A warning about the foods you might be feeding your children: new testing from Consumer Reports has revealed many of them could contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and inorganic arsenic that could lead to behavioral problems, lower IQ’s and other health risks.
CR reveals which foods these harmful metals were found in, and what parents need to do about it.
Just like most parents, Jose Bermeo wants to feed his eleven-month old son Robert, the most nutritious foods.
“We started giving him crackers and most of the time cereal and we believe those are nutritious and it’s easy to feed him,” Bermeo said.
Baby cereals, puffs and crackers are all common foods parents give to kids. New testing reveals however that the common foods often contain high levels of inorganic arsenic, cadmium and lead.
Long-time exposure to these heavy metals increases the risk for serious health problems, including cancer and type two diabetes.
Consumer Reports tested 50 products, including baby cereals, packaged fruit and vegetables, packaged entrees, cookies and other snacks commonly fed to infants and toddlers.
About two-thirds were found to contain inorganic arsenic, lead and cadmium above levels associated with potential health risks. Snack foods and products made with rice fared the worst.
Heavy metals occur naturally in soil and water. So, don’t think buying organic will help. Products labeled organic were also just as likely to contain the heavy metals as conventional ones.
So, what can you do to minimize exposure and protect your children and yourself from dangerous heavy metals?
Just because you’ve been feeding them these types of foods doesn’t mean they’ll necessarily have a specific adverse response.
Reduce the amounts they consume per day or per week. And if you’re really concerned about it, talk to your doctor.
To reduce the amount of heavy metals your children are exposed to, Consumer Reports recommends limiting the amount of infant rice cereal and packaged snacks they eat and encouraging them to consume a broad array of healthful whole foods.