For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:
Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).
- Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
- Since 2009, Tamara has been conducting XRF testing (a scientific testing method) using the exact instrumentation employed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic).
- Since July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for five product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
- All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
- Items that Lead Safe Mama, LLC reports on are tested multiple times to confirm the results published (for each component tested).
- Recent notable press… There has been too much to mention already in 2024! Please check out our press page to see some of the amazing coverage of our work so far this year!
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Published: March 26, 2023
I am not a doctor (I am more of an investigator).
First, I will emphasize that I am not a doctor! I am not a healthcare professional of any kind, and I don’t have a degree in any area of healthcare or medicine! That said, I often work with families who have children (and sometimes also parents) with mysterious sources of medically confirmed Lead exposure. When families call me for a Zoom consult or hire me to come to their home for a one-on-one home consultation, we review as much as we can about their life; their home, their daily habits, and routines. This is one cog in the process of methodically tracking down the potential sources of Lead exposure in their lives. In most cases, families have sought me out after trying and/or exhausting other avenues of exploration — with inspectors, agency representatives, health care providers, or others who tried and failed to find the specific sources of exposure for that family.
Because I have a body of experience (I’ve been doing this work for nearly 17 years), and because I have immersed myself in the science and ongoing research on the topic (as well as having personally conducted extensive independent testing and research into potential sources of toxicants-exposure from consumer goods), I have a near-perfect track record of discovering/pin-pointing the likely source of toxicant exposure for families in these situations.
Why I am writing this article at this time:
I’ve written up the story about this particular family’s situation (below) as I felt it was emblematic of a new and popular dietary trend. The popularity of this trend has become increasingly evident in my work as several families I have helped in recent years have followed this specific diet (in each case a diet which was recommended by a healthcare practitioner / doctor or nutritionist), which invariably resulted in persistent Lead exposure (in the BLL range of 2.0 to 5.0 micrograms of Lead per deciliter of blood) in infants and toddlers living in the home.
Read here for a discussion on the impact of low-level Lead exposure.
I hope that sharing this story might provide useful information for others in a similar situation, who may be exploring unknown sources of Lead exposure — and especially those considering whether or not a diet (or even breast-feeding) might be a contributing factor.
If you are new to this concern and if you feel that any of the content of the article below is relevant to your personal situation, and especially if your child has not yet had a Blood Lead Level (BLL) test before, or within the past six months regardless of their age, I would highly recommend your first step in response to reading this article be asking your doctor for a BLL test for your child. Ask for a test for yourself too, if possible — especially if you are breastfeeding. More on that at this link.
A “High-Lead Diet”
This year I have been helping a family in which both a mama (we’ll call her Jane for the purpose of this article) and her baby have tested positive for Lead — at Blood Lead Levels (BLLs) far above average population levels for people in their age bracket. The mom (who tested positive with a BLL of 1.7 micrograms of Lead per deciliter of blood) was concerned about breastmilk contamination. This is a rare, but possible consideration when attempting to determine the source of a child’s elevated BLL.
Jane had initially been concerned that she was poisoning her baby with Lead that may have been leaching from her bones (and thereby contaminating her breastmilk) — potentially as a result of her childhood exposure to Lead (combined with a dairy-free diet while breastfeeding). Jane did not have a documented childhood exposure to Lead, but was assuming childhood exposure based on her age.
We discussed this concern in detail and – given her age and size/ body mass (taking into account anticipated average population BLLs for her demographic) — I explained that I did not expect that cellular turnover releasing Lead stored in her bones from her childhood would be a likely primary source of her current (elevated) Blood Lead Level (of 1.7). The logic for this is as follows:
- The science that indicates that the cellular turnover in bones can lead to women being “re-poisoned” from early childhood exposure (especially potentially resulting in a BLL as high as Jane’s) demonstrates that this normally only happens in menopausal (or post-menopausal) women.
- There is scientific consensus that the Lead that is detectible (through modern/ commonly available blood Lead testing methods) as circulating in the blood (especially at Blood Lead Levels above population baseline levels that might be anticipated given the demographics of the subject) is normally the result of recent exposures.
- Lead circulating in the blood is normally absorbed by the bones and soft tissues fairly rapidly (Lead bio-mimics Calcium, so biological structures use it/ absorb it in the place of Calcium if it is present) — with a 30 to 45 day half-life anticipated for BLL’s once a person has been removed from the source of exposure.
- The population average for the BLL of women of childbearing age in the United States in this century is closer to a BLL of 0.4 micrograms of Lead per deciliter of blood.
- With this basis of understanding, Jane’s current Blood Lead Level (BLL) of 1.7 was likely from an ongoing persistent low-level exposure source encountered in her environment or daily routines.
Supportive anecdotal side note: Even I (with a known history of acute exposure from when my children were poisoned in August of 2005) “only” had a BLL of 1.1 during my pregnancy and birth of my youngest son in July of 2008 (likely from the period of high cellular turnover associated with the pregnancy and birth of my child). Jane did not have a known history of a similar acute exposure. Link to my birth story, here.
Given the above points of consideration we shifted our attention to other potential sources of exposure.
After a Zoom consult with both parents — including several follow-up communications — we essentially eliminated the possibility of the exposure source coming from their home. The family lives in a mostly updated/newer-construction* (1962) house, with no other obvious “usual suspects” like “up-cycled” old architectural decorations, or vintage “shabby-chic” furniture, vintage kitchenware, Lead-painted baby bottles, etc. Given this context, we came to the tentative conclusion that the most likely remaining exposure source (especially granted the age of the baby: 9 months old) might be something in Mom’s current diet — especially since the only two people in the family (which includes two other small children and one other parent) that tested positive for Lead were Jane and her breastfeeding infant.
When we carefully reviewed Jane’s diet (the foods she was prioritizing and focusing on based on her nutritionist’s recommendation), we determined that her nutritionist had — without realizing it — basically put her on a “High Lead” diet, as nearly ALL of the foods the nutritionist had suggested that Jane prioritize and eat daily were foods which are known to be high in Lead. Jane shared with me that her nutritionist had specifically put her on this diet as a short-term “remedy” to “calm the gut” because the nutritionist had concluded that her baby seemed to be having allergic reactions/ intolerance seemingly “to all foods.” This is particularly of interest in light of the fact that Lead exposure (from many of the recommended foods — or other sources) has a primary symptomatic impact (in most cases) of actually causing G.I. distress.
*(They did have one set of “Lead-lights” [windows alongside their main entry door] in the home — however, given the level of interaction with that feature of the home, combined with other factors such as the child’s age, this building feature did not seem a likely source of exposure for this particular family. Though they did eliminate this as a potential hazard fairly immediately after our conversation.)
Jane’s nutritionist had her eat a diet adhering to the following guidelines, with an emphasis on the suggested foods below — which led to her consuming a significant amount of high-Lead foods on a daily basis:
- All Organic foods
- Dairy-free
- Grain-free
- Egg-free
- Soy-free
- Peanut-free
- Wheat-free
- Nut-free
With a focus on consuming the following (high-Lead) foods:
- Root Vegetables — most of which are notoriously highly Lead-contaminated
- 70(+)% Dark Chocolate — the highest-Lead form of chocolate (chocolate itself being already arguably the most consistently Lead-contaminated item at the grocery store!) — “twice a day!” (Link with more info on Lead in chocolate.)
