Who would have thought that raisins can be toxic to the human body...

[Guest guest]

I had no idea but something happened last week that got me questioning. Years ago, I read how healthy raisins are. Cookery author, Margaret Fulton, advises boiling any dried fruit. For about two-minutes to remove preservatives. So, I'd frequently boil a handful - and eat them. Sometimes picking at a few before they were boiled.

A week ago, after the usual raisin-snack I almost immediately became swollen in the abdomen. With lower abdomen pain, and much discomfort. I looked 9-months pregnant. This lasted for about 8 or 9 hours. Then the swelling went down only a little. Still swollen next morning. So, I Googled raisins toxic to the human body - raisins toxic to humans etc. I was concerned at the number of sites that appeared. By the way, the swelling continued for 2 - 3 days.

I'll abbreviate the following: One article..."Toxic raisins raised no alert: (2002) refers to Health Canada [failing[ to issue warning...Raisins coated with an alarmingly high level of lead...popular snack given to children as early as 1993 tainted with lead, a substance that can devastate a child's development...for several years contaminated raisins were sold...Lead causes serious brain damage in young children. "It is a proven and brutal neuro-toxin...unexpected lead levels found in raisin pie...High lead levels in raisins from Turkey, Afghanistan, Iran and Australia...even after the raisins had been washed in acid in an attempt to clean them...traced the source of the lead to a fungicide...copper-based fungicide." http://www.safe2use.com/ca-ipm/02-04-20b.htm

Another article..."GRAPES and RAISINS: [toxic to dogs] The exact toxic component in grapes and raisins has not yet been identified...both grapes and raisins, even in small amounts, have proven fatal to dogs..when death occurs, is due to kidney failure." www.bichonworld.com/human-food-favorites-that-are-toxic-to-dogs.html

raisins can be toxic to the human body...www.bordercollierescue.org/the-dark-side/Content/Toxicity.html

Then I came across this: "Keeping mycotoxins out of the food chain. Mycotoxins are widely regarded as amongst the most serious of naturally occurring toxins that can contaminate our food supply...With the potential to contaminate both primary and processed foodstuffs...Although there are a number of mycotoxins that can be produced on arable grains post-harvest during advanced decay, current international concern is focussed on ochratoxin A (OTA). http://mycotoxins.csl.gov.uk/

This morning I went back to Dom's Newsletter, October 10, 2008: 13. The Top 10 MYCO-TOXIC Foods. You can click on Dr Mercola's site in the newsletter. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/11/05/toxic-foods.aspx Dr Mercola talks about how foods are gassed with sulphur dioxide. And raisins, and package salads are just two of many. (see "raisins toxic to humans") A GUT FEELING..."These sulphur compounds are the major preservative in the Western diet." Also..."They are in hundreds and hundreds of foods," says Cummings, everything from sausages and burgers to jam, dried raisins and instant soup. Even fresh foods may not be sulfur-free -- packaged salads are "gassed" with sulfur dioxide to prolong their shelf life.

Some bloating is an occasional symptom of my CFS/Fibro/IBS etc. But nothing as severe as this. My husband said that even though I was boiling the raisins - obviously it wasn't removing the fungicide. Note above that acid couldn't remove it all from the raisins.

I'd had a hunch for a long while that they didn't agree with me. But they satisfied my sweet-craving. If I can find an organic supply I'll try eating them again. I'm only new to our group so I don't know whether you've covered this subject previously. There's a lot more sites that cover the 'raisin toxicity' issue. There has been a reported death of a pet dog from being given raisin treats. Our dog (my mate Keg) used to love grapes. Sad to say, he's not with us anymore...I wonder!!!