A sample week, audited

What came with it

Hazards with a health-based limit, added up over your diary: each food's grams against the grams that reach the limit, in the limit's own window. The percentage is how much of the limit you used.

1. Methylmercury

   154%

   The form of mercury that builds up in fish, most of all in large predatory fish. Can harm a developing brain, before birth and in childhood.

   ×1.5

   154% of the weekly limit

   Over the limit, and Tuna, canned (white/albacore), in water, drained is most of it. A weekly limit is a long-run average: for most adults, one week over isn't a sign of harm, but a pattern of weeks like this is exactly what the limit is there to stop.

   • Tuna, canned (white/albacore), in water, drainedLimit it: weekly or less240 g250 g reach the limit in a week
     210 g take an average adult to the limit in a week61%
   • Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, without salt, drained solidsLimit it: weekly or lesscategory default, not measured for this food140 g260 g reach the limit in a week
     210 g take an average adult to the limit in a week35%
   Show 1 more food

   • Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked (baked or broiled)240 g4,300 g reach the limit in a week
     3,500 g take an average adult to the limit in a week3.6%

   Stricter limit for women who are or may become pregnant, and children: 350% of the daily limit on Friday, October 9, the heaviest day; 143% on an average day

   Across the agency's surveys, the average adult already gets 0.07–1.08 µg/kg bw/week from their whole diet. That's 5.4%–83% of the limit before this diary. We don't know yours, so it isn't added to your figure.

2. Histamine

   61%

   Forms in some fish as they spoil, faster when they are kept warm, and in fermented foods. A big dose in one meal brings on flushing, headache and an upset stomach.

   61% of the one-sitting limit at Dinner on Saturday, October 10, the heaviest sitting

   Your heaviest sitting used 61% of the limit, from Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked (baked or broiled). Close, not over.

   • Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked (baked or broiled)measured as: single product120 g200 g reach the limit in one meal100%
   Also carried, not counted (1)

   • Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, whole (solids and liquids) · 240 g · shown for context, not counted

3. Cadmium

   38%

   A metal in soil and water that gets into crops, shellfish and organ meats. Builds up in the kidneys over years.

   38% of the weekly limit

   Under the limit on its own: 38% of it. But Spinach, raw can push past the limit: one serving a day is more than the room left once an average adult’s intake is counted.

   • Spinach, rawGo easy: can push past the limit180 g1,600 g reach the limit in a week
     470 g take an average adult to the limit in a week29%
   • Kale, cooked260 g5,800 g reach the limit in a week
     1,700 g take an average adult to the limit in a week12%
   • Pasta, cooked (boiled, drained), enriched (spaghetti, macaroni)Go easy: can push past the limit210 g5,100 g reach the limit in a week
     1,500 g take an average adult to the limit in a week11%
   Show 17 more foods

   • Whole-wheat bread, commercial, sliced352 g8,400 g reach the limit in a week
     2,500 g take an average adult to the limit in a week11%
   • Rice, white, long-grain, regular, unenriched, cooked without salt744 g26,000 g reach the limit in a week
     7,700 g take an average adult to the limit in a week7.4%
   • Oats, rolled, cooked with water1,250 g47,000 g reach the limit in a week
     14,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week7%
   • Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, whole (solids and liquids)240 g9,300 g reach the limit in a week
     2,700 g take an average adult to the limit in a week6.8%
   • Broccoli, raw273 g17,000 g reach the limit in a week
     4,900 g take an average adult to the limit in a week4.3%
   • Almonds, raw150 g12,000 g reach the limit in a week
     3,400 g take an average adult to the limit in a week3.4%
   • Tuna, canned (white/albacore), in water, drained240 g20,000 g reach the limit in a week
     5,700 g take an average adult to the limit in a week3.2%
   • Sweet potato, baked114 g31,000 g reach the limit in a week
     9,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week1%
   • Lentils, boiledmeasured as: single sample396 g120,000 g reach the limit in a week
     34,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week0.9%
   • Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked (baked or broiled)240 g83,000 g reach the limit in a week
     24,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week0.8%
   • Banana, raw708 g330,000 g reach the limit in a week
     96,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week0.6%
   • Whole milk (reference)1,750 g1,100,000 g reach the limit in a week
     310,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week0.4%
   • Chicken breast, skinless, meat only, roasted270 g180,000 g reach the limit in a week
     53,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week0.4%
   • Apple, Fuji, with skin, raw1,080 g740,000 g reach the limit in a week
     220,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week0.4%
   • Beef, ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned220 g240,000 g reach the limit in a week
     70,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week0.2%
   • Yogurt, plain, whole milk350 g780,000 g reach the limit in a week
     230,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week0.1%
   • Egg, whole, hard-boiled100 g450,000 g reach the limit in a week
     130,000 g take an average adult to the limit in a week0.1%