- Cassava and Cassava-based Products (including cassava-based snacks, chips, crackers, cereals, granola, etc.) — Cassava consistently tests positive for incredibly high levels of Lead (stand by for a follow-up article exclusively on this subject soon!). This includes Cassava-based and arrowroot/tapioca flour-containing products (with Cassava often referred to as “arrowroot” or “tapioca” in ingredient lists for packaged products — including many snacks).
- Leafy Greens – ironically, some greens tend to be high in Lead depending on the specific type (spinach, for example) and area of origin.
- Sunflower Butter — documented to be high in Lead, which is not surprising given sunflowers are actually used for phytoremediation — naturally absorbing and removing Lead from contaminated soil! More on that here.
- Bone Broth (three times a day) — often high in Lead (read more info, here).
- Supplements — insufficiently regulated (specifically as far as Lead-content is concerned). Supplement manufacturers often only test down to 5 ppm (5,000 ppb) Lead as a low threshold of detection — when food limits for Lead range in the 1-to-100 ppb range. (Click here for more info.)
- Limited Fruits — note: Some dried fruits can be high in Lead!
The plan moving forward for Jane — a science-based inquiry
Based on this preliminary hypothesis — that the exposure for both mama and infant was likely from Jane’s diet — we then came up with an experimental action plan in which she would stop eating the high-Lead foods (again, foods which had been recommended by her nutritionist) for three weeks (exactly 21 days, as it turned out). Then, she would have herself and her baby re-tested at the end of the three weeks, a day before she was scheduled to leave for a vacation.
We then also decided she would re-test again (both the baby and herself) upon returning from vacation. The logic behind this was that the observed “half-life” of Lead in the blood is 30 to 45 days (more on that here). If she re-tested three weeks/21 days after stopping this high-Lead diet, in theory, the absence of continued exposure (assuming her diet was in fact her exposure source) would allow her and her child’s BLL to begin dropping significantly. This result could be an indicator suggestive of the diet change working — and of the possible validity of the hypothesis that her diet might in fact be the likely primary source of exposure for her child.
We did not undertake this significant shift in diet lightly, and I advised her that she may want to confirm things with her doctor (and/or her nutritionist) — to make sure she remains healthy (not rapidly losing weight for instance, nor experiencing any other obvious observable adverse impacts) once she shifted to the new/temporary diet. If the experiment appeared to help, she would consider talking to her healthcare provider about making (some or all of) these dietary changes permanent.
Most important to understand: Symptoms
There is no safe level of Lead exposure for children. Lead-poisoning causes permanent brain damage and learning disabilities, among a long list of other very serious health impacts — especially in the case of the very-youngest infants. From a health perspective, removing Lead from the child’s diet is more important than nearly any other dietary consideration (especially if that child is currently meeting milestones; not underweight; etc.) You can read more about symptoms in adults on this link. This link discusses symptoms in children.
- It is also important to note that the most common symptom of Lead-exposure (at the time of exposure) is no symptom at all.
- Obvious symptoms of Lead exposure — especially including profound, life-long neurological and developmental impacts in children — normally do not generally fully develop/ present until years after exposure.
- This is because the brain continues to develop through age 25 and one cannot evaluate the extent of neurological impacts until cognitive function and behavioral patterns are better established (when the child is older — and at least school age).
- That said, common symptoms that sometimes occur concurrent with ongoing/ persistent/ chronic or acute Lead-exposure (in both adults and children) include G.I. distress (digestive issues, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, etc.); loss of appetite; headaches; anxiety; sleep disorders (sleeplessness); irritability and general malaise.
Continue below to read the suggestions I made for Jane (the experiment to change her specific diet temporarily to see if it would reduce Lead levels for herself and her child) and the outcome of that experiment.
The Dietary “Experiment” for Jane
NOTE: Below are diet recommendations I made for this specific family — based on our conversation about their existing diet. (Note: These suggestions may or may not be applicable or relevant for others in the same [or similar] situation.)
#1) Stop (strictly) Eating
- Root vegetables (especially avoid: potatoes, sweet potatoes / yams, beets, turnips, etc. – see exceptions, below)
- Anything listing Cassava (or Tapioca or Arrowroot – which are often other words on ingredient labels for Cassava) as an ingredient
- Sunflower seed butter (entirely)
- Chocolate (entirely)
- Bone Broth (entirely)
- All Supplements (just for the period of the experiment — provided none of them are medically-essential!)
- Spinach (or other small, dense leafy greens)
- Limit any and all ground/processed flour products if possible for this period (made of any base ingredients)
- Protein Powders/ Pea Powders, etc. (any processed, powdered product — whether sold as a food, food ingredient, or supplement)
#2) Start Eating (or eat more of — with a continued focus on Organic)
- Garlic — to tolerance: All forms — add to fresh-pressed vegetable juices, add to cooked meals, add to soups, etc. (Through extensive international research, Garlic has been scientifically proven to help remove Lead from soft tissue and blood. You can read more about that here.)
- Fresh Vegetables — snap peas; fresh carrots (that are washed and peeled — see comment below in comments on this article for additional thoughts about carrots); lettuces, tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, Brussels spouts, avocados, etc. Eat veggies raw or lightly-steamed whenever possible.
- Whole (unprocessed, ideally purchased “in-the-shell” — which is an indicator that they are less likely to be Lead contaminated from processing, including “shelling”) Organic Nuts (e.g. walnuts, pecans, or cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios).
- As Jane is a nursing mother (and not vegetarian/ vegan), I suggested that she consider adding dairy back in to her diet if she can tolerate it (just for the period of this experiment). With a focus on items with live cultures to help with gut health issues she was having — I recommended BioK (which is available in both dairy and non-dairy formulations).
- Drink lots of water, to help flush her system during this period (especially when eating garlic).
- Drink lots of fresh Organic green (vegetable) juices (not from concentrate) during this period, to help flush her system (celery, cucumber, apple — mixed together, that sort of thing).
- Drink fresh fruit juices (watered-down, to reduce the sugar content; not packaged/ not from concentrate/ locally-made-on-demand or pressed/juiced at home, rather than “store-bought,” if possible).
- For each cup of green juice or fruit juice consumed — drink 2 cups or more of water (to help flush the system, given we are trying to get Lead out of circulation in her body and she is still breast feeding).
- Fresh, whole Organic fruit (to tolerance) — cantaloupe, honeydew, peas, pineapples, apples, and oranges; fresh organic wild blueberries and other berries, and no bananas (bananas are very constipating and should only be eaten very rarely).
#3) Continue Eating (ok to continue eating)…
- Meat (Jane’s diet already included eating meat, and she did not need to change this for the purposes of our experiment).
- With “limited” alcohol consumption (not something I would encourage in general, but as Jane told me she “has a glass of wine every now and then”):
- No vintage wines (only newer California wines)
- No European wines
- Don’t drink out of crystal (and don’t eat off of vintage china!) — small Ball jars make great wine glasses (and you can get clear glass undecorated plates at The Dollar Store for $1.25 each)!
#4) Other things I suggested that Jane focus on during this time
- No epsom salts baths — preferably shower during the period of our experiment (instead of taking baths). See comment below (in “comments section”) for more detail on this — this is also the subject of an upcoming article.
- Get your home evaluated for potential exposure sources in the meantime, as well (more on that here — link.)
- Focus on chewing! Chewing food thoroughly is super-important to aid in digestion and absorption of nutrients. Don’t give a baby foods they cannot chew.
