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Pregnant Women Should Avoid Canned Foods, Study Says
Filed under: In The News, Alerts & Recalls, Nutrition, Pregnancy Health, Expert Advice: Pregnancy
If you're pregnant, kick the cans. Credit: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
More than 90 percent of cans tested in the study titled "No Silver Lining" contained detectable levels of bisphenol A (BPA), which public health experts say has been linked to abnormal behavior, diabetes, heart disease, infertility, developmental and reproductive harm and obesity.
The study tested an array of brand-name foods from 50 cans in 19 states and one Canadian province. The report was released by the National Work Group for Safe Markets, a coalition of public and environmental health groups.
The safety of BPA is at the center of a raging public health debate. Manufacturing and packaging companies and trade associations say it is a safe chemical that protects food from metal can corrosion and bacteria. On the other hand, health professionals and public health advocates say studies show harmful effects from even low doses of BPA.
The National Toxicology Program says there is "some concern" that BPA can affect neural development in fetuses, infants and children, according to a press release issued by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has introduced legislation to ban BPA in food and beverage containers.
Canada, Denmark and five U.S. states have restricted the use of BPA in children's products such as baby bottles and infant formula cans. Other countries and states are considering similar restrictions.
The report calls on Congress to ban BPA in food and drink packaging, and notes that some companies, such as Eden Foods, already use BPA-free cans.
Related: FDA Cautions Use of Children's Products Containing BPA
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
5-19-2010 @ 4:40PM
veleeta said...So should we start growing own fruit and veggies? Time to start all over again. Living off the land.
Reply
5-21-2010 @ 5:15AM
Simzee said...Veleeta, I grow my own garden. (in my house) What's the problem with growing a garden? AT least it's a money saver for me & not YOU.
5-19-2010 @ 9:05PM
agd78 said...Living off the land sounds like a great idea! At least then you could know exactly what happens to your fruits and vegetables between being picked and being eaten! But for those without green thumbs, fresh fruits and veggies from the store are close enough!
Reply
6-30-2010 @ 10:43PM
fmxkid87 said...Buy frozen. It's just as inexpensive as canned & there is less oxidation allowing beneficial components of veggies & fruits to syay intact.
Stop making up excuses. If they tell you it's not safe, then it's not safe. If you can't afford healthy food, don't have a child you probably can't afford.
Enough with the whiny crap already.
5-20-2010 @ 1:23PM
pentamom said...And then there are those who have no place to grow things, and can't afford the fresh. Way to pile on the guilt and fear.
Reply
5-20-2010 @ 8:46PM
c said...If you cannot afford a fresh vegetable, maybe you shouldn't be having a baby.
5-20-2010 @ 9:15PM
Ann said...For 9 months you can't afford fresh veg/fruit? After that you can go back to canned BUT......how are you going to afford diapers now? I agree with C.
5-20-2010 @ 9:33PM
Lisa said...Women have been pregnant and eating canned food for generations. It is only recently the "experts" have decided so many things are bad for us. It is amazing anyone ever reached adulthood, the way they make things sound. As for "don't have baby if you can't afford fresh foods..." Get real, that is a ridiculous thing to say.
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5-21-2010 @ 5:53AM
AkiMoonblade said...When people were making the "don't have a baby if you can't afford fresh vegetables" comment, they were just mocking someone else that complained that some pregnant women can't afford fresh vegetables. The people making the baby comment were merely pointing out that if someone is so poor that they can't afford fresh produce, then maybe it's not the right time to have children, since they are MUCH more expensive.
Anyway, I believe that there may be some truth to this. However, like most things, I believe it will only do harm in excess. Like, if you eat nothing BUT these canned foods throughout your whole pregnancy. Personally, I love growing most of my own fruits and veggies. We actually have raspberry and blackberry plants, so I'll make my own jam as well. But I still enjoy having a nice bowl of Campbell's soup. Because it's got the Mmm Mmm and the Good that I like in my soup. And I'm still alive.
5-20-2010 @ 11:21PM
Dalilah Bee said...Anything in a can got 2 be ARTIFICIALLY kept and that means ( poisonous ) chemicals ! There are some "special diets" 4 'pregnant' women' --> ( eating for 2 )
Reply
5-21-2010 @ 1:30PM
pentamom said...That is untrue. The process of canning creates a vacuum which prevents spoilage. There are no added chemicals necessary. This is why canning has existed for hundreds of years, long before food additives.
Yes, some canned foods can contain unhealthy ingredients. But anyone can read labels. The idea of a blanket prohibition on canned foods is just way over the top.
There is also the fact that the science behind the danger of Bisphenol-A is still very murky. It is hardly established.
Oh, and not everyone who is on a tight budget is on WIC. Frozen vegetables are, however, an excellent compromise. Canned ones are usually pretty unpleasant anyway. But not everyone has all the options we'd like them to have.
5-20-2010 @ 10:15PM
Samantha said...Perhaps people need to simply come too terms with this fact. If purchasing canned produce is harmful, and fresh produce spoiled too quickly or is out of season, properly prepaired frozen produce is equal in nutrition to fresh, even on occasion better because it is frozen at it's nutritional peak.
Reply
5-20-2010 @ 11:03PM
John said...don't avoid the sun if you want a healthy baby.
Reply
5-20-2010 @ 11:27PM
ogden21 said........And fresh fruits and vegetables are contaminated with E coli and pesticides......what's left thats's safe to eat?! LOL
Reply
5-21-2010 @ 12:42AM
sed said...WIC provides vouchers for fresh veggies and fruit to those who CAN'T afford it on their own, c....smartass.
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5-21-2010 @ 12:33AM
Brenda said...Have you ever stopped to think that with all the NEW AND IMPROVED....they dont make stuff LIKE THEY USE TO? Maybe what WAS safe back in the day has been changed and is now UNSAFE.
ALOT of the containers our food is stored in has chemicals that CAN CAUSE CANCERS and other ailments. Its a PROVEN fact.
Most microwavable dinners are made of an unsafe grade of plastic WHEN HEATED, not stored. Water bottles are an unsafe grade because when the plastic gets warm.....it does something chemically....blah blah blah. And WHERE do you see the bottles stored alot of the time? Sitting in the sun outside of stores and gas stations as advertisements. Or right inside IN FRONT OF A WINDOW! (magnified heat)
The interior of your car is an unsafe material because of the reaction to the heat in your car when the windows are rolled up.
Everything we USE is unsafe. When heated. Except glass and certain metals.
NEVER consume foods or beverages in plastic or metal, or that have been cooked in plastic or pans with non stick sealant.
See if the cancer rate wouldnt go WAYYYYYY down....
Never USE TO have this HUGE of a problem until "technology" became so "advanced".
Yes, it has saved lives..(and it still can IF you can afford it)...but it ALSO ends lives.
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