Canned Foods & Soups = Poison to our bodies

This article was released last week on canned food and the BPA contained in the lining and it sickens me that the cans are still on store shelves and in your pantry ready to be consumed by your children and yourself. Do you not believe these studies or are you just turning a blind eye to potentially poisoning your children? I grew up on Campbell's soups, Progresso, Spaghettio's and the like - perhaps that's what caused my thyroid disorder...

Here's the article:
People who ate canned soup for a Harvard study had BPA levels 1,200 percent higher than those who ate freshly-made soup. Is it time to nix canned foods from the kitchen?

Eating canned soup can cause the amount of BPA in the body to soar, compared to eating soup made with fresh ingredients, according to findings from the Harvard School of Public Health. BPA — that's bisphenol A, a widely-used chemical found in plastic and canned food packaging — is an endocrine disruptor that some researchers have linked to obesity, breast cancer, neurological disorders and more. The Food and Drug Administration says a small amount of BPA in the body is OK but maintains that its overall health effects are unclear. Meanwhile, Canada has declared BPA a toxin, and Europe has banned BPA in baby bottles. The chemical is thought to be especially harmful to fetuses, infants and young children.

The soup study

To test the amount of BPA absorbed by the body, volunteer participants in the Harvard study ate a can of vegetarian soup each day for five days, while another group ate soup made from fresh ingredients. Then, BPA levels were measured in the participants' urine. For those who ate canned soup, their BPA levels were 1,200 percent higher compared to those who ate freshly-made soup. Time.com reports that the Harvard study, first published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the first to measure how much BPA the body absorbs from canned food. Though the research zeroed in on canned soup, the results likely apply more broadly to other canned foods and beverages, according to Time.com.

Cabinet overhaul?

The Harvard soup study is part of a growing body of evidence that highlights the dangers of BPA, says Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, the executive director and CEO of Healthy Child Healthy World, a Los Angeles-based group that raises the awareness of harmful environmental chemicals. So, is it time to clear canned foods from the kitchen cabinets? "We have to be realistic: especially for busy families, sometimes packaged foods are a necessity," Sarnoff said in an email. "Rather than recommending that parents overhaul their pantries, we hope that parents will read labels and do their own research to make sure the foods they are choosing are the safest possible."

Tips for going BPA-free

• Look for food manufacturers like Eden Organic that are making the shift to BPA-free packaging.
• When choosing a refillable water bottle, choose one made of stainless steel, rather than plastic or coated aluminum. 
• BPA is found on sales receipts from retailers, so wash your hands after shopping.
• Because BPA is thought to be especially harmful to babies and children, choose BPA-free baby bottles and sippy cups
• Check your food storage containers as well. Make sure they are BPA-free. Glass is best.

Knowing these facts should make you want to change your food buying habits. But I've told a few people and it's like they could care less. I don't understand it. If you knowingly and repeatedly give your child canned food and soups, you are putting their health at risk. Why won't food manufacturers find an alternative? Ok, I'll get down off my pedestal now...