Every now and then, a media outlet shares a heavy metal poisoning or toxicity story and everyone jumps on it. But between those moments of publicity, we often forget about the risk heavy metals put on our health, and fall back into ‘trusting’ the environment, the water, the workplace and schools for being safe and toxicity free.

Heavy metals can build up in our body over time, and cause a cascade of problems that sometimes are overlooked.  These metals can be found in water, paint, food (especially processed), the air we breath, our occupation surroundings, dental amalgams (AKA silver fillings), pan, pipes, pesticides and many other things.

Some examples of heavy metals that harm caused in the body include mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead. Over time a build up of these metals can lead to:

• Vomiting
• Muscle cramps
• Autism, ADD and lowering of IQ
• Parkinson’s disease
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Memory problems
• Lung disease
• Renal dysfunction
• Neurological problems like depression and anxiety
• Cancer

One thing we can all do to expedite the process of removing heavy metals from the body is adding a few different foods to our daily eating plan. Consider these options:

• Pectin rich fruits and vegetables – these helps chelate heavy metals from your bloodstream and move them out of the body through urination.  Good sources include green apples, grapes, carrots and cabbage.
• Sulfur rich goods – such as cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, eggs and Brussels sprouts) assist with removal of lead.
• Garlic and Onions -help mop up many of the hazardous heavy metals.
• Cilantro – very effective at the removal as aluminum and mercury.

Karla Heintz (BSc) Nutrition Educator and Author of

‘Picky! Not Me Mom! A parents’ guide to children’s nutrition.

www.karlaheintz.com