Complete Organic Protein

1. HowDid Heavy Metals get in My Food/Supplement? Heavymetalsarenot newtothe food-supply,believeit ornot. Heavymetalsare alsoknown as “elements”–thesameonesonthe periodic table thatyouprobablylearned about ingrade school. Theseelements (like cadmium, lead,arsenic,etc.) arenatural componentsoftheEarth’s crust andhave existedontheresincetheEarth’s formation. TheWorldHealth Organizationandthe Agency for Toxic Substances andDisease Registryboth notethat certaingeologicalprocessesand/orvolcanic activitycan naturally increasethe levelof theseelementsin soilincertainareasworldwide. This is contrary tothe belief thatheavymetalsonthe Earth’s soilare solely due topollutionor sitesof industrialactivity. ANY vegetation (beitfruits, vegetables,grainsor legumes)grown directlyinsoilor surroundingbodies of water,will absorbthese naturally-occurring metals justas theywouldother nutrients like zincor iron. (The samegoes tothe riceused tomakeourComplete OrganicProtein.) This affectsbothorganic andconventionally growncrops. Additionally,certainplantslikethosegrown beneaththesoil(e.g. potatoes) andleafy greens(e.g. lettuce andspinach)tendtoabsorbmoreheavymetals thanothers. If plantsgrowndirectly in soilareusedtofeed livestock (cows, chickens,etc.)then the metalswill leech intoanimal-based foodoranimal-based products aswell. Intheocean,seafoodliketunaabsorbsthe mercury that theocean gets fromthe Earth andseaalgae/vegetableswill absorbany heavy metals directlyonthe seabedor ocean. Drinkingwaterobtained fromnaturalsprings couldalsocontainsome of theseheavymetals. Infact,a2011 studyin California found14 heavymetals insixdifferent sources of bottlednatural spring water (1). Allconcentrationswere withinfederalandstatemaximum contaminant levels, exceptfor arsenic whichexceededCalifornia public healthgoal levels in allsix sources. The FDAandother health agencies recognizethat food(especially plant-based) is amajorsourceof heavymetalexposure. Infact,every fewyears theUSDA/FDA teststhemetal/mineral contentof hundreds of foodsandfreshproduceandpublish thisinformationfor publicviewing. For example,here is somedata from2007:

2. Surprisingly,someofthe highest contentsarefoundinsomeofthe mostnutritious foods.Someof these levels farexceed“safety levels”set forth byfederal standards. This goeswithoutsaying,the more plant-based foodsyouconsume,the more heavymetals youareprobablyexposedto.Sowhyisthisnot apublichealthconcern?? Todate,agrowingbodyofevidence has indicated that the benefitsof consumingplant-based foods FAR OUTWEIGHany consequencesattributedtoheavy metals. Consumingmetalsis inevitable, andin spiteofthis vegans andvegetarians areknowntobe someof thehealthiestandlongest-living populations. Researchindicatesvariousfactors affectthe absorptionofnaturallyoccurringmetalsandthatthebody isable toactasanaturalfiltertothese offendingsubstances!