research acrylamides in foods

I decided to do a search for any recent development or changes in Acrylamide content of  Food specifically cereals. Here are some of my notes that hopefully will start someone off who also wants to look into it.

I also wanted to find out if toasting nuts, or seeds in my toaster would form Acrylamides.   

Here is the FDA site with links to all acrylamide content and links to other sites

Looks like 2006 is the latest data that contains the levels in foods.  I wish there was some recent updated data though to see if anything is changed.

A nice aggregate summary is here that lists each food and when the data was released.

So toasted cereals have the higher levels of acrylamydes, so if you eat cereal opt for non-toasted.
Also acrylamide levels moderately high in some baby foods such as sweet potatoes, peach cobblers, squash, carrots and green beans, plums

Here is a summary of top 8 foods by acrylamyde/portion although I am not sure how to interpret them - but you should probably limit coffee, prune juice and canned black olives as well.

This site has listings of studies done on acrylamides

QA on acrylamides from WHO states

We don't know exactly at what temperature acrylamide is formed in food. However acrylamide has so far not been found in food prepared at temperatures below 120 degrees Celsius (248 F), including boiled foods.  I wonder what is the temperature in my toaster oven.

Food should not be cooked excessively, i.e. for too long or at too high a temperature. However, all food, especially meat and meat products, should be cooked sufficiently to destroy food poisoning bacteria.

This report shows wheat based cereals generally contain more than rice or maize based cereals -

FDA also has some general guidelines here but doesn't answer any specific question like European sites.

Here is a report that shows that most acrylamides are in the bread crust from  CIAA – the voice of the European food and drink industry

I also found this site  with more info, clicking on Acrylamide Information Base and clicking on Study Area 1  : Levels of acrylamide in food  gives a summary of studies, similar to this site with  summary of actual current research about acrylamides and links for further research.

Here is another site which has links  to some further study

Soaking raw potato slices in water for 15-30 minutes before frying or roasting helps reduce acrylamide formation during cooking. Adding antioxidants, such as rosemary or bamboo leaves and green tea extracts have been shown to reduce acrylamide levels in several foods.

Good video about the food industry abc 5 part series

Dirty Produce, which ones to worry about?

If you buy your produce, you should be aware they do contain trace amounts of pesticides and should be washed properly.

Washing and rinsing with water alone does not remove them. Some say that using vinegar/water in a spray or a little bit of dish soap will remove more pesticides. You can also purchase a veggie wash from the store but the best option is to eat a varied diet,wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

The FoodGuide lists 43 different produce on a scale of 0 -100 and here is the dirty dozen

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peaches	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apples	96
3	Sweet Bell Peppers	86
4	Celery	85
5	Nectarines	84
6	Strawberries	83
7	Cherries	75
8	Lettuce	69
9	Grapes - Imported	68
10	Pears	65
11	Spinach	60
12	Potatoes	58

Why should I be concerned?

There is one thing that I know for sure pesticides are toxic to humans and animals. Sure there is a debate about it, but if you think about it any man-made chemical is toxic for our bodies. Here is what the Environmental Working Group (EWG) says about it

Pesticides are toxic by design. They kill bugs, weeds, fungi, rodents and other "pests." That's why the government regulates them--though not stringently enough. The risks you encounter when you eat them depend on a number of factors including the toxicity of the pesticide, degree and form of exposure, your age, genetic susceptibility, and exposure to other toxics, including other pesticides. We believe that:

1. You have a right to know what's in your food.

2. The risks from many of these contaminants remain unacceptably high, especially for infants and children

3. The government can and should take steps to dramatically reduce the number and amount of toxic chemicals, including pesticides, from the food supply.

So visit FoodGuide and print out the PDF pocket Guide in English or Spanish for the next time you are debating if getting that organic apple or celery is worth the cost.

EWG analyzed over 42,000 of the latest government tests for pesticide residues on commonly-eaten fruits and vegetables. Then they ranked the results based on six measures of pesticide loads, even after washing and peeling.

French Documentary reveals unsettling questions

I recommend you watch A French Documentary "The World According to Monsanto - A documentary that Americans won't ever see."

Also see another film here in part and click on the parts 2 and 3 to see the rest


These are very good films, that is well researched and covers such topics as GMO, BGH, PCB's, Herbicides, GM, crop contamination, deceit, and more.

I just watched it and I am utterly shocked, surprised, and saddened about the direction the world is headed in adapting the Genetically Modified Plants - GMO, and their impact thus far.

1. There are safety concerns with GMO plants
2. This was allowed to enter our food supply by applying political pressure and lobbying.

It's like a scary movie about a genetic experiment gone horribly wrong. Imagine this - a GMO species of a corn plant, contaminates the real plant species and in doing so becomes dependent on the chemicals manufactured by Monsanto for defense.