- Limit or remove rice from your diet (it is generally very high in Arsenic — including Organically-grown rice).
- If possible, stop eating any and all seafood during this period of this little experiment.
The results (so far — about a month after our initial zoom consult)
About 10 days into our experiment, Jane texted me this:
Mom:
- February 16, 2023: Jane initially reported that her Blood Lead Level (BLL) before starting this “experiment” was 1.7 micrograms per deciliter.
- February 24, 2023: We had our Zoom consult & new diet was started.
- March 17, 2023: Jane got a BLL re-test after 21 days on new diet.
- March 18, 2023: Jane reported to me that the test result done three weeks after shifting her diet came in. Her BLL was down to 1.1.
Baby:
- February 16, 2023: Jane initially reported that her 9 month old baby’s BLL was at 3.0 micrograms per deciliter.
- February 24, 2023: New diet started
- March 5, 2023: 9 days after new diet started, mom sent me text (image above).
- March 21, 2023: Nearly exactly one month after shifting their diet, Jane reported to me that her baby’s BLL was down by 50% (to a BLL of 1.5.).
While of course this whole scenario is anecdotal (and not a true scientific experiment with appropriate controls in place), the drops in both the mother’s and baby’s Blood Lead Level numbers in this scenario are clear indicators that our hypothesis that the exposure (for both Jane and her child) was coming from her diet was a reasonable hypothesis.
In Conclusion:
This is NOT the first time I have worked with a family with this sort of “mysterious” exposure — where their diet ended up being the most likely significant source of exposure. In fact, in recent years I have worked with quite a few families whose children were likely poisoned from an increase in Cassava-based product consumption (which is why I am currently working on a separate article just on the subject of the potential for Lead-poisoning from a Cassava-rich diet!).
As I understand it — there is actually a new trend for natural health practitioners to “prescribe” or at least “highly-recommend” a Cassava-rich (or generally root-vegetable based) diet, and we really ought to do everything we can to put a stop to this disturbing trend. (Separately, I have also worked with several families where the likely source of Lead-exposure for their child was a yam-/ sweet potato-based diet.)
While I would not recommend a dramatic change in diet for everyone in a situation like this, I do recommend that anyone with this type of diet (Cassava-based? Root vegetable-based?) consider immediately asking their doctor for a Blood Lead Test (more on that here — link) and then, depending on the results of that testing, consider talking to their doctor (or nutritionist) about adjusting their diet accordingly (and also consider getting a new healthcare provider if your healthcare provider is the one who recommended that you be on this high-Lead diet)! I also fundamentally believe that any diet that focuses on the consumption of a few specific foods is not likely a healthy diet. As human beings, with our diets we need to ALWAYS focus on variety — especially including as wide a variety as possible of fresh, whole (above-ground) vegetables and fruits (organic, and consumed raw or lightly-steamed, whenever possible too, of course).
~ End ~
This is a very informative and fascinating article! Thanks so much for informing us of these high lead foods. I was aware of chocolate and also of rice being high in arsenic, but not the rest. A few questions: why is carrot ok since it is also a root vegetable? Also, what about epsom salts? I assume that since you said to stop epsom salt baths there must be lead in epsom salt, which makes sense given your previous article on salt, but can you say more about epsom salts (can one absorb lead through the skin? Would you say epsom salts are not recommended at all for anyone, or is it just in a case like above?) Did you cover all high lead foods in this article, or are there more that were not in this client’s diet? If there are more, could you provide a list please? Thanks again!
Can you also please explain why all flours needed to be eliminated? Are all grains, pseudograins(quinoa, buckwheat), nut flours and coconut flour high in lead as well? Thank you!
The processing of flours (in an industrial setting) can add significant amounts of Lead to the end product. I have worked with several families whose primary source of exposure was from a flour product (due to processing.) This article is about a Lead-elimination diet to bring down known (positively confirmed with laboratory testing) Lead levels for a family. If you have not tested positive for Lead (and are not exploring ways to reduce your lead exposure because you might have significant exposure from your diet) you don’t need to avoid flours.
Children who have been exposed to Lead in their lifetime also often have difficulty digesting most flour products (regardless of the food used to make the flour) – so that is a secondary concern. When we chew things we are signaling our body’s digestive system to start working – if we eat things that do not require a lot of chewing, we are not always setting the “on switch” for our digestive system. The “on switch” that signals the digestive system to start working is often interrupted (non-functional) in kids with a history of Lead-exposure, so it is best to focus on foods that require more chewing than (for example) flour-based products.
Tamara
Would this be a reason chewing gum might be helpful for my teen and his digestion?
Is stoneground flour likely to be lead contaminated, too?
It can be. It’s always good to get a COA for any processed product that you ingest regularly. But first consider getting a BLL test to find out if you test positive for Lead (ask your doctor) OR get a heavy metals panel done (urine or hair – depending on what is allowed in your area.) Links for information on all of those types of testing are in the comment thread here and in the article.
Oh my goodness I just bought some cassava chips (siete brand) and gave my kid maybe 10?
I bought because I was trying to get chips without sunflower oil!
What should I do, besides avoiding anymore cassava?
Azure Standard is an organic farm and family business. They have a rare and unique machine to process their flour. It shatters the grain, rather than grinding it. This preserves the germ of the grain. Since flours are getting lead from the processing, I wonder if this method would eliminate that problem. I find their flours to be superior with a better rise than other flours. Something you may want to look into.
https://www.azurestandard.com/azure-life/blog/3-reasons-azure-market-unifine-flour-deserves-a-spot-in-your-pantry-and-favorites-list/vl624em4bV0VO7yS
https://www.azurestandard.com/azure-life/blog/nutrient-rich-unifine-flour-begins-at-azure-mill/0371uuRtTATBnhz3
Carrots are more dense (and therefore – based on independent research I have read – seem to be less absorptive of environmental Lead) than many other root vegetables and can be eaten if well washed and peeled.
Epsom salt baths tend to increase the potential for skin-absorabable toxicants from the bath tub (most bath tub enamels contain either high levels of Lead or high levels of Antimony – or both). Avoiding epsom salt baths during a period where we are trying to limit all potential other sources of exposure is important – even though the science in that area is unsettled (controversial at best.) I have worked with several families whose children were likely poisoned from their baths – but there have not been enough studies done of this concern – especially ones taking into account long warm baths (45 minutes to an hour), multiple times a week (often recommend by docs as 4 to 5 times a week) with both epsom salts and a toxic enameled bath tub.
The conversation in this article only covers the specifics of this particular family’s diet.
If you click the FOOD button in the website menu (linked at the top of every page of the site) – I have several other articles on the subject that are more comprehensive and contain links to relevant scientific studies and government summaries (U.S., Canada and E.U.)
T
Thanks so much for your replies Tamara! Everything makes so much sense – flours getting lead from the processing (makes me think of the lead part in the kitchenaid mixer), lead from an enameled bathtub etc. Does this mean that an epsom salt bath in à plastic tub wouldn’t be a source of lead?
Correct – a plastic or acrylic tub is not likely to be a source of exposure for metallic toxicants (Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Antimony or Cadmium).
T
Thank you! So many hidden sources of lead we don’t normally think of!
