1:10
1. I varied my kids' diets.
\"I made sure there was variability in their diet,\" Widmer said. \"Heavy metals are in everything, so if you're not eating the same thing, the same food group every day, you are decreasing your risk.\"
Widmer said varying her kids' diets included switching back and forth between feeding them homemade baby food and store-bought baby food, as well as frequently rotating the types of foods they were eating.
\"Bananas one day, baby spinach another day and just making sure that variability is there,\" she said. \"Not getting the same repeat exposure to the same food and whatever compounds are in that food is the best thing that parents can do.\"
2. I didn't lose sleep over it.
\"Parents of little ones have plenty on their plate already, they have plenty of things on their minds and plenty of things to worry about, and I would not put this at the top of the list,\" said Widmer, who noted that babies only eat baby food for a short period of time. \"I would not lose sleep over this.\"
She added, \"It's something that is being paid closer attention to and will be regulated more and more and more, and parents shouldn't feel pressure. The thing you can do is pay more attention to the variability in the diet.\"
3. I tried to avoid a few key foods.
\"Rice tends to have a lot of high levels of heavy metals,\" Widmer said. \"So avoiding foods and cereals that are rice-based is probably best practice.\"
In addition to rice, Widmer said she also recommends trying to limit foods that grow in the ground, like carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes, as they can be exposed to heavy metals in the soil.
Widmer said parents shouldn't skip those foods entirely, but rather ensure they are not a daily staple in a baby's diet.
4. I washed foods when I made homemade baby food.
\"If you are making baby food at home, really washing the foods beforehand helps,\" she said. \"If you are going to use a rice-based cereal or rice-based food, really soaking the rice and washing it with boiling water after would help.\"
Widmer also recommends that parents wash their baby's hands before they eat, too.
The AAP notes that heavy metals can get into tap water, so if that is a concern, the recommendation is to contact your local health department to have your water tested.
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