Page 12 - Fall2012

Caustic Commentary

as realistic as Beyond Meat. The chicken strips look, feel PROTECTION AGAINST ARSENIC
and taste closer to real meat than any other food I’ve eaten” We are all exposed to arsenic, via some water supplies, but
(August 5, 2012). Manjoo is not a vegetarian but he tries to eat more so from the diet. As chicken producers have striven to
less meat for “various health and ethical reasons.” The big- reduce the use of antibiotics, for example, they are now us-
gest problem, he says, is that it is hard to get this new wonder ing more arsenic. Arsenic is a component of some pesticides,
product. Beyond Meat’s chicken strips are available only at such as those used on rice. Long term exposure to high levels
Whole Foods stores in Northern California; later this year the of arsenic can cause skin lesions, cancer and cardiovascular
product will be sold in select supermarkets; a national launch disease; it also affects fetal development. The body does have
for the ersatz product is planned for 2013, with fake beef to fol- ways of getting rid of arsenic, through a process called meth-
low. Backed by a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, Beyond ylation, excreting it in the urine; arsenic also has an affinity
Meat plans a marketing strategy emphasizing the superiority for keratin and can be deposited in the hair and nails as they
of fake chicken strips to real chicken. Founder Ethan Brown grow. Researchers from Dartmouth College and the Geisel
is confident of success. “It requires far less energy to produce, School of Medicine looked at levels of arsenic in toenails of
it’s got no saturated fats, no antibiotics and no animals are residents in New Hampshire who all use private groundwater
harmed in the process.” What the product does have is phytic wells as their household water source. The interesting results
acid, enzyme inhibitors, oxalic acid, hemagluttinins, and iso- showed that levels of arsenic in nails were positively associ-
flavones galore because the product is made from soy protein ated with greater consumption of alcohol and omega-3 fatty
isolate that is formed into a liquid paste, heated and extruded; acids. Those who ate more dietary vitamin B and animal
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no doubt it is loaded with fake flavors and laced with soybean protein had lower levels of arsenic; total dietary fat, animal
oil to give it its feeling of “plumpness and fattiness.” There is fat, vegetable fat and saturated fat were also associated with
nothing healthy or ethical about these chicken strips, and we lower levels of arsenic. Association does not prove causation,
predict the product will fade into oblivion after just a brief of course, but these results warrant more study, and certainly
sizzle of marketing blitz. seem to support the hypothesis that saturated fats and animal
foods support the body's detoxification mechanisms (Science
PLASTIC PERILS Daily, June 28, 2012).
BPA—short for Bisphenol A—is now a household word. A
building block of the polycarbonate linings in many food and NATURAL PROBIOTICS
beverage cans, and of the coatings that make inks appear in A theme in these pages is the importance of lacto-fermented
most cash register receipts, BPA is under the spotlight because foods to provide beneficial bacteria to the intestinal tract.
of its potential adverse health effects, in particular its abil- These bacteria form a biofilm lining the entire small intestine,
ity to act as an endocrine-disrupting chemical. As a result, which provides us with 85 percent of our immunity, protects
manufacturers of baby bottles, sippy cups, reusable water us against toxins, helps digest our food, produces important
bottles and many other products are switching to “BPA-free” vitamins and even creates feel-good chemicals. All traditional
materials. The problem is that avoiding BPA in the vast array cultures consumed lacto-fermented foods―from the semi-
of plastic products and coatings will require some kind of new rotten fish of the Alaskan Inuit to the fermented taro root of
polymer. One of these is called Tritan copolyester, which has the South Seas islanders. As modern science has discovered
no toxicity data, but also has never been tested. The same is the importance of intestinal bacteria, researchers have for-
true of all the other BPA-free alternatives (The Atlantic, April mulated probiotic pills to help populate the gut. Recently Dr.
2011). Obviously an extensive testing program is needed. In Joseph Mercola tested fermented vegetables produced by
the meantime, the best course of action is to avoid plastics as probiotic starter cultures (such as homemade whey). The lacto-
much as possible, using products made of real rubber, glass, fermented vegetables had ten trillion units of colony-forming
ceramic or stainless steel. bacteria. One serving of vegetables was equal to an entire
bottle of high-potency probiotic. (http://articles.mercola.com/
sites/articles/archive/2012/06/27probiotics-gut-health-impact.
12 Wise Traditions FALL 2012 FALL 2012 Wise Traditions

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