How do you test the bath tub for lead? As renters we don’t know the original material
do you have similar concerns with plastic toxins? Formaldehyde, phthalates, etc? Lead is a major concern of mine but second is plastic. I look for products on your site that are “safer” for our child and our family, but I avoid most of your plastic options for this reason. Curious your thoughts on this.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23979675/
I found this article trying to find additional support that roots like yams/sweet potatoes were high in lead. I personally follow the Gundry diet where sweet potato and cassava are the top replacement foods for wheat. Now I’m stuck. I’ve been on the diet for 5 years. I’m going to get my lead levels tested.
Sweet potatoes are a staple in the diet of some people and an excellent source of minerals. Metal monitoring in food, like sweet potatoes, provides basic information on safety aspects in regulatory processes as well as nutritional values. One hundred five samples of three varieties of sweet potatoes were randomly obtained from supermarkets, farmers markets, and farmers’ plots in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). The edible portion (pulp) was the only part considered for analysis. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used to determine the contents of sodium (Na), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn), while the levels of chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) were determined using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean concentrations were 500 Na, 4409 K, 564 Ca, 609 Mg, 1.291 Cu, 6.554 Fe, 2.324 Mn, 2.348 Zn, 0.028 Cr, 0.048 Ni, 0.001 Cd, and 0.003 Pb mg/kg, respectively. Potassium presented the highest contents in all varieties of sweet potatoes. Iron was the most abundant microelement. The orange fleshed sweet potato variety offered greater nutritional contributions to the recommended intakes than the rest of the varieties studied. The estimated mean daily intake of Ni (0.72 mg/day) detected in our samples was highly consistent with other studies. Average daily intakes of Cd (0.015 μg/day) and Pb (0.045 μg/day) were below toxicological reference values. In conclusion, the levels of Cd and Pb detected in the sweet potatoes analyzed do not represent any toxicological risk to consumers.
Unfortunately many people do not understand that they need to remove the skins / wash thoroughly / not cook in the skins.
T
Thanks, Tamara (and Donald Nelson)! And I thought we were supposed to eat our sweet potato peels for the added nutrition and fiber. And that even conventionally grown are “safe” since EWG has included them in the Clean 15 list for several years running! I have reason to be highly concerned about heavy metals in Stokes conventional purple sweet potatoes (organic are unavailable in my stores), but cannot find an analysis. The flesh tastes super sweet on front end, but then leaves an “off” taste in my mouth. Took a weensy test bite from the potato peel after baking in convection oven. Tasted HIGHLY metallic (I’m chemically sensitive and believe this would be poison to me). Have requested heavy metals results from Freida’s, but will not be purchasing again!
So true! I grew up eating baked potatoes and sometimes we would make ‘potato skins’ out of the leftovers. Not to mention potato skins are a popular appetizer in many restaurants/pubs. I’m sure this study has some value but it’s a good example of how there can be a huge difference between lab conditions and real world conditions.
Along those lines; The above story you about ‘Jane” and her baby is another reminder that we must all do our own research and advocate for our health. While I’m sure her nutritionist had good intentions we must remember health care professionals are people too. I don’t say this to absolve them or anyone giving inappropriate recommendations, but rather to point out they can and DO make mistakes, be it from lack of training, not personally considering some things a risk, or not keeping up to date on current science.
Luckily this mama had the courage to stand up for her and her baby’s health and got a second opinion (great work Tamara!). It can often feel like health care workers are ‘higher up’ than us but we should try and remember that at the end of the day we are all just people. Not to mention it’s ours (and our family’s) health at stake, not theirs.
Hello, Tamara,
Thank you for the article. It has been very difficult two years for me, I was diagnosed with a couple of health conditions, one of them is Hashimoto’s, so I have been on autoimmune protocol diet since 11/2023, no gluten, dairy, soy, corn, sugar, grain, nuts… As a result, cassava flour, root vegetable, vegetable and meat are my go-to. I got my blood lead test done in 2/2024, it was 1.2, arsenic was 18, Mercury was less than 4, at this point I don’t even know what to eat anymore! I have a few questions for you:
1. I was using the Corelle plates (with print on them) which was from prior to 2005, I got rid of all of them, do you think that was the cause?
2. Are all root vegetables high in lead even after peeling and washing?
3. Are all green leafy vegetables high in lead?
4. I am not even eating any grain, what else can cause arsenic to elevate?
5. I am planning on using zeolite to detox, do you think that will help?
Thank you
Sharon
Hi Sharon,
Just a few tips from someone with similar concerns as you (also have Hashimoto’s, also followed a gluten-free diet and ate to many root vegetables etc.) A few thoughts for you:
I recommend coconut flour, very healthy and as far as I know no major contamination issues etc. Looks like it’s not an issue for you, but just so you know in case you change your diet, one of the issues I ran into eating gluten-free was accidentally ending up on a high-0xalate diet (buckwheat, almond flour, spinach, beets, sweet potatoes are all high oxalate and can cause health issues). So if you relax on the grain-free and nut-free at some point, be aware of that.
Tamara recommends garlic for detoxing. See her articles on this site about it, seems like a great, easy option. Good luck! It is so tricky, hang in there!
Hi, Liz,
Thank you for your replied. The journey sure is very hard to say the least, so many root causes to look into and so many dietary changes, but getting the message from you help me feeling not so alone.
Yes, I have been trying to use coconut flour, glad that works for us. I have a hard time keeping on the wight, I loss 15lb after going on the diet. What kind of nut and grain is safe to eat? Do you mind share the food you eat on a regular basis?
Thanks
Thank you as always for the work you do!! So glad I read this today. I have eliminated my toxic dark chocolate and eat the other foods you listed in moderation, but will definitely be more mindful with the listed ingredients!!
Excellent- that’s a good outcome from an article! If you have concerns based on your diet and have not had a recent blood Lead test – it’s always good to get one (even if just as a baseline!) Here’s the link with more information on that:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/blood-lead-testing-please-get-everyone-in-the-family-tested-since-you-have-been-living-in-a-house-with-high-lead-paint/
And for others reading this, here’s a link about Urine and Hair testing:
https://tamararubin.com/2020/05/i-heard-that-urine-and-hair-tests-for-heavy-metals-including-lead-were-not-real-or-useful-test-results-why-is-this/
Tamara
So interesting. My 15 month old had a lead level of 1.8 with a heal prick screening at 12 months. I was shocked because I feel like I consider heavy metals in all aspects of our lives and consider myself pretty savvy in this department. He was eating lots of sweet potato and weekly casava puffs. I have since changed his diet and am curious was his blood level will be. We are planning on talking to his doctor about ordering it at his 15 month appointment.
There you go – it could just be from the Cassava puffs and sweet potatoes – especially if you live in a newer-construction (post-1978) home.
I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.
If possible, make sure to take him off of those entirely for a couple of weeks before going to do your next BLL test.
Please read this too: https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/blood-lead-testing-please-get-everyone-in-the-family-tested-since-you-have-been-living-in-a-house-with-high-lead-paint/
And if you have not yet watched my film you might find it helpful (it shares a lot of the science behind the concern):
https://tamararubin.com/2023/01/a-link-to-my-film/
T
Would home grown root vegetables have as much lead as conventionally grown? My 4 year old loves beets and sweet potatoes
Hi Callie, may I ask the brand of casava puffs? My baby has been eating casava based puffs as well by serenity. I started scrambling when I read this post by Tamara, went back to their website again and they have a certification for clean label project for their puffs. Now I don’t know whether to continue using or to discard. Tamara, any advice?
What does the clean label certificate state? Does it say exactly how much Lead? Does it say what the low threshold of detection is? Do they test every production batch? Do they test both their base ingredients and then also their finished product?
