Page 41 - Summer2008

week tend to show very high serum levels of coconut oil, reportedly are fat-soluble chelating agents for methyl mercury,
mercury. This is especially true if they consume and perhaps even dimethylmercury. They serve as a unique oil-based

a lot of tuna, swordsh or shark. Tuna, codsh chelating agent. 42
and haddock also concentrate cadmium. Oysters Cultured and fermented foods such as beet kvass, kimchi, sauerkraut,
do contain large amounts of cadmium but also clabbered milk, pima cream and homemade yogurt contain bene cial mi-
large amounts of zinc, which serves to protect croorganisms that contribute to gastrointestinal health. People with healthy

us against cadmium toxicity. gut ora are better able to handle the inevitable exposure to toxic metals,

Meats need to be free-range and organic. including the mercury found in sh. In contrast, people who do not have

The livers and kidneys of factory-farmed animals healthy gut ora are more prone to candida and other pathogenic bacterial
usually contain significant amounts of cad- and fungal overgrowth that change inorganic mercury into the more toxic
mium. methylated and dimethylated mercury, thus increasing the potential for
Good quality fats promote overall good fat-soluble retention and damage.

health and ongoing detoxication. Although Bone broth offers a time-tested way to heal the gut of “leaky gut
many popular books advise us to avoid animal syndrome.” A gut lining with integrity will better succeed in keeping out
fats because poisons accumulate in them, the toxic metals. Broth is high in the amino acid glycine, which along with
same fat will help us rid the body of those toxins. cysteine and glutamic acid is a component of glutathione, which the body
However, it is obviously best to consume free- must manufacture in order to detoxify toxic substances. 43-45
range and organic animal products that are low Kombucha tea is sparkling fermented beverage that contains D-sac-
in poisons to begin with. It’s also important to charic (D-glucaric) acid, which not only binds and pulls toxic metals out
remember that many of the poisons in pesticides, of the body, but inhibits glucuronidase, an enzyme that would otherwise
herbicides and fertilizers used on commercial hydrolyze the glucuronides of fat-soluble toxins. This prevents them from
crops are water-soluble, not fat-soluble. being recycled back into the fat, instead of being excreted. No wonder
46
The fats found in processed, packaged kombucha has a reputation as a longevity elixir!
and fast foods add to metal toxicity, particularly A diet low in grains—particularly gluten- and gliadin-containing
nickel toxicity. Partially hydrogenated fats are grains—has helped many people restore their gut health. However, tra-
manufactured by taking cheap and usually rancid ditional preparations including soaking, will lessen the likelihood of ill
oils from soy, corn, canola and cottonseed and effects from any of the grains.
mixing them with particles of nickel oxide. The Foods high in B , B and folic acid are especially important. These
6 12
combination of oil with the nickel catalyst is B vitamins are critical for keeping homocysteine levels in the normal
then subjected to hydrogen in a high-pressure, range. When inadequate in the diet, the body cannot convert the amino
high-temperature reactor. Traces of nickel always acid methionine to cysteine through the homocysteine intermediate as

remain in the nished product. needed. This results in homocysteine build-up, which will make metal
In contrast, good fats are vital for detoxi- toxicity worse. True vitamin B usually is found in animal products. The
12

cation. Acylglycerols, like the monolaurin in best foods for B also come from animals and include beef, poultry, eggs,
6
NOT THE BRIGHTEST IDEA

Even as the old mercury-containing glass thermometers have quietly disappeared from the marketplace, a new home
mercury danger has emerged in the form of “energy efficient” supposedly “green” CFL fluorescent bulbs. Broken CFL bulbs
release mercury vapors and can turn your home into an environmental hazard zone. The EPA has a web page dedicated
to the clean-up of broken CFL bulbs, but packaging contains neither warnings nor special handling instructions.
Although the amount of mercury released by one of these little spiral bulbs can exceed U.S. federal guidelines for
chronic exposure, environmentalists continue to recommend them as though the energy-saving benefits for the planet
outweigh the considerable personal risks. (These bulbs actually save very little in terms of overall home energy usage.)
Most people do not even know that the bulbs contain mercury, but are somehow expected to exercise “common-sense
1-3
caution,” such as not using compact fluorescents in table lamps that could be knocked over by children or pets.
1. Mercury – spills, disposal and site cleanup – what to do if a fluorescent light bulb breaks. Environmental Protection Agency, 10-25-2007. http://www.epa.gov/mercury/
spills/index.htm#flourescen. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
2. Maine Compact Breakage Study Report. http://maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/cflreport.htm Retrieved May 18, 2008.
3. Daley, Beth. Energy benefits of fluorescents may outweigh risk. Boston Globe, February 26, 2008. www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/26/mercury_leaks_
found_as_new_bulbs_break/?page=1. Retrieved May 18, 2008.

SUMMER 2008 Wise Traditions 39