March 2024: Our Toxic Lives

OUR TOXIC  LIVES

Toxins are everywhere. Over 80,000 new chemicals have been

developed over the last 200 years. Many of these chemicals are present in our food chains and soil. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the presence of a chemical does not necessarily mean it could be harmful to human health. The CDC closely monitors about 300 suspect chemicals for their toxicity to humans. The sheer numbers of toxic stuff poses a risk that you will encounter many toxins in your lifetime.

CONTROLLING TOXINS IN YOUR LIFE

Because toxins exist in air, soil, water and our bodies, it pays to be aware of food choices as well as how clean is the air is that we breathe? We will explore ways to deal with all of them.

Topping the list of toxins you can directly control, or partially eliminate, are smoking (any substance) and excessive alcohol. Good luck!

Over half of all antibiotics sold in this country are for animal husbandry and fish farming. Residues from these antibiotics find their way into the food chain, helping to cause antibiotic resistance in humans. Health experts caution us to prevent the indiscriminate use of antibiotics for simple sickness and infections. This could result in rendering antibiotics ineffective for real life threatening infections.

Another problem is toxic chemical residues from animal feeding pens.

Animal feed contains toxins from modern farming. The solution is to reduce your intake of animal protein, or seek organic, grass fed meat and wild caught fish. For a cheap protein substitute, a pound of organic tofu protein sells for $1.79 at Trader Joe's.

MAKING THINGS GROW

Agricultural chemicals are essential to grow food in our overused farm soil.

Some of these additives, are: Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and chemical fertilizers. They are necessary for the commercial production of all growing things. Organic farming is less than 5% of our total food production, so this eco-friendly farming method has many environmental supporters, but little overall effect on toxins

BLUE ZONES GET IT RIGHT

There is no perfect growing utopia on the planet. The five Blue Zones, where the worlds healthiest people live, have a mix of traditional organic and modern synthetic soil inputs. The varying degrees of these farming practices haven't caused any known health issues.

What stands out is that overeating is frowned upon. Food is sacred, so the practice of moderation and sustainability governs their diets. Very little animal protein is eaten and when it is, it's usually eaten during special occasions 

INTERNAL DETOXIFICATION

Overeating is toxic. Overindulging in anything can be toxic. These situations create a toxic load on our liver, pancreas, kidneys, and the immune system. This has an adverse effect on both our physical and mental health.

There are many plant foods that act as detox agents. Among the top detox plant foods are: Artichokes, broccoli, bok choy, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, cauliflower, garlic, kale, radishes, turnips and watercress.

These foods produce compounds that provide internal detox agents and enzymes for final disposal from the body. Have some everyday.

ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS

Here's three things you will most likely find in ultra processed foods: Excess carbs, excess sugar, and excess salt.

Studies show that about 57% of the American diet consists of ultra processed food. Many of the ingredients in ultra processing are almost impossible to pronounce. For example, there's polyglycerol polyricinoleate in Hershey Bars, and tripotassium phosphate in Cheerios. (Read the labels. If you have trouble pronouncing it, you might want to skip it).

Just about all the food on grocery shelves that you can open up and eat, or heat and eat, contains chemicals to retain freshness and shelf life. Other chemicals enhance taste and mouth feel.

It is suspected, but not proven, that producers might just include additives that stimulate overeating. We know for sure that food purveyors cut costs by substituting cheaper ingredients over more expensive one's. There's high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) substituting for sugar, saving the producer a third of the cost. Then there's olive oil. Some countries allow their olive oil producers to add cheaper plant oils to bulk-up the container and keep the price down. It's still called olive oil. Buyers are cautioned to read the ingredient labels!

COOKING FROM SCRATCH

There's hope that more people will join in the home cooking renaissance.

YouTube, and other social platforms, offer excellent tips on how to prepare everything. It may be time consuming at first to make the transition. Once you get into the do-it-yourself routine, you will enjoy being in control of healthier ingredients that benefit everyone.

PROTECTIVE CUSTODY

Once you've purchased fresh food, take a little more time to thoroughly wash and sanitize the food Even triple-washed salad packages contain preservatives. Get yourself a salad spinner for fast removal of excess water (and chemicals).

The controversy over organic foods vs. mass farming with chemicals, is worth exploring. There's about a 50% price mark up for organic. Same for grass fed, wild sea food, and cage free eggs. It's an economic trade-off for you to make with your hard earned money. The FDA says all of our food is safe and healthy. And, there's little proof that organic saves populations from untold maladies. In the end, it's up to the consumer to make the call.

Growing your own organic is a nice hobby, plus you get a workout while avoiding insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.

YOUR DAILY TOXIN SCRUBBERS

A fast easy daily reminder to ward off some of the health problems caused by toxins:

1.    Drink 8 glasses of water.

2.    Eat cruciferous veggies like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy and kale.

3.    Get at least one ounce (28 grams) of fiber from all sources.

4.    Work up a sweat. Soak in a hot tub.

QUICK HOME PROTECTION

Toxins come into our homes from the air, soil, and from synthetic materials and plastics, in clothes, shoes, rugs, furniture, and paper goods. Yes, it gets into your food too! Regularly replace all heating - air conditioning. vents with new filters. Vacuum all rugs and dust flat surfaces with special cleaning rags weekly.