As parents, all we want is for our babies to grow up to be healthy, happy, and maybe a little less fussy (though that could just be me). We look to feed our baby only the best and try our best to nourish him/her with the help of the products we ate and the information we’ve been taught growing up.
But what if the products we use to nourish our babies isn’t exactly as helpful as we thought? Perhaps even harmful?
Scary Fact: A new study has found out that and tested over 500 baby products, from snacks, cereals and baby formula, to find…
More than 65% of baby products have high levels of arsenic in them?!?
Yup. Yup. Scary fact indeed.
If you read this article, be prepared to finally understand what products you need to switch out in the regime ASAP in order to reduce the amount of Arsenic in the children’s daily lives.
Don’t worry you’re not a bad parent for not knowing this. It just takes a little more learning to give your baby the best possible nutrition.
Put it this way, there is SOOO much to know about being a parent. To learn more about the ins and outs of parenting, be sure to visit this blog here which is a beautiful blog run by Jewels where she shares everything motherhood. A beautiful blog by a beautiful mom!
What Arsenic REALLY Is
It won’t serve you any good to continue reading this article without fully comprehending what the substance in question truly is and it’s origins. Now let me save you the hassle of a Google research (Oh how I love technology) by explaining it using simple wording.
Arsenic is a naturally occurring metalloid, with low levels of the chemical being found in soil, water, and in the atmosphere. It is believed that Albert Magnus was the first to obtain this back in 1250 AD, with its compounds being mined by the early Chinese, Greek, and Egyptian
Got it? Good, let’s move on shall we?
Oh but before we do, here is a fun fact:
Did you know that Arsenic was known as “The King Of Poisons” for many centuries?
Cool right?
Certainly gives you an idea of what will be said in the following paragraph lol…
The Dangers of Arsenic Consumption
Now that we all know what Arsenic generally is, let’s delve deeper into the hidden dangers of this seemingly harmless substance, formerly known as the king of poisons due to its lethal potency.
Over the course of a long period of time, scientists in this field report a strong correlation between exposure to elevated levels of arsenic in tap drinking water with skin, lung and kidney cancer.
It has also been proven to cause mutations in the skin like thickening and pigmentation.
Save your family from the need to shop for more beauty creams than need be!
Now, seeing as it has negative impacts on adults, there is no doubt in mind that it’s not much safer for infants still in the midst of developing a strong immune system.
Babies who consume foods higher in arsenic are reported to be at larger risk to long-term consequences such as a more elevated blood pressure, cancers, compromised kidney function and a lacking growth (physically, emotionally and mentally) compared to his/her peers.
If you’re a little shocked and realize the need to learn a lot more about mommy/daddy advice in order to prevent future mistakes, try checking out FamilyThatMatters. It’s a SUPER useful blog I found that’s down to earth and will also help guide you on this parenting journey (You’re welcome ;)). Totally worth a shout out.
NOW TIME TO LEARN ABOUT ARSENIC AND WHAT IT HAS TO DO WITH YOUR KIDS!
The Ugly Truth Behind Certain Baby Foods
With general knowledge regarding the impact of arsenic on a healthy human being, I think it’s time we parents look into why this can be a worry when it comes to our little darlings at home.
Over the years, there has continued concern over the ingredients infants are made to consume on a monthly if not weekly or daily basis.
Why?
Well, over here in the western world, rice cereal is often one of the first solid foods babies are made to consume when parents try to wean them off of formula or breast milk.
And this is troubling. Why?
The answer to that being the fact that rice contains relatively higher contents of arsenic (especially for a baby) than one might expect.
Even though levels have dropped within the past decade, rice cereals still contain up to 6 TIMES the amount of inorganic arsenic than other grain-based infant cereals.
Oh my goodness! The FDA tested 76 different rice cereals in the market and found that ~50% of that number surpassed the inorganic arsenic limit.
The risk of arsenic poisoning is also tripled when considering the fact that the arsenic intake is three times that for babies since it is all relative to body weight.
