7 Foods Experts Say Not To Eat

As women, we are always on the search for foods and products that will keep us forever young, feeling healthier, slimmer and more energized. Just as important as it is to be aware of foods that are good for us, on the flip side it's always important to be wise to foods that we should probably avoid as well. Here is a look at a new list of foods which some experts name as foods to avoid.

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• Canned Tomatoes have bisphenol-A. Actually, all metal cans are lined with BPA but it's the acid in the tomatoes that causes the lining to leach, according to Fredrick von Saal, PhD, an is an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies the health risks associated with BPA. Fix: Make your own.
  

• Microwave Popcorn, according to Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for Environmental Working Group, says that chemicals in the lining of the bag, which include perfluorooctanoic (PFOA) are linked to infertility and possibly even certain cancers. When you microwave the corn, the chemicals are released and end up in your snack, and accumulate in your system for years. Fix: Pop in a skillet.
  

• Non Organic Potatoes. Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board, confirms that potatoes get their nutrients directly through the skin, also sponging any toxic chemicals that come down the water pipeline. Moyer, also a Farm Director at Rodale Institute adds, “I’ve talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals." Fix: Always buy organic potatoes.

• Conventional Apples. Expert Mark Kastel, co-director of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group that supports organic foods, says that of all the fall fruits, apples are the most pesticide laden by far. The reason being is they are individually grafted {descended from a single tree} to maintain a consistent, distinct flavor and thereby lack a natural ability to resist pests. Fix: Always buy organic apples.
  

• Farmed salmon is treated much like factory chickens, crammed into pens and fed everything they don’t normally eat {think poop}. Besides mercury, they contain high levels of PCBs, brominated flame retardants, carcinogens and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. "You can only safely eat one of these salmon dinners every five months without increasing your risk of cancer," says David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany. Fix: Buy wild-caught Alaska salmon.

• Also on the list is Corn Fed Beef and Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones.

For the best organic food, eat what is grown closest to you. If you need help finding your local farmer check out Local Harvest.