Have you heard the recent rumblings about dangerous chemicals in the food you feed your children?
In response to an investigation regarding the arsenic content of rice and rice products, conducted by the Food and Drug Administration, the American Academy of Pediatrics is offering guidance to families concerned about the impact of such exposure to their children's health.
The AAP advises that parents offer their children a wide variety of foods, including other grains such as oats, wheat and barley, which will decrease their child's exposure to arsenic from rice.
Parents commonly feed infants rice cereal as a first food, but other foods are equally acceptable.
For instance, finely chopped meat provides a source of iron. Cereals made from other grains may be given first, or vegetable purees.
For older children, the advice is the same: a varied diet will decrease a child's exposure to environmental toxins in any one food, while providing a wide variety of nutrients.
The AAP will work with the FDA and other federal agencies to limit the use of arsenic and will participate in discussions about decreasing arsenic exposure through food and beverages.
Dr. Clara Filice, MD, joins Melanie Cole, MS, to discuss the ways in which you can reduce your child's exposure to chemicals in their food. If you're a parent who has questions about your child's nutrition, and the safety of certain foods, you should not miss this segment.
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Worried about Arsenic in Your Food? The AAP Weighs In
Featuring:
Clara Filice, MD, MPH, MHS, FAAP, is Pediatric Environmental Health and Food Policy Fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics Department of Federal Affairs. Previously, Dr. Filice was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar and completed a Master of Health Science degree focused on health services research and public health policy at the Yale School of Medicine. She was a legislative aide for health and social policy to U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan in Washington, DC, before attending medical school at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago where she concurrently earned her MD and a Master of Public Health degree. She completed her pediatric internship and residency at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago and is a practicing pediatric hospitalist at Children's National Medical Center.
Dr. Clara Filice, MD
Clara Filice, MD, MPH, MHS, FAAP, is Pediatric Environmental Health and Food Policy Fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics Department of Federal Affairs. Previously, Dr. Filice was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar and completed a Master of Health Science degree focused on health services research and public health policy at the Yale School of Medicine. She was a legislative aide for health and social policy to U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan in Washington, DC, before attending medical school at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago where she concurrently earned her MD and a Master of Public Health degree. She completed her pediatric internship and residency at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago and is a practicing pediatric hospitalist at Children's National Medical Center.