T
My son was eating Serenity Kids as well. I am going to contact them to find out about the Clean Label Certification and will report back.
I am a breastfeeding mama and we eat a lot of potatoes because we don’t eat much other grains (except sourdough on occasion). My gut has told me to start buying the smaller root vegetables like beets and sweet potatoes because they wouldn’t have had as much time to absorb lead. I don’t know it that’s true or not. Reading this, though, I’m thinking we need to cut back on our potato consumption! We don’t eat most of the other things of concern, except bone broth on occasion with bones from a local farm.
If you have not yet had a BLL test for yourself or your children, it is a good thing to get done (if only to have a baseline). Read this link before you call your doctor:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/blood-lead-testing-please-get-everyone-in-the-family-tested-since-you-have-been-living-in-a-house-with-high-lead-paint/
Also here’s a separate link with information about Urine Testing and Hair Testing:
https://tamararubin.com/2020/05/i-heard-that-urine-and-hair-tests-for-heavy-metals-including-lead-were-not-real-or-useful-test-results-why-is-this/
This is so sad a frustrating got that family and even more frustrating that medical doctors are not informed on the dangers of lead and where exposure can come from!!
Yes. Everyone keeps asking me to offer an online class of some kind. As of today I basically decided that to put together a class for doctors working in this field (heavy metal detection and elimination) might be the most effective place to start.
Tamara
Are toxicities found in tubs often in older tubs only? If the toxins can be found in all models/years of tubs, what is an alternative? A foot bath? If so what type of container would be considered safe? Also, do these toxins effect you if taking a regular bath as well, or only with the Epson salt? I love Epson salt baths, and up until now, always thought they were very beneficial.
Lastly, you mentioned dried fruit. We eat quite a bit of organic dried mango, blueberries and cranberries. Are these known to be high in lead too? My youngest is three and loves it all. Should I get my kids tested?
Thank you for all that you do!
Enamel tubs of any age can have high levels of either Lead or Antimony or both. Heavy metals are toxicants (not toxins). Toxin is a word in scientific literature usually reserved for referencing biological / living poisons – like E-coli or similar. A fiberglass tub is your best bet unless you can confirm (with independent testing) that the surface of an enamel tub is both Antimony-free and Lead-free. In anecdotal examples (not yet well studied in science) there is some indication that long hot baths with Epsom salts (45 minutes to an hour, 3 or more times a week) can possibly precipitate conditions where if there are toxicants in the tub enamel (specifically Lead and Antimony) skin absorption of those toxicants may be possible.
Store-bought dried fruit can be very high in Lead. I would recommend that you ask your doctor for a BLL test – if only to get a baseline for your family (and rule out potential exposure.) Dried mango can be especially high in Lead.
This article discusses Blood Lead Testing:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/blood-lead-testing-please-get-everyone-in-the-family-tested-since-you-have-been-living-in-a-house-with-high-lead-paint/
This article discusses Hair Testing and Urine Testing:
https://tamararubin.com/2020/05/i-heard-that-urine-and-hair-tests-for-heavy-metals-including-lead-were-not-real-or-useful-test-results-why-is-this/
If you have not yet watched my film, I would encourage you to do so. Here’s the link:
https://tamararubin.com/2023/01/a-link-to-my-film/
Tamara
Why no bananas?
Constipation primarily – which is an ongoing issue for lead-exposed kiddos (regardless of what other foods are in their diets.)
Tamara
I had no idea! How long does it take for lead levels to go up eating root vegetables if they’re ate often? My toddler has been eating sweet potatoes several times a week for months.
I would get a blood Lead level test for your child this week. Call in advance to find out the low threshold of detection of the Lab. You want to make sure to get the most accurate test possible – a venous draw (not a finger stick.) You can read more about that here.
Tamara
me and my 15 month old are vegan and gluten free and If I eliminate these foods I’ll be ridiculously undernourished. Very stressful! Also I’ve had our levels checked but the lowest BLL threashold here in australia is “under 2.1”
Look into getting your baby tested at a lab that has a lower threshold of detection (your local children’s hospital is a good place to call first). Read this article (& don’t make changes without discussing this with your doctor):
https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/blood-lead-testing-please-get-everyone-in-the-family-tested-since-you-have-been-living-in-a-house-with-high-lead-paint/
Basing any changes in science is important. Get your baby tested. If they test positive, consider making changes. If they are negative – then maybe you are doing enough as it relates to this particular set of concerns.
T
Best article I have read. Very concerning for myself as well. Many of the No foods I consume on a daily basis. My stool levels for mercury, antimony and thallium are in the high cautionary level with mercury the worst. Trying to figure out what is causing it. I stopped fish immediately. Only consume it once per week. Now I’m suspicious of supplements like Lutein my eye doctor recommended for Drusin . Any suggestions? I read you almost daily. I don’t know what Antimony or Thallium even is. Thanks
Thank you. Hmmm – preliminary thoughts… fish once-a-week is likely enough to keep Mercury levels elevated (depending on the fish you eat.) Fish should be once-a-month or less frequently if you are battling Mercury concerns.
T
Thanks for your quick response. You mentioned antimony previously. Is that similar to lead? I shower no tub in fiberglass type base. Maybe I should get a lead blood level done. It was very low in the stool. Thanks
Antimony is very similar to Lead and is used in many products in the place of Lead (in products that are sold as Lead-free.) It was added to the list of known carcinogens / carcinogens of concern in December of 2021. It is found in Lead-free crystal, Lead-free pewter, Lead-free flame retardant chemical cocktails. It is not normally found in a fiberglass shower – so that is not a concern in this case.
Tamara
Ugh, I just got so anxious. I just started sunflower butter that myself and my breastfed baby have been enjoying. We also take lots of Epsom salt baths. Luckily, my tub is brand new but I use bentonite clay a lot as well I could cry. I will be getting a test asap
I would recommend limiting your fish intake even more due to PFAS as well. And never eating fresh-water fish (levels are extremely high in smaller bodies of water). PFAS is a man-made toxic chemical.
My comment isn’t lead-related but more of a concern about putting cow milk back into a diet. No one should be consuming cow milk except for baby cows. Dairy is wreaking havoc on human health.
We should not be consuming breast milk from another species. After toddlerhood, we should all be weened. Lactose intolerance is a normal process with weening. Most of the world is lactose-intolerant. A genetic mutation makes it possible for those inheriting that mutation able to tolerate milk (I say tolerate loosely, because milk and cheese are still bad for the human body).
—Okay, I’m off my soapbox and will resume to panicking over my beloved sweet potatoes and researching that. (I just wish cow milk would be removed not just for health sake but also for the cows and their calves’ sake. The dairy industry is a brutal, brutal cruel and unethical industry.)
Agree – but this was a matter of making sure mom had options for calories during her transition / solely for the purpose of this experiment.
T
Thank you!
My family and I have been drinking 100% grade A2/A2 raw cow’s milk mixed with homemade Kefir. It has been very beneficial to our health. The study shows that most people do not have any issues with lactose when they drink 100 % A2/A2 raw cow’s milk. We can not imagine to go back to pasteurized, ultra pasteurized, or homogenized milk of any kinds again because those milk taste like dead milk to us now.