Monsanto, a large multinational company, who's objective is first-most bigger profits, and with a history of deceit and shady business practices, I get an uneasy feeling that they have my best interests in mind after seeing this film. Actually
the company is doing something lucrative. They are buying up the worlds seed supplies and in doing so trying to gain control the worlds food supply. They want to have every single farmer in the world pay them for the GMO patented seeds.

According to the film, Monsanto controls all seed supplies in India for cotton crops which contains BT type (GMO), and sells it at a premium to them. However, their claims about the advantages of the crops are false and the farmers are suffering.

"The GMO grown potatoes trigger an immune system response in rats" The scientist who did this study was fired immediately because this would harm the "progress" in biotechnology industry. Actually many people who try to warn about any negatives with GMO almost surely get persecuted.

Monsanto has repeatedly falsified studies about the safety of their products. They misled us by doing badly formed studies to come to a positive result. They also create confusion by trying to discredit valid studies.

What is more scary is GMO products are not specifically labeled in the USA so you can be eating one right now. I am not sure about the rest of the world.

"The FDA has told untruth to the American Public and the world since 1992" Its a sad day because I trust our government even less, and even begin to doubt the organic label at this point as well

So if there is a program in place such as organic, which allows me, a consumer to purchase foods at a premium, thinking that it is somehow better for my family and the environment, can I really trust this label? There is so much money involved, how safe does it make me really feel after learning that our government and the agencies simply let a companies product enter our food supply untested for any ill health effects and studies about the effect on the natural order? How safe does it make me feel about purchasing organic corn knowing that even in Mexico's heart of corn producers they found that their 'organic' corn has actually crossed with the GMO variety? What's being done about this? What sort of certifications do farms go through to ensure the standards are followed? Does anyone do a DNA test on Organic crops to ensure compliance?

So what are sore other concerns with this?
* Eating food that is not natural (Genetically Modified) is not safe and such foods should not be sold in the stores for consumption.
* What is being done to preserve the seeds of the natural plants and ensure that the GMO plants do not contaminate them?
* What is being done to ensure that our Government is looking out for our best interests? Election is coming in 2008, I hope the candidates address this issue as an important one.

Chemicals in our products that end up in our children

It seems like every week I learn some new possible danger related to our food supply, our toys, toothpaste, plastics, microwave popcorn and Teflon, any kind of pills, pressure treated wood, laundry detergent and I am sure I just scratched the surface when it comes to men-made items.

Every time I learn about these dangers, I am upset by the fact that 1) My family used or still uses some of these products 2) I can still purchase most of them in a store. 3) It's dangers had been known for years and nothing was done or ignored.

Over and over my confidence in the US government is depleted regarding health and safety standards. It's true that it's better then most countries but not by much. Here's a story that highlights double standards for US and EU from the same companies

Hazard-free products are sold in Europe, toxin-filled versions of the same product are sold in the US and the developing world.

I don't know if this makes any of you shake your head, but reading this I don't feel like our best interests are in our countries best interest.

• I started this blog entry when I pondered why the bottles I used for feeding my infant has bpa in it when it's clearly not as safe as the industry would have us believe. The same applies to the plastic containers labeled #7 that I had purchased not long ago and am now using them for dry food storage like beans or non food storage.
• Why does microwave popcorn and Teflon still on the store shelves?
  
• Why are there acrylamides in processed foods like cheerios given to kids?
• What about those rubber ducks having PVC's which have phthalates - which are now banned, but still, I am sure it was allowed for some time.  
• Christmas lights laiden with with Lead
• Lead in toys and jewelry
• Don't even get me started on procuce safety and use of conventional farming methods including GMO soy corn, etc, as well as synthetic chemicals that are sprayed on our food
• Cleaning products and their poisons
• Anti-bacterial soaps
• What about Nano?  What you don't know is in products you use daily may be harming you.
• Now concerns about Chinese drywall and autoparts made in china

I will continue to look at what's safe and what is not as part of selecting the best food and products.   I hope that the government will step up it's efforts at protecting the publics interests, but in the meantime buyer beware.  

All this makes one thing increasingly clear, we live in a world which is increasingly more and more toxic.  The true effects of all this will only be known years from now but you need to err on the side of caution and continually review what you use daily in order to minimize risk.  

The greatest way to minimize risk is by focusing on what you eat and drink daily since that has been shown to effect us most dramatically.  For these reasons, we choose to follow a high nutrient vegetable based diet recommended by Dr. Fuhrman which is by definition disease-protective.  

  

The Dirty Dozen: - lighterfootstep.com

So you've decided to take the plunge -- to embrace lighter living, start greening your life, and do something to help the the environment. But where to begin?

