Canned Foods and BPA (Possible Substitutes?)

dubh laoch

Hi all,

This is my first post. I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas as to the adverse health effects caused by BPA in tinned foods.

I have read a few articles on BPA with one even suggesting that eating as much as a tin of tuna/day can contain enough BPA to cause a 33% increased risk of coronary heart disease. I don't have the link at hand but will post it once I can find it again.

I'm not sure if there is any real evidence to substantiate such claims. I'm just wondering because I have been eating at least 2-3 tins of tuna a day because I considered it to be a cheap and protein-filled healthy alternative to red meat or the likes.

I also eat a fair amount of chick peas, black beans and diced tomatoes from the can because they're such a convenient healthy enough food apart from the sodium content of course.

If the claims of adverse health effects are true is there a similarly cheap convenient alternative that anyone could point me towards. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

Dubh

not even wrong

dubh laoch wrote: »

I have read a few articles on BPA with one even suggesting that eating as much as a tin of tuna/day can contain enough BPA to cause a 33% increased risk of coronary heart disease. I don't have the link at hand but will post it once I can find it again.

Closest I can find is this Wikipedia article:

Patients with the highest levels of BPA in their urine carried a 33% increased risk of coronary heart disease.[112]

which is quite a different statement from "one can of tuna per day". Also note that it has nothing to say about causation -- what if people have high levels of BPA because they eat lots of processed/canned food, which is what actually causes the heart problems?

Before you rush out and change your diet every time you see a scary newspaper article, I'd recommend you read Bad Science by Ben Goldacre which really opened my eyes about the crap you see in newspapers and on the Internet about health and medicine.

El_Dangeroso

not even wrong wrote: »

Closest I can find is this Wikipedia article:which is quite a different statement from "one can of tuna per day". Also note that it has nothing to say about causation -- what if people have high levels of BPA because they eat lots of processed/canned food, which is what actually causes the heart problems?

Before you rush out and change your diet every time you see a scary newspaper article, I'd recommend you read Bad Science by Ben Goldacre which really opened my eyes about the crap you see in newspapers and on the Internet about health and medicine.

Not even wrong, love the username, that's one of my favourite books!

I know there's no strong human causal evidence for BPA, and as a consumer of canned tomatoes and other canned foods I really want you to be right.

But there is a large amount of rat and mice studies showing up BPA as an endochrine disrupter.

So although I'll still consume occasional canned foods, I'll hedge my bets and choose fresh over canned or jarred over cans whenever I can while the scientists are hashing out whether or not it makes any significant difference to health. Makes good nutritional sense in any case.

dubh laoch

First of all,

Thanks for your replies. 'Not even Wrong', I know the tendency nowadays is to automatically to jump to conclusions with every scaremongering story. The reason I am worried on this particular topic is because I consume roughly 30 per cent of my diet through tinned food. I know it's not ideal but the rationale behind this is threefold:

1. I perceived the food in a can to be healthy (tomatoes, black beans, chickpeas, peas, corn etc).

2. It's cheap (no explanation needed there I think).

3. It's a quick convenient way to make a dinner after a long day at work (cook up a bit of chicken in the oven: add tinned tomatoes, black beans and sweet corn and hey presto, you almost have a chilli).

I am well aware that eating fresh food is the best way for optimising nutrional value intake but it also is the best way to hit you in the pocket. So would you have any suggestions for cheap alternatives to canned or tinned foods?

Thanks.

dubh laoch

not even wrong

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

So although I'll still consume occasional canned foods, I'll hedge my bets and choose fresh over canned or jarred over cans whenever I can while the scientists are hashing out whether or not it makes any significant difference to health. Makes good nutritional sense in any case.

Have you taken into account the greater risk of e coli contamination in fresh vegetables? It wasn't canned food that killed all those people in Germany you know

Seriously though, the point is that there is no food which is perfectly safe and trying to manipulate your diet so as to remove all risks is a waste of time.

1. I perceived the food in a can to be healthy (tomatoes, black beans, chickpeas, peas, corn etc).

So would you have any suggestions for cheap alternatives to canned or tinned foods?

Buy dried beans instead, soak them overnight, cook a big batch at the start of the week. Also switch to frozen peas.

El_Dangeroso

not even wrong wrote: »

Have you taken into account the greater risk of e coli contamination in fresh vegetables? It wasn't canned food that killed all those people in Germany you know

Ah the risk ratio on that is negligible. Having said that I have mysteriously lost my taste for cucumbers and bean sprouts lately..

Worztron

Anyone know brands that do not contain BPA?