💣 Heavy metals that harm neurological development - lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic - were found at high levels in BOTH homemade baby food and store-bought brands. 👶 According to a new study by @healthybabiesbrightfutures (HBBF), an alliance of nonprofits and scientists, who tested 288 foods and examined 7,000+ food testing data. 😮 👏 The levels of heavy metal varied widely by food type, not by who made the food! That’s because the problem lies in our contaminated water and soil. 😔 Top findings: 🚨 94% of all food samples tested contained toxic heavy metals: both store-bought baby food, and homemade purees and family brand foods. 🚨 Rice cakes and crisped rice cereal are heavily contaminated with arsenic. 🚨 The 10 *most* heavily contaminated foods consumed by babies (beginning with the highest) are: rice cakes, crisped rice cereal, rice-based puffs, brown rice, teething biscuits and rice-based rusks, white rice, raisins, teething crackers (non-rice), granola bar with raisins, and oat-ring cereal. 🙏 The 10 *least* contaminated foods consumed by babies, beginning with the lowest, are: banana, grits, baby food brand meats, butternut squash, lamb, apple, pork, eggs, oranges, and watermelon. What can you do about it? 👉 Vary the source by choosing from different brands, varieties, or stores each week to avoid accidentally serving a high-metal source often 👉 Skip the 4 most contaminated foods 👉 Serve the 13 foods for which very low heavy metal contamination was measured 👉 Try these food-by-food swaps to lower heavy metal levels (image 2) 👉 Print the Baby Menu and post on your fridge door (image 3) 👉 Prefer organic. It won’t help avoiding heavy metal, but will reduce exposure to leftover herbicides and pesticides which are harmful too. 👉 Demand the FDA to establish and enforce protective limits for heavy metals in all foods consumed by babies and young children, and eaten during pregnancy. 🧐 Full report by HBBF 👉https://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2022-08/StoreVsHomemade_2022.pdf (Link in Bio) Images: adapted from HBBF report #babies #babyfood #HealthyEating #heavymetaldetox