Dairy has gotten a bad wrap because the industry isn’t the best and the milk is raised and processed yucky. Also most milk is A1 bets casein which concerts to BCM7 which wreaks inflammatory havoc on people’s bodies (increased phlegm, allergic reactions, and even worse tied to health issues). A2a2 milk is not the one used by studies nothing dairy is poor for us. Itnis a powerhouse nutrient especially if raw and very clean. Whole milk. “Allergic” to dairy right into my twenties until I realize I could handle goat milk, sheep milk, and buffalo milk. Couldnt do even a tbsp of cow milk, cream top, gentle temp pasteurized, organic, kefir. Never tested allergic to dairy in 8 forms but cow milk, no no. Found a2 milk from Alexandre Farms, wow, I can even have cream. Bought our own a2a2 jersey milk cow. No problem.
I think plant based milk is highly unnatural. People rarely would have the opportunity in times past to eat cups of nuts in one sitting, and no opportunity to make it into milks. Serving sizes are usually stated like 8 almonds. You put cups of almonds in a blender with water and nut milk bag it or eat the sediment. It is super high in anti nutrients, enzyme inhibitors, note phytic acid, and should really only be eaten soaked and sprouted and re dehydrated. Oats….same thing. Plant based milks are filled with fillers.
In my opinion the milk proteins are a bigger problem than the lactose. I bet a lot of people who think they are lactose-intolerant are actually allergic to the milk proteins, specifically the casein. I react to lactose-free milk and fresh goat’s milk as well as the A2/A2 milk; I think I’ll skip the camel’s milk too.
What about raw milk? It’s supposed to be so healing! And it’s delicious, u like store-bought. Do you also consider raw milk unhealthy for humans? What about all the Weston Price people?
This is a specific recounting of a conversation I had with a specific family. In general I do not recommend cow milk (although I personally have a weakness for French cheeses!)
T
Hi Tamara! Thank you so much for all your information! Truly life changing!
I eat only raw sheep cheese , no other dairy , would that be ok ? Thank you again
As a nutritional consultant, I can tell you that you are ill informed on dairy from cows. Raw organic milk from small farms is quite healthy, especially from jersey cows. That doesn’t mean it is good for everyone and there is not a single food that everyone can eat. We are all different. The brutal treatment of the animals is mostly in the large industrial CAFO’s.
Such an insightful article, thank you! Would these recommendation also apply in Europe? And why european wines should be avoided?
Yes. European wines don’t have the strict regulations across the board that California wines have (as I understand it!)
Tamara
Is it true that if person has good iron level in their blood then lead will not take hold and remain in body. It’s like hemoglobin and iron compete for same location in body.
Do I have to worry about lead when purchasing stainless steel kitchen items? Like electric tea kettle, almond milk machine called Miomat, or baking utensils. No paint. Just stainless steel. Is that on? Thankyou.
A while ago i read an article that claimed peeling root vegetables reduced the amount of heavy metals/lead. Is this true?
I think it is true to some degree, but I think there is too much room for error if you need to aggressively locate and remove a source of Lead from a person’s diet. If you don’t test positive for Lead – go ahead – peel your vegetables 🙂 If you do test positive for lead, stop eating those things until you have eliminated all other sources.
Thank you for sharing this. I have been working hard to detox my body of heavy metals through my diet, following medical medium protocols, and if MM info warns about high lead content in root veggies and such, I must have missed it. Mono eating potatoes is actually recommended. So confusing and hard to know how to eat when I just switched over to cassava pasta, chips, and flour I would love to read an article about your take on the Medical Medium approach to heavy metal detox sometime.
Danielle – given you are eating all of those different cassava based things I would highly encourage you to ask your doctor for a blood lead test (and possibly also a hair or urine test for comparison). If they need a “reason” for insurance purposes – make sure you emphasize that you had a recent change in diet that includes several high Lead foods – and you were just made aware that this could be concerning.
Here’s the link with info about Blood Lead Testing:
https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/blood-lead-testing-please-get-everyone-in-the-family-tested-since-you-have-been-living-in-a-house-with-high-lead-paint/
Here’s the link with info about Hair and Urine Testing:
https://tamararubin.com/2020/05/i-heard-that-urine-and-hair-tests-for-heavy-metals-including-lead-were-not-real-or-useful-test-results-why-is-this/
Tamara
Interesting. Thanks for the info- it’s important to know what we are eating. Many of these foods are also high in oxalates- which is contributing to multiple health problems. Spinach, almonds, raw carrots, potatoes and beets are very high in oxalates. I am wondering how much lead and oxalates intertwine with each other since they’re both poisonous. Check out Toxic Superfoods book and Trying Low Oxalates (TLO) group on Facebook, which is run by researchers and nutritionists. I just found them and wish I would have years ago.
Yes I was thinking about this too when I read this article. Oxalates are a disaster.
Thank you for sharing this – very insightful!
I’m curious about home growing your root vegetables. Does that make a difference since you can control fertilizers or any additives?
Thanks!
I was wondering the same thing. If we were able to test our soil and compost, would any of these foods have less lead in them?
We eat organic food, and we eat spinach almost daily. We also eat brussel sprouts regularly, and those are high in lead. We brought this concern to our doctor, because we know we eat a diet of vegetables that contain higher levels of lead. However, she explained to us that lead from vegetables like this are easier for a healthy body to eliminate and the benefits outweigh the risks. We’ve been eating this diet for years, and we test our child for lead once a year. (We live in an old house with lead paint.) Our daughter always tests very low for lead (below 1 μg/dL).
That being said, maybe it depends on which brands and farms the food comes from? We also eat nuts, dairy, wheat, and a little meat, so our diet is pretty spread out. We’re getting protein from a number of sources. (Although, for the first year or two of my daughter’s life we did not eat dairy or nuts, because it was upsetting the baby’s tummy, so that diet was a little more similar to the one mentioned in this article. This particular diet is pretty restrictive.)
Everyone definitely needs to be careful with supplements and herbs, since they are essentially concentrated to a point that is not found in nature. (This is just my non-medical-professional opinion.) Our family takes vitamins, supplements, and drinks protein shakes in moderation (and I assume many of the subscribers here do the same), but we use Consumer Lab to pick and choose which ones. It’s important to continuously monitor supplements, and Consumer Lab updates results every now and then. As a result, there have been times that we actually changed vitamins and supplements based on Consumer Lab data. A brand that was safe a year ago can become contaminated, but there also seem to be some brands that are better at monitoring heavy metals than others. We tossed a lot of Garden of Life protein shakes out, because at the time Consumer Lab had them testing as high in heavy metals. The good thing is that companies seem to react to the data Consumer Labs finds (much like Tamara’s website). Both are doing a great job at advocating for human health, and our family is grateful.
I would just like to add. (and this is just my opinion) I feel like heavy metal problems and nutrition problems in general would seem to be more difficult to avoid if you eat the same exact foods every day. We do eat spinach almost every day, but it’s generally small amounts…like a side of a certain meal or maybe just mixed in with some eggs or something similar. It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and eat the same things over and over, and I’m not a doctor…but it seems like this could lead to nutrition problems. I feel like it’s more difficult to diversify your diet when it’s restricted, so I can definitely understand how this can be difficult. If you eat the same thing every day (like spinach salad for lunch), then it seems like this might be too much of a good thing. For instance, we eat a lot of beans in our house as well. We have beans once a week, but we have around 5 or 6 types of beans we keep on a rotation. When we changed our diet and began trying to eat healthy, this was a concern of ours. It just seemed really difficult not to eat the same over and over, so I find that we have to go out of our way to try to diversify our meals as much as we can. I’m not saying this is the answer, and I’m not sure if there’s research in this area. It was just something that made sense to us, and it has seemed to work. Our daughter’s lead blood levels are low, and every now and then I see another study showing that a food we eat has high levels of lead. I get worried, but the next blood test comes back okay. I realize it’s difficult to eat a diverse diet when the diet is restricted, so I know this is more difficult for others out there. It’s hard in general.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments!
