| Many fungi naturally produce a substance known | | | | many of these fungi, because sugar is the food |
| as a mycotoxin during their digestive process. | | | | of choice for fungi. |
| These mycotoxins are toxic to humans, and | | | | Nuts and the oils produced from these nuts are |
| some are extremely toxic if ingested even in | | | | heavily laden with contamination. In fact, one |
| small quantities. | | | | study found as many as 24 different forms of |
| There are some foods that naturally contain high | | | | fungi in peanuts alone. The one thing worth |
| levels of these mycotoxins, and most of us aren't | | | | mentioning here, peanuts, and other nuts we |
| even aware that mycotoxins exist, much less | | | | consume, often are in the shell, and there is no |
| that we eat them in our food supply. The foods | | | | good way to even begin to eliminate these fungi |
| that most often contain high concentrations of | | | | and mycotoxins from the shell nuts. So, when |
| mycotoxins are grain crops, nuts, sugars and | | | | you eat nuts still in the shell, there is a direct |
| cheese. We're going to take a look at the most | | | | intake of fungi and mycotoxins produced by |
| contaminated of these foods in this article. | | | | these fungi. |
| Let's begin with the grain foods, since they | | | | The last food category on the list is cheese. Now, |
| normally exhibit the higher levels. Corn, wheat, | | | | everyone knows that cheese will grow mold. If |
| barley, and rye contain what is known as | | | | you can see the mold growing, you know the |
| "universal contamination". What this really means, | | | | fungi is present throughout the cheese, thanks to |
| is that they contain so many different fungi, that | | | | the fact that fungi are able to penetrate their |
| it is a universal contamination. The levels of | | | | host, no matter the material: cheese, tile, grout, it |
| contamination are often extremely high, and are | | | | doesn't matter. The fungi can grow through the |
| carried over into the foods made from these | | | | material. Here again, there is direct consumption |
| grains. | | | | of the fungi that lives in the cheese. |
| The next category of foods with high levels of | | | | It's truly amazing that we aren't in a state of |
| contamination is sugars. Sugars include sugar cane, | | | | continual inbalance, given the variety of foods we |
| sugar beets, and sorghum. Not only do the sugars | | | | eat that contain the mycotoxin producing fungi. |
| contain the contamination, they fuel the growth of | | | | |