Category: plant-based
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Good enough. The no stress approach to avoiding toxic chemicals in food.
The subject of toxic chemicals in our food and beverages can be overwhelming, especially when you think of all the potential sources of contamination. And issues around food can be triggering for people, especially for those with eating disorders, such as anorexia and orthorexia. However, food is essential for life and can be an occasion…
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Popular diets and sources of toxic chemicals
There are many popular diets out there and, other than the Standard American Diet (SAD), each have strengths and weaknesses with respect to the potential presence of toxic chemicals in recommended foods. In this post, I’ll discuss which aspects of those diets are best and which expose you to foods that are more vulnerable to…
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Saturated animal fats as dietary sources of toxic chemicals
Advice recommending the consumption of saturated fat, including from beef tallow, has been in the news lately.1,2 I won’t go into the health issues associated with eating this, as I’m not a medical doctor. My concern focuses more on beef and other animal fats as delivery devices for fat-soluble, toxic chemicals like dioxins, organochlorine pesticides, and…
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Environmental sources of toxic chemicals in food
Because food is not grown in a vacuum (except on the Space Station), fruits, veggies, chickens, cattle, and fish are exposed to environmental contamination during their life spans. Even controlled or sheltered conditions, like a greenhouse, are likely not free of environmental contaminants present in the building or soil and brought in by irrigation water.…
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Monthly food hacks for fewer toxins in 2025
In addition to providing sustenance and enjoyment, the food we eat can be contaminated with hundreds of toxic chemicals, including pesticides, plastic components, and cancer-causing molecules formed during cooking. While you can’t avoid everything, there’s a lot you can do to reduce your exposure in the first place, in other words, to pre-detox. To figure out…
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Plant-based scones, anyone?
In my prior post, I listed resources that will help you include more plant-based food in your diet. In this post, I thought I’d share one of my favorite recipes – scones. Traditional scone recipes call for eggs, milk or cream, and butter. But both cattle and chickens, e.g. the sources of dairy and eggs,…
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Plant-based eating made easy: cookbooks and resources
As I mentioned in a prior post, animals accumulate fat-soluble chemicals such as PCBs, dioxins, and some pesticides at much higher levels than plants, up to millions of times higher. Because it can take years or decades to clear these chemicals from your body, it’s best to reduce your exposure to them in the first…
Dr. Laurel Standley 