Tag: toxins
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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 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…
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Reducing toxins in food Rule #1. Choose a primarily plant-based diet.
Why is switching to a more plant-focused diet important? Because animals accumulate fat-soluble pollutants like dioxins, PCBs, and organic mercury compounds at much higher levels than plants. And it takes a long time to clear these chemicals from your body so it’s important to reduce your exposure to them in the first place. Bioaccumulation is a process…
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Ah, summer. Time to cook over a fire…
Summer is grilling season and a central part of many outdoor gatherings. However, cooking food, especially meat, over a hot grill creates smoke and other toxic substances. Similarly, cooking s’mores and other goodies over a campfire can also expose you to toxic smoke and char. Charred food contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are considered…
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Gardening part 2. Organic is not always “organic”
Once you’re sure the garden where you’ll be planting produce is as free of toxic chemicals as possible (see prior post), the next step is to make sure products you use in the garden are also free of added pesticides or other potentially harmful materials. First, I need to clarify what the term “organic” means…
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Gardening, part 1. Avoiding toxic chemicals in your garden.
Whether it’s an acre of greenery or a collection of pots on your balcony or windowsill, having a garden can provide you with your own slice of nature. And growing your own food is a pleasure that even access to a great Farmer’s Market can’t beat. A ripe strawberry or tomato freshly harvested and still…
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Resources for Finding Less Contaminated Food
The amount of information online about toxic chemicals in food can be overwhelming. However, there are resources that make it easier for you navigate finding safer food. There are apps you can download to your phone, as well as guides you can take with you shopping. I’d recommend trying each of them to see which…
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A Day in the Life, Toxins for Breakfast
We are exposed to toxic chemicals in our food and beverages from many, everyday sources. Most of these exposures occur at low levels but can accumulate over time and increase your risk for diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, reproductive impairment, and neurological disease. Taking small steps to lower your overall exposure can help you reduce…
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Why Gas Stoves are in “Hot” Water
Ordinarily I write about how toxic chemicals get into your food. How you cook also matters— your greatest potential exposure to toxic fumes occurs when cooking on a gas stove…
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Quick Tips for Reducing Exposure to Toxic Chemicals in Your Diet
I just heard from someone that waiting a couple of years for advice while I write this book would be difficult for them since they’d be worried about what they were being exposed to in the meantime. I truly understand that concern so I decided to post my bottom line advice here while I work…
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Vegan or Seagan? How To Choose Foods with the Most Nutrients and Least Toxins
There are many reasons to follow a vegan, or the newest trend, “seagan” diet, which includes fish. Many studies have shown significantly lower rates of cancer and heart disease in vegans and pescatarians (vegetarians who eat fish) than in people eating a meat-based diet. And for vegans, it is a choice to avoid harm to…
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Your Input on Book on Toxins in Food & Water
Dear Toxins Blog followers: I am writing a book on the presence and source of toxins in our food and drinking water, whether they come through environmental contamination, are added as ingredients, or leach from packaging/cooking materials. One major chapter of the book will focus on how choosing different diets likely affects your exposure to toxins…
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Join #OctoberUnprocessed!
During the month of October, I’ll be tweeting (@Laurel_Standley) on the benefits of an unprocessed diet on reducing exposures to toxic chemicals. This was inspired by Andrew Wilder’s annual event called October Unprocessed (follow @eatingrules). I highly recommend visiting his site (https://eatingrules.com/october-unprocessed-2014/) and signing up for the month as a way to reconnect to ‘real’ food and good…
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Bring on the Milk Fat and Lose Weight?
I recently read about studies that show a counterintuitive relationship between consuming higher fat dairy products and reduced body weight (e.g. http://n.pr/1kBi0fZ). I read this with concern because animal fats, such as those in high fat dairy products, are a key source of fat-soluble toxins to our bodies (see http://bit.ly/1hywXix) and it can take many…
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Water water everywhere but what is safe to drink?
Having access to safe drinking water is an essential part of good health. The quality of the water that we drink reflects its journey by picking up many substances as it passes through streams, aquifers, and the atmosphere. Many of these substances, such as minerals, are beneficial to our health. But water also picks up…
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Heart- and Cancer-smart Diets Tend to be Lower in Toxins
The Mediterranean Diet has been in the news lately for reducing the risk of heart disease and the need for pharmacological or surgical interventions.1 As a long-time fan of Dr. Dean Ornish’s work documenting the benefits of diet and lifestyle changes on reversing heart disease and cancer,2 I was struck by the fact that many…
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Environmental Toxins and Pets: Suggestions for Reducing Their Exposure
Over the last couple of decades we have learned much about the wide range of toxic chemicals that people are exposed to at home and elsewhere. These exposures are associated with illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, and disruption of reproductive and other hormonal systems. Our companion animals are also exposed to many of these…
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The Twelve NonToxic Days of Christmas
Wishing you a safe and joyous holiday season with those you love. Day 1. A real holiday tree (organic if you can find it) and its organic soil sop up carbon from the atmosphere (http://bit.ly/127ztlt) and reduce exposure to plasticizers from fake trees. Day 2. Looking for great ideas for nontoxic presents? Check out www.GoodGuide.org…
Dr. Laurel Standley 