Hi, I have been consuming lots of sweet potatoes and spinach as I have been plant based and gluten free. I am going to get all of us tested but could you elaborate more on the spinach? Should we stop eating spinach if lead is a concern? What about baby kale? Are all other greens safe?
Also, what do you recommend we eat for dinner? I’m planning on adding meat back into our diet because we were getting a lot of our dinner calories from sweet potatoes and white potatoes, without those we’ll have to eat meat because I am not able to tolerate much grains. What in your mind is an ideal dinner framework? (No fish? No root veggies? So like chicken/beef + steamed low carb veggies with some sort of clean, homemade sauce?)
I think you should start by approaching this from a scientific perspective. Get blood lead tests for folks in your family if you have not had those yet (or heavy metals panels) and use that science based info to make informed decisions. For dinner we normally have something with vegetables – steamed asparagus or broccoli, vegetable soup, lentil soup, miso soup, steamed organic soy beans with salt, raw veggies (well cleaned carrots / broccoli/ cauliflower), Avocado toast (with avocado mixed with garlic and lemon – on organic bread.) When my kids want to eat something flour based I make sure they eat a vegetable or a raw fruit both before and after. They love apples, pears, cucumbers, whole carrots, and all of the other things noted above. My husband makes homemade porridge in the mornings (whole oats with nuts and seeds and fruit cooked in.) We try to keep it mixed up!
Thank you, that is so helpful. Yes, I am 100% going to get our levels tested. When you say “something” with the vegetables, would that be a whole grain? Do you ever eat the rice pasta? I don’t think those are soaked right? I feel like there’s an issue with almost everything I come up with to pair with the veggies!
Would be good to note that oats need to be soaked with an acid overnight to reduce phytic acid. https://realfoodrealfitness.com/stop-your-eating-your-oatmeal-all-wrong/
“Oats and many other grains contain “anti-nutrients” otherwise known as phytic acid. Phytic Acid is a mineral blocker found in the bran. It grabs onto and depletes important nutrients in the body such as calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc.
It also inhibits enzymes that we need to digest our food including pepsin needed for the breakdown of proteins in the stomach, and amylase needed for the breakdown of starch into sugar. Phytic acid or phytates also inhibit trypsin, needed for protein digestion in the small intestine.
A diet rich in oats (eating them everyday) and other grains high in phytic acid has a powerful anti-nutritional effect on the body depleting it of essential vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. This can result in chronic tooth decay, nutrient deficiencies, and digestive problems.”
Oats Have glyphosate on them, but there are some oat producers who say they have their oats checked and they are glyphosate free.
Oh my goodness, I’ve been eating rice for the last 6 months almost every day. I started eating it when I was in the hospital for 6 weeks. I’ve been having a lot of stomach problems lately and I wonder if that’s the reason why. I thought it was a healthy food. Thank you for this article. I’m kinda worried about myself.
So what can I eat? I’m gluten and usually dairy free… Rice and potato products are a go to…I mean I need to eat something! I don’t eat as much chocolate as I used to and I should stop Cassava after this article. What does your family eat, Tamera?
Well – first and foremost (as discussed in the article) this was advice for a specific person in specific circumstances. If your blood lead level is high or if you test positive for arsenic you may need to consider making changes – but the place to start would be with getting a blood lead test or hair or urine test for metals.
If you click the (food) button / keyword at the top of this article or if you go to the website menu (button at the top of this article) and scroll down to the bottom of the menu you will find the food button – which discusses what my family eats (in detail.) We NEVER eat any cassava products.
Tamara this article is eye opening and alarming! I consume these food regularly. I have a question about bone broth. Is bison bone broth safe? It generally does not contain anything other than bison bones and water…no vegetables.
Thank you for all your hard work!
I think with bone broth you need to talk to your farmer and see if there is any Lead-testing that is done (by batch on the end product or on the animals themselves.) Alternately – getting a BLL test for yourself as a first step would be excellent – but make sure to ask all of the questions referenced in my blood Lead testing article linked above (to ensure you get the most accurate BLL test possible / available in your area.)
T
It would be the same, lead is stored in bones. So it all depends on the amount of lead that each animal is exposed to.
Thank you so much for sharing this article. You are so lovely for spreading the news. I’m grateful to be following you (and your kiddos). I’ll continue to do my part in supporting your amazing work!
Thank you.
What about sunflower lecithin? I bought both a bottle of the liquid form and the granules, and I have been trying to take 1 teaspoon per day of sunflower lecithin because I want a source of choline in my diet since I don’t eat chicken eggs. I used to take epsom salt baths occasionally, but now I think I’ll stick with just the magnesium oil body sprays, and magnesium pills. Maybe I’ll just soak my feet in the small amount of epsom salt I have left, in a large Winter Frost bowl by Corelle.
Do you know of a way to test our home garden soil? If our soil is safe I would like to raise more of these foods ourselves. Thank you for alerting us to these problems!
Here is an informative article titled, “Safe Urban Harvests: Soil Testing Guide” from Johns Hopkins Center for Livable Future. See especially the final page which lists soil testing agencies (mostly state ag schools and city agencies) and names their specifics tests: https://clf.jhsph.edu/sites/default/files/2019-03/suh-soil-testing-guide-2019.pdf
Here is an informative article titled, “Safe Urban Harvests: Soil Testing Guide” from Johns Hopkins Center for Livable Future. See especially the final page which lists soil testing agencies (mostly state ag schools and city agencies) and names their specifics tests: https://clf.jhsph.edu/sites/default/files/2019-03/suh-soil-testing-guide-2019.pdf
Thanks for all this information! I just finished reading Sally Nortons best selling book “ Toxic Superfoods” which I highly recommend. Oxalates can cause many health problems also
Thank you for sharing your recommendation! Learned to avoid high oxalate foods over a decade ago after triggering a cascade of symptoms that docs treated with Rx. Delighted to see folks connecting the dots. Norton has the creds-looking forward to having a new and reliable title on this topic.
Thank you for the excellent reporting! I have been using Pectasol (modified citrus pectin) for over a year as recommended by an integrative oncologist (at highest dose), a naturopath and one more cancer clinic practitioner and have wondered why I kept muscle testing negatively to it. Jumped to two more of your articles and found several more topics of concern to me to further research. Will be sharing your article with several of my practitioners.
Hello Tamara.Good work mama.
Your article is very informative given that I am from a country where cassava,sweet potatoes and several root vegetables on your list are widely grown and people perceive them as being “healthy” .I eliminated spinach from my family diet and now will do less of potatoes and also get my family tested.
Keep up the good work
Thank you for commenting!
T
Are you saying you find concern taking the pectasol? If so, what other articles were you referring to? I thought pectasol was a binder and might help remove things like lead. I just started taking pectasol, that is why I’m asking. Thank you.
Modified citrus pectin can have unsafe levels of lead.
