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How to decrease eating molds/fungi from food?

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lian

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Nov 4, 2005, 9:26:09 AM11/4/05
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mycotoxins/aflatoxins etc.


What vegetables (usally those grown at dirt) I should be careful of?
How to decrease the risk of this molds?

Does a thorough washing will help? Does peeling off the peel will
help?
(though I feel a waste to throw the peel, because most vitamins and
minerals are found there, if this is what is neccesary, I would do it)

Does sprouting legumes (soaking them for hours in waters, and then
leave at darkness) can create molds?

And what about wheat?

OmManiPadmeOmelet

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Nov 4, 2005, 10:19:50 AM11/4/05
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In article <1131114369....@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>,
"lian" <lia...@hotmail.com> wrote:

Why are you worried about it???????
Your immune system can handle it if you are healthy!

If you are not, just sterilize everything you eat by pressure cooking
it. ;-)
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

jaym1212

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Nov 5, 2005, 12:26:47 AM11/5/05
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> mycotoxins/aflatoxins etc.

Mycotoxins, produced by certain fungi under certain conditions, are
most frequently found in following foods:

Grains (esp corn, wheat, barley, sorghum)
Peanuts
Cottonseed and oil
Fermented foods (such as tabacco, alcoholic beverages and cheese)
Grain-fed meat, poultry, fish, dairy.

In my personal case, I have detected mycos in grains from health food
stores, grain fed meats, poultry and fish, beer, citrus fruits and
cantaloupes.

> What vegetables (usally those grown at dirt) I should be careful of?

Usually all veggies and fruits have defenses against fungi, however
they deteriorates with time, poor storage conditions, physical damage,
etc.

> How to decrease the risk of this molds?

Increase consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits.
Decrease consumption of foods based on stored grains.
Decrease consumption of process/packaged foods.

> Does a thorough washing will help?

While washing would help, visual inspection may be your best technique.

> Does peeling off the peel will help?

Its a trade off. Discard bruised and infested areas.

> Does sprouting legumes (soaking them for hours in waters,
> and then leave at darkness) can create molds?

It does not create mold per se, but could allow ever present mold
spores to grow. Mix some antifungal in the soaking water such as a few
drops of vinegar or Grape Fruit Seed Extract (GFSE) to retard fungi
growth.

In general, mycotoxins aren't degraded by cooking (including pressure
cooking). In general, fresh/unbruised fruits and veggie aren't the main
source of mycos, stored grains and related foods are.

Mr-Natural-Health

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Nov 5, 2005, 5:17:53 AM11/5/05
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OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:

> > mycotoxins/aflatoxins etc.
> >
> > What vegetables (usally those grown at dirt) I should be careful of?
> > How to decrease the risk of this molds?
>

> Why are you worried about it???????
> Your immune system can handle it if you are healthy!
>
> If you are not, just sterilize everything you eat by pressure cooking
> it. ;-)

Yes, why worry? In your case, I think your life will be over rather
soon. So, you wont have very long to wait.

Oh, can you please stop posting such dumb, dangerous, and irresponsible
comments on the Web? Somebody might actually be dumb enough to take
you seriously.

Just my opinion, but dumb asses like you make it all so easy.

lian

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Nov 5, 2005, 7:41:39 AM11/5/05
to
Thank you very much for the answers, and I will be grateful if you
could answer some more questions :

1.Are there more molds in organic foods? And if yes, might it not be
better to eat non-organic?

2.Can you give me tips how to tell from what I see in the store about
storage conditions? What should I look out for to decide not to buy at
a particular store, or a particular product?

3.You write there are more molds in fermented foods. What about
yoghurt?

4.You wrote that "I have detected". Could you please write how these
molds look? Are black spots (for example on tomatoes) are molds, or
just some sort of greenish powder?

5.are legumes also affected, as grains? Which of the grains and legumes
is safest?

6.If wheat is so affected, should I reduce eating breads and other
bakery stuff?

7.Are citrus fruits in general more infected?

8.Is it safe to remove only the areas I see are infected, and not peel
the rest??

9.I don't understand why meat from an animal which ate moldy grains
will also have mold. Doesn't the animal's digestive system destroy
the mold, while the animal was alive?

OmManiPadmeOmelet

unread,
Nov 5, 2005, 10:26:41 AM11/5/05
to
In article <1131194499.2...@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"lian" <lia...@hotmail.com> wrote:

The safest thing for you to do is to stop breathing!
There are mold spores floating around constantly in the air you
breathe!!!!!

Honestly, why are you so freaking paranoid about this?
Do you have AIDS or something?

jaym1212

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Nov 5, 2005, 2:52:26 PM11/5/05
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> 1.Are there more molds in organic foods?
> And if yes, might it not be better to eat non-organic?

First, the amount of mold in foods is a lesser concern than the amount
of mycotoxins in foods. Second the amount of mold in food is not well
correlated with whether it is organic vs non-organic. Below are some
factors that can increase the precense of molds (and thus the
possibility of mycotoxins):
1) Plant was undernorished during growth.
2) Plant experience dought during growth.
3) Plant was damaged by insects.
4) Plant experienced too much moisture before harvest.
5) Plant was stored in moist/humid conditions. Some of the highest
amount of mycotoxins can be found in silo dust. Worker exposed to such
conditions have a higher rate of cancer as do peanut farmers.

