HH The Bloody Truth
Foods to limit or avoid:
- Here at The Bloody Truth, we strive to share our knowledge to help keep your ferritin levels as low as possible. This means less phlebotomies. Following the principles of a healthy diet for hemochromatosis will help you lower your intake of heme iron (found in animal sources) as well as understanding which other foods affect the absorption of iron. It’s not just about iron rich foods there are things we eat, drink, cook with, take as supplements, that can help your body absorb more iron or reduce the iron intake.
- Decrease or avoid consumption of red meat, which is high in heme iron. Bison (Buffalo) has more heme iron than Cow products. I believe referring to them as what are helps you avoid that burger a little easier.
* I know giving up red meat is a hard one, check out our blog (“But I can’t give up Red Meat”*) - Drink tannin tea with meals to decrease the absorption of iron.
- Supplements & Vitamins: Vitamin C increases iron absorption, make sure your multivitamins do not contain iron. Calcium is shown to decrease iron absorption, yes to our male members take some calcium!
- Limit your consumption of sugary foods and drinks which enhance the absorption of iron. For your general health do not use sugar substitutes, they are chemicals that can cause cancer. If you need to cook or use sugar, Just Panela is pure sugar. White Sugar is electrically charred with bones from cows to whiten the appearance, don’t worry they don’t use the head, so you won’t get mad cow disease! Pure Cane sugar is the same they just add molasses.
- Avoid undercooked and raw shellfish, which can contain a bacterium, vibrio vulnificus, that is more virulent in a high iron environment and can be fatal.
Raw Oysters have the highest content of Vibrio Vulnificus, and yes eating them with HH can kill you!
- Eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, rice, and beans, because even though they contain non-heme iron (found only in plant sources), non-heme iron is more difficult to absorb than heme iron.
- Limit alcohol, as it can heighten the risk of liver damage with hemochromatosis.
- Avoid using iron cookware based on the transfer of iron to food cooked within it.
- Avoid cooking with Aluminum Foil, or storing foods in Foil, Aluminum leaches into your body (gross). Plus studies show that cooking red meat in foil can increase the aluminum content by over 300%!
I love the Black Grilling mats and they are Made from 100% PFOA-Free Materials and Premium PTFE-Fiberglass Coating, NO PFOA,Silicone or Other Dangerous Chemicals. When I need to line a pan or wrap something for food preparation I use non-toxic parchment paper. Although there are differing opinions about avoiding heavy metals. One thing I always think of is Arsenic, that is a metal and was widely used to poison people. Just like Iron is a metal, I use that analogy when explaining why we with HH feel so sick, we are being poisoned! Copper is another very dangerous metal that can kill you. Always read your labels!!!!
- Avoid cooking or eating anything in cast iron.
I have been successful asking restaurants to grill
them and not use the cast iron for Fajitas
- Dark Chocolate: Now this one was truly shocking to me, as I thought dark chocolate was healthy. MANY name brand dark chocolate contains lead and cadmium.
No level of lead is safe for children. Lead exposure has been a significant public health issue for decades. Lead is linked to a variety of neurological impairments, including learning disabilities, seizures, and a lower IQ. Developing fetuses and children are especially vulnerable to lead exposure because their brains are in critical growth and development stages.
Cadmium is also known to cause reproductive harm. Cadmium can cause damage to the kidney, liver, and bones, while also impairing neurobehavioral development. Children are more susceptible than adults to exposure from low doses of cadmium over time.
Brands Found to be Free of Heavy Metals: Lead and Cadmium: NOTE these are the specific ones without lead and cadmium, this is not BRAND specific.
Whitman’s Candies, Inc.
- Whitman’s Solid Milk Chocolate Rabbit
The Hershey Company
- Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolate
- Reese’s Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Starbucks Corporation
- Starbucks Dark Chocolate covered grahams
Russel Stover Candies, LLC
- Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Break-Apart Bunny
Nestle Holdings, Inc.
- Nestle Crunch
- Ovaltine Classic Malt Mix
- Nestle Crunch Milk Chocolate with Crisped Rice
Mondelez International, Inc.
- Green & Black’s Organic Milk Chocolate (34% Cacao)
- Toblerone of Switzerland Milk Chocolate with Honey and Almond Nougat
- Green & Black’s Organic Milk Chocolate (34% Cacao)
Mars, Incorporated
- Snickers
- CocoaVia Daily Cocoa Extract Supplement
- Snickers Bar
- Dove Solid Milk Chocolate Bunny Silky Smooth
- M&M’s Chocolate Candies Milk Chocolate, Made with
Real Milk Chocolate
Lindt & Sprungli Gmbh (Germany)
- Lindt Gold Bunny Milk Chocolate
Lindt & Sprungli (USA) Inc.
- Lindt Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt Dark (with Fleur de Sel sea salt crystals)
Kraft Foods Group, Inc.
- Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate Bar with Honey and Almond Nougat
Jo’s Candies
- Jo’s Candies Dark Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers All Natural
Hershey Company
- Hershey’s Kisses Milk Chocolate
- Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Eggs
- Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate Snapsy Snap-Apart Bunny Easy To Snap And Share
Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
- Ghiradelli Intense Dark Midnight Reverie (86% Cacao)
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Milk Chocolate Eggs
- Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Baking Bar 60% Cacao
Bittersweet Chocolate
Ferrero USA Inc.
- Ferrero Collection Fine assorted Confections
DeMet’s Candy Company
- Flipz 50% cacao Dark Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Albertson’s, LLC (SuperValu, Inc.)
- Wild Harvest Organic Rich Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix
Dark Chocolate with high levels of Lead and/or Cadmium:
Bissinger’s
- Bissinger’s All Natural 60% Dark Chocolate Whole Almonds Lead
Earth Circle Foods dba River Canyon Retreat Inc.
- Earth Circle Organics Organic Balinese Cacao Nibs Cold Pressed Cadmium
Ghirardelli Chocolate Company
- Ghiradelli Intense Dark 72% Cacao Twilight Delight Chocolate Bar Cadmium
- Ghiradelli Chocolate Premium Baking Bar 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Lead & Cadmium
Godiva
- Godiva Chocolatier 50% Cacao Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Lead
- Godiva Chocolatier 85% Cacao Extra Dark Chocolate Lead Cadmium
- Godiva Chocolatier 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Lead & Cadmium
The Hershey Company
- Scharffen Berger Semisweet Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate (62% cacao) Cadmium
- Scharffen Berger Extra Dark Fine Artisan Dark Chocolate (82% cacao) Cadmium
Dagoba
- Organic New Moon Rich Dark Chocolate (74% cacao) Lead Cadmium
Lake Champlain Chocolates
- Lake Champlain Chocolates Dark Chocolate (57% cocoa) Lead & Cadmium
Lindt & Sprüngli (USA) Inc.
- Lindt Excellence 85% Cocoa Excellence Extra Dark Lead & Cadmium
Mars, Incorporated
- Dove Silky Smooth Dark Chocolate Bar Cadmium
Mondelez International, Inc.
- Green & Black’s Organic 85% Cacao Bar Lead & Cadmium
Moonstruck Chocolate
- See’s Candies Premium Extra Dark Chocolate (62% cacao) Cadmium
The Kroger Co.
- Private Selection 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Swiss Bar Lead & Cadmium
Theo Chocolate Theo
- Organic Fair Trade Pure 85% Dark Chocolate Cadmium
Trader Joe’s Company
- Trader Joe’s Swiss 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Lead
- Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Bar – Toffee With Walnuts and Pecans 70% cacao Lead
- Trader Joe’s Pound Plus Dark Chocolate Lead
- Trader Joe’s Pound Plus, 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Lead
- Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate 73% Cacao Super Dark Lead & Cadmium
- Trader Joe’s The Dark Chocolate Lover’s Chocolate Bar (85% cacao) Lead & Cadmium
- Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Tanzania 73% Cacao Lead and Cadmium
- Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Papua New Guinea 70% Cacao Lead and Cadmium
- Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Dominican Republic 70% Cacao Lead and Cadmium
- Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Venezuela 70% Cacao Lead and Cadmium
- Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Ecuador 66% Cacao Lead and Cadmium
- Trader Joe’s Single Origin Chocolate Passport Peru 60% Cacao Lead and Cadmium
Vosges, Ltd. Wild
- Ophelia All Natural New Orleans Chili – Dark Chocolate Bar (70% cacao) Lead
Whole Foods Market, Inc.
- 365 Everyday Value Organic Dark Chocolate (56% Cacao) Lead & Cadmium
- 365 Everyday Value Organic Dark Chocolate Coconut 56% Cacao Lead and Cadmium
Creative Natural Products, Inc. Chocolove
- Chocolove Extra Strong Dark Chocolate- 77% Cocoa Content Lead
- Chocolove Strong Dark Chocolate Bar 70% Cocoa Content Lead
Well Damn Trader Joes, so much for being a health food store!
How about some foods that bind to Heavy Metals and REMOVE them!
A few more:
- Cilantro
- Lemon Water
- Barley Grass
- Curry
- Probiotics
Heavy metals create free radicals, which can cause serious illnesses if levels get too high. Antioxidants destroy free radicals and boost your little one’s immune system. Turmeric, spirulina, broccoli, carrots, and potatoes are all high in antioxidants.
An effective heavy metal detox includes more than incorporating healthy fruits and vegetables. To minimize the effects of heavy metal poisoning or prevent it altogether, you need to eliminate some foods from your diet.
This is especially true for processed foods and excess fats. These foods have minimal nutritional value and slow down the detox process. This is because fats tend to soak up the harmful substances you want to remove.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. Together, in “The Bloody Truth” community, we can support each other towards better health and well-being.
