Heavy metals in baby food? What parents should know and do – . Health Blog

If there is one thing you can trust to be sure, it should be baby formula, right?

Well … maybe not.

A report by the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform found that commercial baby food contains dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury.

Which baby food companies are involved?

The report was based on information from only four baby food companies: Nurture, Beech-Nut, Hain, and Gerber. Arsenic, lead, and cadmium were found in baby foods from all companies. Mercury was found in the foods of the only company that tested it (Nurture).

Notably, three other companies (Walmart, Sprout, and Campbell & # 39; s Soup) were asked to provide the same information about their baby food products and did not.

And that's part of the problem: this is only a limited information report. It's hard to know exactly what it means with commercial baby food in general, but it's a report we need to take seriously as all four of these heavy metals can affect the developing brain. And if you cause damage to the brain as it develops, the damage can be permanent.

Do organic baby food contain heavy metals?

It's important to note that organic baby foods aren't necessarily better, not least because many of them contain brown rice. Many rice plants naturally contain arsenic, and brown rice contains more than white rice. In the past few years we have understood the problem of arsenic in rice, and both the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the FDA recommend limiting rice intake for babies.

What steps can parents take to ensure that baby food is safe and healthy?

The FDA is working to better monitor and regulate heavy metals in commercial baby foods. In the meantime, it is almost impossible to know which are perfectly safe and which are not. Babies do not need solid food until they are 6 months old. At this point, it's perfectly fine to give them soft table foods instead of baby foods. You can also prepare your own baby food using steamed or naturally soft foods and a blender. (Storage tip: you can pour a homemade puree into an ice cube tray and freeze it, then take the cubes you need each time.)

The American Academy of Pediatrics has suggestions for families on how they can help reduce their children's exposure to heavy metals in their foods and beverages:

• Give your child a wide variety of different foods (the more natural the colors, the better).
• Vary the grains. As mentioned above, it is best to limit rice and rice products (see Labels – Rice is found in many foods marketed for babies, such as "puffs"). Try barley, oats, and other grains. If you are cooking rice, it is best to boil it in extra water and drain the water. Use white basmati and sushi rice, which is less arsenic.
• Check your water. Old pipes can contain lead, which can get into drinking water.
• Avoid fruit juices. Not only can they increase your risk of tooth decay and obesity, but many commercial juices also contain heavy metals.
• Make healthy fish choices. Fish contains nutrients that are very healthy for the developing brain, but some fish can contain unhealthy amounts of mercury. Stay away from large, predatory, long-lived fish like swordfish, shark, or tuna. It is better to choose fish such as cod, light tuna, salmon or pollock.

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