Cadmium is a problem, but it's easily avoidable if we think about the sources of food in our diets. The European Food Safety Administration says vegetarians who eat relatively high amounts of foods containing cadmium have an average weekly exposure of up to 5.4 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. Locally produced food in highly contaminated areas may lead to higher exposure levels.
Have you been led to believe that oatmeal is good for you? This podcast is for you! Paul does a deep dive on why you may want to cut oats (and chocolate, and leafy greens) out for good for reasons like heavy metal accumulation, antinutrients, and defense chemicals.
00:07:30 The problem with grains
00:11:45 Heavy metals in oats, greens, chocolate and fish
00:20:00 How saponins damage the gut
00:31:30 Cadmium and heavy metals in oats, vegetables and chocolate
Effects of saponins and glycoalkaloids on the permeability and viability of mammalian intestinal cells and on the integrity of tissue preparations in vitro: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20650190/