Rice absorbs arsenic, a heavy metal, from the soil it is grown in and it is stored in the husk of its shell. Always eating brown rice over white rice means you are eating much larger amounts of the arsenic, even if it is organic brown rice!
Tip: Swap our your daily brown rice with a few other high fibre grains that are lower in arsenic such as quinoa, buckwheat, barley and millet. White basmati rice also contains much lower amounts of arsenic compared to the brown varieties.
TUNA
Albacore tuna in particular, is the second most popular seafood in the US. Albacore are prone to living in mercury laden waters and due to it being large in size, they accumulate higher amounts of mercury over their lifetime.
Tip: Swap your daily tuna fix with lower mercury fish such as wild Atlantic salmon, sardines, trout or herring.
COFFEE
It is recommended that you keep your daily caffeine intake to under 400mg a day. One average cup of coffee has 100 to 150 mg and if you're ordering an extra large cup then you are going to be looking at 3x that amount of caffeine! It is recommended to not consume more than 3 cups of coffee a day to keep you under that safe amount. This will prevent you from suffering from jitteriness, rapid heartbeat, insomnia and dehydration.
Tip: Swap your second and third cups of coffee with herbal teas. Green and black tea only have 30 - 50mg of caffeine per cup.
BRAZIL NUTS
These delicious seeds are super high in selenium, with only ONE nut containing your daily dose! High levels of selenium is toxic to your body and may cause symptoms such as loss of hair and nails, diarrhoea, skin rashes, and nervous system problems. Additionally brazil nuts also are high in radium, a naturally occurring source of radiation. It is recommended to never eat more than 12 in a day.
Tip: Swap up your nuts throughout the week and enjoy lower selenium varieties such as almonds, cashews or hazelnuts.
CINNAMON
Grocery store cinnamon, also known as cassia cinnamon, contains a compound called coumarin which has been linked to an increased risk of liver disease when consumed in excess. Due to this, it is recommended to not consume more than a teaspoon per day.
Tip: Ceylon cinnamon, a different variety which is lighter in colour and flavour, has 60 times less coumarin that regular cinnamon. You can purchase Ceylon cinnamon from your health food store to change up your daily cinnamon dose.