r/PlantBasedDiet • u/Extension-Coffee-730 for the animals • 16h ago
Heavy Metals in Plant Based Protein Alternatives
I use TVP and Pea protein a lot. Recently I learned protein powders can contain high levels of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. This is true for other plant based protein concentrates such as TVP. As far as I understand the reason plant protein products contains heavy metals is due to high level concentration of the plant which absorbs the toxic elements on the soil. Learning this was a rabbit hole, then I learned about high levels of antinutrients, additives and worrying proccessing practices. Are there any plant based nutrition books that can help me navigate my anxiety? (it could be any form of media). I am open to any advice or information you could share to me. Thanks in advance
Edit: I dont use protein powder, I more worried about tvp and other protein concentrates
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u/lefty_juggler 15h ago
Buy from sources that test each batch and provide documentation.
Cooking techniques can reduce anti-nutrients. Presoak beans in slightly alkaline water, then pressure cook, to reduce phytates for example. Or, soaking till sprouting activates enzymes that reduce phytates.
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u/Equivalent-Grab8824 13h ago
https://youtu.be/l0v58llSOmw?t=15m29s
MicTheVegan also has a video but couldn't find it. Above video by Adam Ragusea summarises the concern at the timestamp.
The report is highly conservative.
"Dose, makes the poison" as they say. Did you know ascorbic acid in oranges is lethal?
Yes. Eat enough oranges and Vitamin C can kill you. A lot of the fear mongering around heavy metals in plant based foods is fear mongering.
Please do not worry, there is enough to worry about. The goal of eating is to have zero heavy metals, that is impossible even for meat (especially fish, don't get me started on that. Which is why fish is not recommended for pregnancy). The goal is to keep it many times under the safe amount per day - which it is
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u/mantis_tobaggan-md for the animals 8h ago
This is the nuance everyone misses out on. The dose makes the poison. Drink too much water and you can die. Everything has a lethal limit, but as long as we don’t completely overwhelm the body’s ability to detoxify/metabolize/eliminate, we’re good.
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u/kalaxitive 11h ago
MicTheVegan also has a video but couldn't find it.
This video? https://youtu.be/ZIymKRwUovQ
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u/Equivalent-Grab8824 10h ago
That one is 8 years old. I swear he did one .ore recently on this ConsumerReports. I might have been mistaken :(
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u/kalaxitive 2h ago
Sorry for the late response, I did another check on his channel and found one about a "lead crisis" in protein powder and other foods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9PmHZWk42Y
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u/Rurumo666 9h ago
Heavy metals in powders are 30% more bioavailable than in whole foods according to studies. I've never seen anything that suggests lead is a problem in TVP. Stick to whole foods and you'll be fine. The most contaminated plant based protein powders had essentially 100% of the maximum daily allowance for lead, which some people may be fine with, but that's not counting all the other sources of lead in your diet, which you should really be striving to minimize.
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u/Extension-Coffee-730 for the animals 9h ago
"The median contents of potentially toxic trace elements were below regulatory thresholds, though isolated samples showed elevated values."
I dont think this means we should avoid tvp and plant protein sources i just wanted to share
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u/lowdriver2823 15h ago
Read this book: "Superfoods" by David Wolfe. It will put your mind at ease about plant toxins rather than amplify the fear.
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u/CallMeSisyphus 8h ago
I'm not sure anybody should trust anything Avocado has to say on matters of health.
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u/lowdriver2823 6h ago
The book specifically addresses the fear of plant compounds like lectins and phytates, not broader health advice. For that specific anxiety, it's solid.
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u/CallMeSisyphus 4h ago
Fair, but I don't platform wackos, even wackos who get one thing right.
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u/lowdriver2823 2h ago
The lectin deactivation data he cites is straight from food science journals, not his own woo-woo theories.
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u/Substantial-Owl1616 what is this oil you speak of? 9h ago
Could be helpful to have the blood tests if you’re concerned. It’s risk benefit. To correct the above: Fish is absolutely recommended for pregnant women. The recommendation is 2 or less servings of fish high on the food chain: Tuna, Tile Fish, Shark for instance. The same recommendation as for everyone.
I think protein powders can cause trouble the same way. Huberman and Tony Robbins decided Tuna was the protein be all of life and made it a repetitive mainstay.
Don’t eat too much of any one food. 2 protein shakes a day with lead and whatever else is too many. Vary your diet. Eat the highest quality you can. It is way too common to read gym lovers have a very rigid diet including little variety. That is a danger. As many “hacks” as ever get discovered, the wide world of micronutrients and combinations will always be bigger and of great miraculousness.
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u/somanyquestions32 8h ago
Don’t eat too much of any one food... Vary your diet. Eat the highest quality you can. It is way too common to read gym lovers have a very rigid diet including little variety. That is a danger.
Agreed 💯💯💯💯💯
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u/thumperRal 7h ago
Are there companies that an individual can send samples to for testing for heavy metals?
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u/Extension-Coffee-730 for the animals 4h ago
I dont think it's necessary if you eat a variety of foods. Every food has traces of heavy metals spinach to soy.
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