the metal/mineral content of
hundreds of foods and fresh produce and publish
this information for public viewing. For
example, here is some data from 2007
Max. Amounts of Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium found in commonly consumed Foods (2) Max. Amounts of Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium found in commonly consumed Foods (2) Max. Amounts of Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium found in commonly consumed Foods (2) Max. Amounts of Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium found in commonly consumed Foods (2)
Lead Arsenic Cadmium
Spinach, fresh, boiled (180g)1 cup 11.5 mcg 7.7 mcg 94.3 mcg
Cucumber, raw (52g) ½ cup 1.6 mcg 1.3 mcg 0.4 mcg
Strawberries, raw (72g) ½ cup 1.2 mcg 0.8 mcg 4.7 mcg
Avocado, raw (75g) ½ cup 3.0 mcg 2.8 mcg 8.0 mcg
Collards, fresh, boiled (190g) 1 cup 25.8 mcg 2.7 mcg 23.2 mcg
Asparagus, fresh, boiled (180g) 1 cup 2.5 mcg 25.0 mcg
Iceberg lettuce, raw (72g) 1 cup 0.4 mcg 1.0 mcg 23.3 mcg
White potato baked w/ skin (138g) 1 cup 2.8 mcg 5.8 mcg 15.5 mcg
2
Broccoli, fresh, boiled (156g) 1 cup 2.2 mcg 4.7 mcg
Surprisingly, some of the highest contents are
found in some of the most nutritious foods. Some
of these levels far exceed safety levels set
forth by federal standards. This goes without
saying, the more plant-based foods you consume,
the more heavy metals you are probably exposed
to. So why is this not a public health concern??
To date, a growing body of evidence has indicated
that the benefits of consuming plant-based foods
FAR OUTWEIGH any consequences attributed to
heavy metals. Consuming metals is inevitable,
and in spite of this vegans and vegetarians are
known to be some of the healthiest and
longest-living populations. Research indicates
various factors affect the absorption of
naturally occurring metals and that the body is
able to act as a natural filter to these
offending substances!