Heavy Metal Content: The best and worst brands.
I have used these brands and they are not as good as I thought
Reducing Heavy Metal Via the Food That You Choose
There is no way to avoid all the contamination in our air, food, soil, and water. But if we stay updated and informed, we can make better choices.
Dark Chocolate
Consumer Reports examined dark chocolate brands for lead and cadmium levels. Many people choose a dark chocolate bar as a healthier sweet treat.
Dark chocolate can still be a healthy treat.
Dark Chocolate Benefits
Dark chocolate’s reputation as a relatively healthy treat stems mostly from the cocoa solids. These are packed with flavanols, which are antioxidants linked to improved blood vessel function, reduced inflammation, and lower cholesterol.
Dark chocolate is also lower in sugar and higher in fiber than milk chocolate, and it has magnesium and potassium. Unfortunately, cocoa solids are also where the heavy metals, especially cadmium, lurk. That makes it tricky to balance dark chocolate’s risks and benefits.
Some of the same concerns may extend to products made with cocoa powder—which is essentially pure cocoa solids—such as hot cocoa, and brownie and cake mixes, though they have varying amounts of cacao and possibly heavy metals.
Dark chocolate tends to be higher in heavy metals than milk chocolate, probably because of its higher cacao content. There is no official cutoff, but dark chocolates are generally at least 65 percent cacao by weight, says Michael J. DiBartolomeis, PhD, a toxicologist and former official at the California Department of Public Health who has researched heavy metals in chocolate.
Some brands that are higher in cadmium include Equal Exchange and Alter Eco.
A couple of high-lead brands include Lily’s and Chocolove.
Two brands high in cadmium and lead are Lily’s and Green & Black’s.
Taza and Mast had low levels of cadmium and lead (brands I had never heard of).
For the complete CR results, see their report.
Spices and Herbs and Brand With Lowest Heavy Metal Content
The FDA does not currently limit the number of heavy metals allowed in herbs and spices.
Consumer Reports found that many popular brands, even organic brands, contain high levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium.
Of the brands CR tested, one stood out head and shoulders above the rest with little to no heavy metals present.
It was Simply Organic.
I buy herbs and spices in bulk at a health food store, so they are not name-brand. I emailed Natural Grocers to see if I could find any information on the herb and spice source. I will let you know if I get a response.
Heavy metals were found in organic and non-organic brands.
Read the CR article for the complete list of products, herbs, and spices tested. The Simply Organic brand may be the optimal choice until we know more. It is a familiar brand that can be found in most grocery stores. You can also order their spices online at www.simplyorganic.com
What You Can Do To Reduce Your Heavy Metal Absorption Rate
The best things you can do to detoxify daily include sweating (sauna or exercise), exercising (for lymph flow), hydrating, and eliminating via your bowels daily. You should not have to depend on caffeine, fiber products, Miralax (avoid at all costs), or magnesium citrate for daily movements.
Activated charcoal taken on an empty stomach once daily, either upon waking or at bedtime, will help remove toxins in the GI tract. Broccoli sprouts can also have the same effect.
The more I realize how many toxins we are exposed to, the more I think we may need daily support, such as a gentle zeolite product.
Other people may argue that we can detoxify all of these toxins. This is untrue for many people in the modern-day world. There are toxins our body does not recognize or know what to do with.
Studies examining the amount of herbicides and pesticides in the umbilical cord have shown that we are born filled with toxins.
If you are overweight, have central obesity, don’t exercise or get daily movement, and eat primarily ultra-processed foods, you are at a disadvantage, and detoxification can be impaired. Others may have genetic defects impairing detoxification.
Bottom Line
Know which foods and brands are the safest to buy and support your detoxification pathways through natural means such as exercise and elimination. Some people may benefit from adding additional support, such as activated charcoal.
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This is NOT information allopathic practitioners will share with you.
Thank you for this information.. VERY valuable!!
Do you have any idea why chocolate would contain heavy metals? Since most minerals, including heavy metals, are in most soils in varying amounts, and since cacao trees only grow in the tropics, does the soil there have higher concentrations of heavy metals? Or does the chemistry of the cacao trees naturally select these minerals? Or are the commercial growers causing this with chemical treatments, such as herbicides, pesticides or something used in processing the beans?