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A newspaper called the St. Petersburg Times commissioned testing of apple juice from major brands, and found arsenic in more than one-quarter of the samples that surpasses the Food and Drug Administration's "level of concern" for toxic heavy metals in juice . The most likely culprit is arsenic-based pesticides used to grow the apples. According to an article in the paper, more than 60 percent of the apple juice from concentrate sold in U.S. stores comes from China, and most of the rest is grown in Chile, Argentina, Turkey and other countries. A recent University of Arizona study found similar results with both apple juice and grape juice, according to the story. Two years ago, the FDA discovered high levels of arsenic in pear juice from fruit grown in China. The consumption of arsenic over time has been linked to cancer, diabetes, organ damage, hormonal problems and brain development issues. That it's found in juice is particularly troubling because many children dri...

Have you ever noticed that eating too much movie theater popcorn can make you feel a little sick ? That's because it probably is making you a little sick. Popcorn may seem like the one snack available in a movie theater that's potentially healthy enough to make the Spartan Diet cut. After all, popcorn is just corn, a whole grain. If you ask for it without butter, it's healthy Spartan Diet-worthy, right? Well, no. Not even close. As you probably know, some theaters buy pre-popped popcorn, which is warmed up using lights in the theater. Pre-popped popcorn is typically cooked in unhealthy trans fat oils, and flavored and colored with artificial ingredients, often including MSG. And because this kind of popcorn is popped first, then stored for an unknown amount of time, it has preservatives added. A bag of popcorn popped in the theater typically contains four individual concession stand supply products, including the popping corn, cooking oil, "butter" and seasoning s...

Mercury is a toxic metal. Very small quantities are harmless, and it's eliminated in about a year. However, if too much mercury enters your bloodstream before previously ingested mercury is eliminated, your health can be affected. Coal-fired power plants emit mercury into the air, which settles to the ground. Rain washes the mercury into creeks and rivers and eventually into oceans. Once in water, the mercury is transformed into methylmercury. Tiny sea creatures ingest the methylmercury. Then larger fish eat those animals, and ever larger ones eat those, right up the food chain. Nearly all seafood contains methylmercury. However, some accumulate very high quantities, and others do not, depending on their diets. You should never eat the high-methylmercury fish like king mackerel, shark, swordfish or tilefish. Always choose low- methylmercury seafoods, which include catfish, salmon and shrimp. The best commonly available fish to eat is fresh, wild salmon, because it is low in methylm...