> 2.Can you give me tips how to tell from what I see in the store about
> storage conditions? What should I look out for to decide not to buy at
> a particular store, or a particular product?

The poor storage condition I was referring to is generally not in the
store itself but bulk storage such as grain silos. At the store,
selecting food based on visual inspection can help to reduce but not
eliminate the possibility of ingesting mycotoxins.

> 3.You write there are more molds in fermented foods. What about
> yoghurt?

Yogurt is ferment by various types of beneficial bacteria, not fungi.
These bacteria are considered beneficial as their byproduct are not
harmful to humans and in addition prevent the growth of harmful
bacteria and fungi. Note: there are some mycotoxins that are beneficial
under some limited circumstances, but in general it is best to avoid
them.

> 4.You wrote that "I have detected". Could you please write how these
> molds look? Are black spots (for example on tomatoes) are molds, or
> just some sort of greenish powder?

Molds take on different colors and forms including black spots and
fuzzy grrenish powders. Buying the freshest fruits and veggies with
minimum visual defects will reduce the probability of mold and their
mycos, but even a perfect looking apple, orange or tomato that has been
thoroughly wash will still have some mold. Most life forms, including
humans, have a certain degree of tolerance to fungus and their mycos.

I have an impaired digestive lining that allows a higher amount of
toxins to get past it. I have a weak liver which doesn't neutralize
toxins efficiently. When I consume foods with certain mycos, a red
inflammed dot appears on one of my fingers.

> 5.are legumes also affected, as grains? Which of the grains and legumes
> is safest?

Rice tends to have the lowest myco levels among grains. Legumes along
with nuts, seeds, and dried fruits can be affect but typically much
less than grains (mainly due to poor storage conditions). I don't know
which legumes are least affected but peanut and soy are among the most
affected.

> 6.If wheat is so affected, should I reduce eating breads and other
> bakery stuff?

Since processed grain (esp corn and wheat) based products tend to have
higher amounts of mycos, I wouldn't want to make them staples.

> 7.Are citrus fruits in general more infected?

Yes because of their higher sugar content, soft skin and storage
conditions. Let one sit on your kitchen counter or fridge and see if it
turns into a ball of green dust. Mine from the store, eventually do.

> 8.Is it safe to remove only the areas I see are infected, and not peel
> the rest??

The softer/sweeter a fruit/veggies, the more you will need to chop
away.

> 9.I don't understand why meat from an animal which ate moldy grains
> will also have mold. Doesn't the animal's digestive system destroy
> the mold, while the animal was alive?

Typically the mold will be confined within the animal's digestive
system, but the mycotoxins will end up in the body. In addition, mycos
can be detected in chicken eggs and cow milk.

Message has been deleted

lian

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Nov 5, 2005, 7:29:25 PM11/5/05
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thanks. you helped me a lot. I really appreciate this.

about organic - maybe becuase they are more damaged by insects, they
will be more suspetable to molds?

and you wrote "processed grain tend have higher amounts of mycos"
but but do I get it right- buying the whole un-processed grains and
cook my own dishes won't help?

(forgive my bad english. not an english-speaker)

jaym1212

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Nov 5, 2005, 10:28:27 PM11/5/05
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> about organic - maybe becuase they are more damaged by insects, they
> will be more suspetable to molds?

There are trade offs. For example, while pesticides are harmful to
humans, they protect the produce from pests and therefore from bacteria
and fungus. Also plants produce their own pesticides. One can reduce
pesticides by washing, peeling and cooking. On the other hand, the
human liver probably has a better chance at neutralizing natural vs
man-made pesticides.

> and you wrote "processed grain tend have higher amounts of mycos"
> but but do I get it right- buying the whole un-processed grains and
> cook my own dishes won't help?

Buying whole grains won't guarantee that they have less fungus/mycos
because even they were most likely stored in silos and shipped in
trucks. One advantage might be that you can visually inspect the grains
for overt fungus growth. Ideally, one would want to get the grains
directly from the field or farmer :) A more practical approach maybe
to limit consumption of the two most affected grains: corn and wheat.

lian

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Nov 6, 2005, 4:33:14 PM11/6/05
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thanks for your informative and patient answers.


If you have more information and/or useful links about this topic, I
would love to know.

MMu

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Nov 7, 2005, 5:40:03 AM11/7/05
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"jaym1212" <jaym...@hotmail.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:1131168407.8...@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

>> Does a thorough washing will help?
>
> While washing would help, visual inspection may be your best technique.

Washing a food after it has been infected does not help.
The fungus grows inside of your food.

>> Does peeling off the peel will help?
>
> Its a trade off. Discard bruised and infested areas.

Wrong. If you see fungi/mold on any food: throw it away and don't eat it.
By the time you can visibly see the mold/fungus on your food the mycelia of
this fungus will already have infested most of your food and will have built
plenty mycotoxins (if its a toxic mold of course).

jaym1212

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Nov 7, 2005, 10:51:19 AM11/7/05
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