6 Tips for Avoiding Canned Food

Ah, the wonder of canned food. Whip it open, heat it up…and voilà, your meal is served. What’s wrong with this picture?

When Consumer Reports performed tests of canned foods including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans. They found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods tested contain Bisphenol-A (BPA). The canned organic foods they tested did not always have lower BPA levels than nonorganic brands of similar foods analyzed. And they even found the chemical in some products in cans that were labeled “BPA-free.”

More than 100 peer-reviewed studies have found BPA to be toxic at low doses. BPA is a synthetic estrogen and commonly used to strengthen plastic and line food cans. As Nicholas D. Kristof points out in an Op-Ed in The New York Times, scientists have linked it, though not conclusively, to everything from breast cancer to obesity, from attention deficit disorder to genital abnormalities in boys and girls alike. It also has a negative effect on your libido!

Consumer Reports states that a 165-pound adult eating one serving of canned green beans from the test sample, could ingest about 80 times more BPA than their experts’ recommended upper daily limit. Children eating multiple servings per day of canned foods with BPA levels comparable to the ones they found in some tested products could get a dose of BPA approaching levels that have caused adverse effects in several animal studies.

So how to get around an item that has become an indispensable in the pantries of most? Here are six ways to beat the cans.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Joe R.

4:32PM PDT on Mar 30, 2012

Thanks.

March 30
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2:48PM PST on Nov 16, 2011

thanks

November 16
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Cheryl B.

5:16AM PDT on Jul 8, 2011

thanks for the info

July 8
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Lika S.

2:48AM PDT on Jun 28, 2011

My son can't eat foods that contain a lot of MSG or other preservatives. So I end up cooking, and it's fun learning to do different recipes, and it's actually not as bad as what you'd think on the wallet.

We do tacos & fajitas, Asian stir fry, teriyaki chicken, spaghetti, etc... all loaded with a TON of veggies.

June 28
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Ira M.

11:08AM PDT on Jun 26, 2011

Thank you!

June 26
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Sheri P.

8:49AM PDT on Jun 25, 2011

It seems like I've read that the worst thing you can buy canned is tomatoes. Because of their acidity they absorb more of the BPA than other foods(?). Don't quote me, I am just commenting on what I think I have read in the past...