Food WARNING: High levels of heavy metals found in gluten-free foods

(NaturalHealth365) Gluten is a type of plant protein found in certain grains like wheat, rye, and barley.  But, for many people with poor digestion, gluten-free foods can trigger serious health problems – especially if they are contaminated with heavy metals!

As a little background: gluten-free foods have been shown to increase inflammation in the gut; disturb moods; and decrease overall energy – even if you don’t test positive for a gluten intolerance.  Understandably, many people now go to the grocery store with a gluten-free food list to minimize their exposure to this potentially harmful substance.

Of course, you may be wondering which foods fall on such a list.  Is rice gluten free, for instance?  Well, yes, but so are a lot of other foods in their “natural” state – including veggies and fruit.  Our point is simple, buyer beware because many packaged goods marketed as “gluten-free” are shown to be a major source of heavy metals, according to a new study.

Gluten-free WARNING: Heavy metals are being found inside the “healthy” foods

A team of researchers recently published a study in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology and discovered that people who ate “gluten-free” foods containing rice flour – a major ingredient for gluten-free manufacturers and marketers – had significantly higher levels of arsenic, mercury, lead, and cadmium in their bodies.

Heavy metal toxicity – especially in children and pregnant women – can have serious health effects affecting every major system in the body.

How did this happen?  Turns out that rice – yes, even organic rice – tends to have a preference for taking up these harmful heavy metals from the soil.  And these metals are there in the first place because of the preponderance of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and animal feed compounds.

Due to cross-pollination and contamination, organic rice growers aren’t immune to harmful compounds, unfortunately.

Additionally, packaged foods marketed as gluten-free also contain much higher concentrations of glyphosate, the dangerous herbicide ingredient found in popular weedkillers. In fact, a growing body of literature has suggested that for many people, it could be sensitivity to glyphosate rather than gluten itself that is causing so many health problems.

And here’s the painful irony:

People think they should avoid wheat because of gluten. So they opt for gluten free food containing rice flour – which is loaded with heavy metals and glyphosate. Now they’re exposing themselves to even MORE of the compounds that likely impaired their health in the first place!

It’s wise to avoid gluten AND glyphosate – here’s how to do it safely

Just because packaged foods labeled as gluten-free can significantly increase your exposure to heavy metals doesn’t mean that gluten is necessarily “okay” for your body. It’s still wise to cut it out of your diet and see how going gluten free makes you feel.

But how you can reduce gluten consumption without also increasing your consumption of environmental toxins?

Hint: Don’t buy into the gluten-free craze by purchasing processed foods cleverly marketed as “gluten-free” (think: gluten-free cakes, cookies, pasta, crackers, cereals, etc.).

Instead, fill your gluten free food list with foods that are naturally free of this problematic plant protein! This includes organic vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds plus wild caught/organic/free-range animal protein.

Sources for this article include:

Getholistichealth.com
NIH.gov
Westonaprice.org