T
I find this very interesting/concerning. Pectasol and modified citrus pectin are touted as chelators of lead ( I realize that means they take up lead and therefore could have taken it up before we ingest them, thereby bringing lead into our body). I was considering taking it for other reasons and am glad to have read your comment before starting supplementation with it. I think there are at least a few of us here that would love to know more. If you have any more information on this topic, I would really love to read more. I searched online and only found information on it as a chelator and its use to lower lead blood levels, which it seems to have done in multiple studies. I’m guessing you’ve seen evidence of some products that actually had lead in them. If possible, could you please share more on what brand(s) have lead and if it’s possible to find safe modified citrus pectin or whether you would avoid it altogether. Thank you!
Unbelievable. It’s like getting a cat to catch the mouse and it also brings the mouse inside the home as a ‘gift’.
I presume that it contains trace heavy metals (like numerous other binders including zeolite, seaweeds) but that the product binds those same metals.
Econugenics has a statement listed under Prop 65 “…One of the protections in Proposition 65 concerns trace amounts of lead, a naturally occurring element that can commonly be found in soil, plants, and water. Every plant contains, and likely always has contained, trace amounts of lead. The State of California requires a warning for any product sold in California that would result in a consumer ingesting more than 0.5 micrograms of lead in a day. This is an exceedingly low level that is, by law, 1,000 times lower than the level of exposure that has been shown to have no observable effect on humans or animals. Therefore, the law sets an extremely stringent warning threshold.
No lead is introduced into ecoNugenics products during processing or production and we confirm that the lead present in our products is naturally occurring. Furthermore, the compounds of lead found in plant and botanical derived products are less likely than free lead to bind with molecules in our body, and are thus passed through the body quickly.”
Company has 75 clinical and pre-clinical studies to support claim that “PectaSol modified citrus pectin is proven to detox the body from toxic metals like mercury, lead, and arsenic without depleting essential minerals you need to stay healthy.”
fyi-My kinesiologist has muscle-tested my product on at least 3 occasions and after twice advising I was taking too much (though lower than prescribed by my integrative oncologist, M.D.) her most recent finding was “this is the most positively you have ever tested for this.” Previously my practitioner contended my body perceived it as an “allergen.”
Thank you for your detailed reply, it is appreciated! I just started pectasol so haven’t been on it long enough to have an opinion on it’s effectiveness for my situation. My nephew, 1.5yrs old, just tested for lead at 3.5 on the day this article was emailed so I’ve been reading the suggested links and watched the film. That had me looking into pectasol for him as well. Thank you again.
Garlic is the best, most neutral (in terms of controversy), least costly, most effective (as shown by lots of good neutral science) natural chelator (also used by hospitals now in acute cases of Lead poisoning!) Please read this article if you have not yet: https://tamararubin.com/2019/07/click-the-link-to-learn-more-wait-what-is-this-click-bait-what-are-you-selling/
Tamara
BJ….is pectasol bad? My self and children take it all the time. Thank you!
It can be high in Lead.
Lundberg rice from California has been tested and shown to be lowest in Arsenic in the country. Also rice from the Asian grocery stores. Any rice grown in the southeastern US are high in arsenic due to being grown on land formerly used for cotton. They used a lot of arsenic based pesticides/ herbicides on the cotton, and it’s still in the land. Add the water used to grow rice and it’s a perfect storm for contamination. We use the Lundberg short grain brown rice exclusively! Clinical nutritionist here.
So helpful to know! Thank you for sharing!
Lundberg said that the lowest in arsenic of their rice is basmati and jasmine.
You’re welcome!
Can you please recommend bone broth(s) with a safe record regarding heavy metals?
Tamara, can you clarify something? The list of foods your family eats contains sweet potatoes and lettuce. I thought those were to be avoided. Can you clear this up?
Thank you.
June
Are epsom baths a concern if your bathtub is plastic?
Not from a Lead perspective, no – they are not.
T
Thanks for the article. We too needed to be on a very restricted diet and we were recommended sunflower lecithin. Because of the gluten free I was looking at non rice starch alternatives like potatoes and tapioca flour etc. I now am going to get my baseline for me and my 4 month old. I don’t know if my current pediatrician will take me seriously though.
My pediatrician had also recommended ripple milk. But it is a pea protein, which I think peas are on a caution/ higher lead intake. I need calcium and the only other alternative is to take a supplement, which may seem worse? I would normally drink organic cow milk but I can’t because of baby. I contacted the company and they stated they are in compliance with prop 65, which is at least lower than the FDA. They would not provide me with the COA but noted that they do test regularly for lead. But doesn’t prop 65 allow for “naturally occurring” lead? But I have also read that it is a difficult burden to put on companies. How comfortable would you be with a company that won’t provide the COA but says they are in compliance with prop 65? I’m sensitive to oats / so I try to limit my oat milk consumption.
I think that with any processed food we need to demand transparency.
T
So interestingly the Ripple milk employee stated that they are in compliance with prop 65. But on Walmart’s website it has the prop 65 warning. For a company that targets children that are allergic to everything but legumes, It’s very frustrating that they say one thing and do another. Similarly, I did find a supplement that “says it’s in prop 65” and provides a certificate of analysis. But how they got around prop 65 was by taking the supplement dose and quartering it. It has just as much lead as the average calcium supplement possibly more (basically 3-4x the prop 65 limit) when you take it as recommended. So, they were being extremely cheeky on getting around prop 65. Basically saying each pill was under but then suggesting one should take it 4 times a day.. this was life extensions brands. So, cheeky. Basically the consumer has no option for calcium.
Leafy greens and sesame seeds are good forms of calcium. Also raw jersey milk is best if using dairy.
So what level of lead in a baby’s blood (12 months old) should be cause for concern? I know there’s no safe amount of lead for children, but I’m guessing it’s impossible for lead levels in blood to be 0. The CDC doesn’t seem to be concerned as long as lead levels in children 1-5 years old are below 3.5, but I’m curious to hear your opinion.
Hi- such a great article. What kinds of leafy greens are a safer option besides spinach?
Having seen this article I reached out to Otto’s Naturals. Their most recent lead test for both their conventional and organic Cassava flours came back as less than one ppm.
One ppm is EXTREMELY HIGH for food. Food should not test positive for more than one PPB (part per billion.) ONE PPM is 1,000 ppb. So “less than 1 ppm” could still be 950 ppb – a very dangerous amount of lead in food. I would want to see more accurate test results, down to single digit ppb.
More info here: https://tamararubin.com/2021/12/understanding-ppm-vs-ppb-vs-percent-what-does-parts-per-million-mean/
My eye doctor recommends lutein @ 10 mg/day. I was taking supplements but now I have elevated blood-lead level & am searching for all sources. Haven’t yet found a lutein maker who’ll disclose heavy-metals testing. I truly feel caught b/w a rock & a hard place: I need the lutein & a few other supp’s, but need to reduce lead level. Would have to eat a cup of kale daily to reach 10 mg of lutein. Thoughts on lead-safety of kale? (I know spinach can be leaded.) Best source for current metals-testing results on various supplement brands? Thx.
Thank you for this article and for the work that you do.
It seems that I’ve been inadvertently consuming more foods high in lead recently. I will try to get tested soon.
Are cilantro and parsley considered small, dark leafy greens? I include cilantro and arugula in my smoothie every day as part of a heavy metal detox smoothie (barley grass juice powder, spirulina and wild blueberries are the other components), so .
I also eat organic California dates every day. Do you know whether these are high in lead too?