Page 58 - Summer2018

als. All of this points to a simple fact: companies tion with these pseudo-foods is even more important when children are
need to implement routine testing and publicize involved.
their results so that consumers can make in-
formed decisions and the companies producing ADDED AND UNNECESSARY EXPENSE
cleaner products can capture a greater market The above two issues—amino acid imbalances and contamination
share for their efforts. My recommendation is with heavy metals and other chemicals—are troubling enough on their
not to purchase a product unless the company own. However, when one also factors in the cost of protein powders, it
in question provides independent, third-party becomes clear that in general protein powders (especially the vegetable-
test results that show low-to-no levels of heavy based ones) are not just a risk to our health but also are an unnecessary
metals and other contaminants. expense. On average, organic protein supplements, whether animal- or
plant-based, run over a dollar per serving. If consumed just a few times
RICE: A FAVORITE HOME per week, this can quickly add up to five hundred or more dollars per
FOR HEAVY METALS year for even a small family, when this money could instead be going
One reason plant-based protein supplements toward real food and real farmers.
are showing up with higher levels of heavy met- Even if the processed protein itself ends up slightly cheaper than
als is their growing reliance on rice. Over the other options, the absence of other complementary nutrients (such as
past few years, I have written extensively about those found in whole-food protein sources like eggs) more than offsets
rice's propensity to accumulate heavy metals. any cost savings that the highly processed proteins may seem to afford.
This traditional food brings with it immense Although there are some people who may benefit from or actually need
arsenic and lead risks, especially for children. protein supplements, overall they are a poor substitute—nutritionally
More and more foods, including organic ones, and economically—for whole foods and the protein and vital nutrients
use rice as a primary ingredient—especially that whole foods offer (Table 2). Real foods provide ample protein along
rice syrup, rice flour and rice protein. Organic with important nutrients, while many supplements create large expenses
rice has no advantage over non-organic when it with low nutritional value and lots of additives.
comes to heavy metal contamination.
As I have cautioned elsewhere, it is very DON’T FORGET THE BUGS!
easy to consume too much rice, given the While not yet very common, bug-based protein powders are a more
various forms in which it is present in the food traditional—and promising—way to provide a minimally processed,
chain. If you eat a few organic energy bars (rice whole-foods-based protein boost when needed. For generations, Native
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protein and rice syrup), have a few gluten-free American tribes and many other groups and cultures around the world
muffins at a local cafe (rice flour), consume a have turned insects into flours and other nutritious (and tasty!) foods.
protein drink one or two days of the week to Cricket flour, for example, is made by lightly roasting and then grinding
supplement or replace a meal (rice protein), pop up whole crickets. It tests high in numerous vitamins and minerals—es-
a couple of organic breath mints (rice syrup) and pecially vitamins B , riboflavin and phosphorus. Independent testing
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eat actual rice as a side once or twice a week, also shows that cricket flour would rank as one of the cleanest protein
your exposure to rice (and the heavy metals it supplements in terms of heavy metal contamination. Although more
contains) may be far higher than you realize. In research is needed, it appears that cricket flour has the additional bonus
addition, many protein supplements that contain of being very low in methionine.
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rice protein also contain brown rice syrup—a The biggest drawback of bug-based products, currently, is the high
double dose for heavy metal exposure. Cau- price: bug-based flours and protein powders run at about the same cost

HEAVY METALS EVERYWHERE, HEAVY METALS IN MY HAIR

Almost all modern foods will test positive for heavy metals. The metals’ natural occurrence, coupled with the release
of large amounts into the environment since the onset of the industrial age, means that even organically-raised foods will
contain small but measurable quantities. However, the fact that almost everything tests positive for heavy metals does
not mean that we shouldn’t care about lessening our exposure to them or that all products are equal. Some foods and
supplements consistently test higher—and sometimes much higher—than others. Over time, the total accumulation caused
by these small differences can be quite substantial. Our priority should be to minimize our total exposure, especially for
our children or for people who, for whatever reason, already show elevated levels.

56 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2018