Their article Ten First Steps Toward Lighter Living, is a good place to get grounded.

If you're ready to take on taming your shopping cart, we've put together a list we call the Dirty Dozen. These are twelve unhealthy or resource-intensive products you should consider reducing or eliminating from your life entirely. Once you've tackled these, you'll probably think of others -- and you'll be well on your way to a lighter, more sustainable lifestyle.

Styrofoam, Plastic food containers with Bisphenol-A (BPA), Tropical hardwoods, Aluminum in cosmetics, Incandescent bulbs, Petroleum-based fabric sheets and laundry detergent, Overpackaged goods, Paper towels and napkins, Plastic utensils, Disposable batteries, Household cleaners, Commercial insecticides

BPA - new dangers discovered

As if we already didn't have enough to worry about, here comes new concerns about BPA (bisphenol A ).
The Green Guide has summed it up nicely

If you are like many readers of The Green Guide, you try and choose foods that are as free as possible of harmful chemicals such as pesticides. But if you consume canned soups, beans and soft drinks, organic or not, you also may be swallowing residues of a controversial chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) that can leak out of the can linings into your food. Nearly all can liners contain BPA, says Geoff Cullen, director of government relations at the Can Manufacturers Institute. BPA has also been found to migrate, under some conditions, from polycarbonate plastic water bottles. Depending on whom you talk to, BPA is either perfectly safe or a dangerous health risk.

...

Plastic water and baby bottles, food and beverage can linings and dental sealants are the most commonly encountered uses of this chemical. Unfortunately, it doesn't stay put. BPA has been found to leach from bottles into babies' milk or formula; it migrates from can liners into foods and soda and from epoxy resin-lined vats into wine; and it is found in the mouths of people who've recently had their teeth sealed. Ninety-five percent of Americans were found to have the chemical in their urine in a 2004 biomonitoring study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

...

Some scientists urge that action be taken now, regardless. "Science is not in the business of demonstrating anything beyond a shadow of a doubt," says Ana Soto, M.D., a professor and researcher at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, who has found that BPA alters mammary-gland development in mice. "We cannot wait that long to discover whether this chemical is harming human reproduction and development." However, because government agencies remain unconcerned, it is unlikely that BPA will disappear from consumer products anytime soon. A California bill to ban BPA in baby toys and feeding products was defeated in January. In the meantime ...

8 Ways to Avoid Harmful Chemicals in Plastics and Cans

1. If you already own polycarbonate bottles, including the Nalgene bottles popular on college campuses, labeled #7 on the bottom, wash them by hand with mild dishwashing soap, not in the dishwasher, to avoid degrading the plastic and increasing leaching of BPA (see "Picnic Perfect Plastics").

2. Even plastic does not last forever. Look for cracks or cloudiness on your reusable clear plastic bottles. See The Green Guide's survey, "A Nalgene Bottle Poll."

3. Use glass baby bottles or plastic bag inserts, which are made of polyethyelene, or switch to polypropylene bottles that are labeled #5 and come in colors or are milky rather than clear.

4. Choose soups, milk and soy milk packaged in cardboard "brick" cartons, by Tetra Pak and SIG Combibloc, which are made of safer layers of aluminum and polyethylene (#2) and also recyclable.

5. Choose canned foods from makers who don't use BPA, such as Eden Foods (www.edenfoods.com), which sells certified organic canned beans and other foods.

6. Eat fresh foods in season and save the canned foods for convenience or emergencies. The exception is some canned fruit such as that found in smaller fruit-cocktail cans, which do not require a liner, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute.

7. Buy or can your own fruits and vegetables in safe glass jars. For more, see Amy's Green Kitchen "In a Summer Pickle".

8. Some wines have been found to contain up to six times the BPA of canned foods. While most wines probably don't, it's another good reason to drink in moderation.

So there you have it. As always with a debate where there are many sides and truths, theres a choice to be made. Given this information, does an individual act on this information or ignore it.

Here are some sources about BPA controversy

http://www.bisphenolafree.org/
http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=77083

I remember the time when I learned that not all plastics not microwave safe, and that one shouldn't microwave breast milk, as well as Teflon made pots and pans are now considered unsafe because of cancer fears. Treated Wood swing sets also a danger. Every day we learn something new. When plastic was first introduced it dramatically altered human history. It's virtually impossible to imagine a world without it.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that potentially all men made things are somehow dangerous to all living things and some non-living as well I suppose. So unless there is a grand paradigm shift in society as a whole this is the reality we live in today.

Another reason to avoid meats - Red 2G

Red 2-G:
is used to make processed meats look red—causes cancer. It was banned in Britain and Ireland. Read more here