Baby Formula
Did you know some of the worst offenders of containing high levels of arsenic are baby formulas. Yes I know, isn’t this just disgraceful?
When I was researching into this whole topic of arsenic in baby products, I was so appalled to learn about this.
Did you know that a study found that 8 out of 10 baby formulas have been tested and found to contain arsenic?
The Origins Of It All
Let’s take it back to the science of nature.
Arsenic is found almost everywhere in nature, so it’s not surprising that there are traces of it in almost every single food we indulge in. However, since this chemical is largely found in soil and water, some crops we enjoy consuming contain a tad more due to higher absorption rates from their surroundings…
This is especially true for rice plants They are pretty darn efficient at drawing this chemical from the litho & hydrosphere.
There is this and also the fact that in the past, rice crops were largely grown with arsenic-based pesticides.
Is it a little easier to establish a connection between the dangers of feeding rice-based cereals to infants and the consequences of Arsenic in the system now?
Honestly, what we do to the planet earth is sad. It’s seriously about time we realize the importance of conservation. I highly recommend checking out NatalieParry.net if you want to do more research on how to create a sustainable world for the future generations to come.
Sigh.
How To Reduce Arsenic Levels
Sooo now what? If I shouldn’t feed my baby rice cereal what can I feed him/her/it? Who do I trust in? What brands can I trust?
WHAT DO I DO NOW ZOE? WHAT. DO. I. DO. NOW. HUH?
Um… I think I got a little bit too into my character…
But never fear! I got your back!
Or anyone else’s for that matter!
BEHOLD! To help, I’ve compiled 4 tips to keep your infant’s/children’s arsenic consumption to a minimum! Including product alternatives!
1. Opt for Different Foods to Transition to Solids
Some fantastic replacements I highly recommend are:
♥ Healthy Times Organic Barley Cereal For Baby (Has all your vitamins, No added sugars, a mild taste)
♥ Love Child Organics Oats & Chia Infant Cereal (Fantastic cereal rich in healthy vitamins, fats, and minerals)
♥ Baby Gourmet Juicy Pear and Garden Greens Baby Food (This is fantastic when you just can’t seem to get your baby to eat their greens and veggies)
♥ Love Child Organics Baby Food Pouch With Quinoa (Not only does this have a surprisingly mild taste for something packing kale, quinoa, and peas, It also has tons of nutrition ;))
2. Get a Reading of Arsenic Levels in Your Drinking Water
This is only necessary if you obtain your liquid from a private water supply or well water. The reading will give you an idea on the next step to take; whether that be getting a good filter or switching the main source of water in your household.
3. Limit the Amount of Rice in Your Diet
Organic or not. Brown or not. Actually, did you know that brown rice has been found to contain more arsenic than that in white.
You really can’t win here. Sigh.
So it’s time to replace your child’s rice snacks and cereals.
Some healthy snack substitutions I recommend are;
♥ Corn/Quinoa cakes (I like the ones from the brand Corn thins. They’re organic, non-GMO & excellently crunchy.)
♥ Plain Popcorn (I like to air pop the popcorn from Orville Redenbacher huge container at Costco. No added ingredients, crunchy and you save more money for more bulk)
♥ Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips
♥ Puffed Corn
♥ Toasted Oats
♥ Snack bars (w/o rice ingredients) (I love Lara bars (these have nuts though) and that’s it fruit bars)
4. Read the Labels
Often you’ll find things like brown rice syrup, rice flour, rice starch or straight up rice in products you wouldn’t suspect otherwise. These are sneaky ingredients, so make sure to develop a healthy habit of reading the ingredient labels!
Now, to finish off this article I don’t want to say too much (in order to avoid making this longer than necessary). Arsenic isn’t something necessarily healthy but do not fret if you and your family enjoy foods high in arsenic on occasion. I assure you If you follow the four tips stated above at least 80% of the time, you should be well on your way to cutting your children’s risks associated with the chemical consumption in half!
Hope this was an informative article! Did you know about this already? Have some tips to add? Please leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!