   The average adult already gets 1.77 µg/kg bw/week from their whole diet. That's 71% of the limit before this diary. So this isn’t room to spare. We don't know yours, so it isn't added to your figure.

4. Deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin)

   23%

   High doses upset the stomach.

   23% of the daily limit on Wednesday, October 7, the heaviest day; 11% on an average day

   Well under the daily limit, even on the heaviest day.

   • Whole-wheat bread, commercial, sliced64 g540 g reach the limit in a day
     160 g take an adult at the highest average intake we found to the limit in a day53%
   • Pasta, cooked (boiled, drained), enriched (spaghetti, macaroni)210 g2,000 g reach the limit in a day
     590 g take an adult at the highest average intake we found to the limit in a day47%

   Stricter limit for general population: 1.5% of the one-sitting limit at Lunch on Monday, October 5, the heaviest sitting

   Across the agency's surveys, the average adult already gets 0.3–0.7 µg/kg bw/day from their whole diet. That's 30%–70% of the limit before this diary. We don't know yours, so it isn't added to your figure.

5. Cyanogenic glycosides

   9.6%

   Plant compounds that release cyanide when the food is chewed or crushed, as in flaxseed and bitter almonds.

   9.6% of the one-sitting limit at Snacks on Monday, October 5, the heaviest sitting

   Well under the limit in every sitting.

   • Almonds, raw30 g310 g reach the limit in one sitting100%
   Also carried, not counted (1)

   • Apple, Fuji, with skin, raw · 1,080 g · shown for context, not counted

No safe level

For these, the agencies found no intake without effect, so there is no limit and no "safe" line. What the dataset rates instead is how much a food adds to the average adult's exposure. Your figures are that rating, scaled to what you ate on an average day.

1. Aflatoxins

   +12–181%

   Long exposure raises the risk of liver cancer.

   Adds 12–181% to the average adult's intake

   No safe dose has been found, so there's no line to stay under. At the top of the range, this diary adds more than the average adult's whole dietary intake, mostly from Almonds, raw. The range is the spread in the agencies' own estimates of that average.

   • Almonds, raw150 g+12–181%100%

   The average adult's intake from their whole diet, across the agency's surveys: 0.22–3.25 ng/kg bw/day. We don't know yours, so it isn't added to your figure.

   Also carried, not counted (1)

   • Peanut butter, natural · 64 g · category default, not measured for this food; no amount

2. Inorganic arsenic

   +30–152%

   Long, high exposure raises the risk of skin cancer.

   Adds 30–152% to the average adult's intake

   No safe dose has been found, so there's no line to stay under. At the top of the range, this diary adds more than the average adult's whole dietary intake, mostly from Rice, white, long-grain, regular, unenriched, cooked without salt. The range is the spread in the agencies' own estimates of that average.

   • Rice, white, long-grain, regular, unenriched, cooked without salt744 g+30–152%100%

   The average adult's intake from their whole diet, across the agency's surveys: 0.03–0.15 µg/kg bw/day. We don't know yours, so it isn't added to your figure.

   Also carried, not counted (1)

   • Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked (baked or broiled) · 240 g · shown for context, not counted

3. Acrylamide

   +5.5–12%

   Forms when starchy foods are fried, baked or roasted at high heat: fries, chips, toast, coffee.

   Adds 5.5–12% to the average adult's intake

   No safe dose has been found, so there's no line to stay under, only less or more. This diary adds 5.5–12% to the average adult's intake, mostly from Oats, rolled, cooked with water.

   • Oats, rolled, cooked with water1,250 g+2.8–6.4%52%
   • Whole-wheat bread, commercial, sliced352 g+2.7–6%48%

   The average adult's intake from their whole diet, across the agency's surveys: 0.4–0.9 µg/kg bw/day. We don't know yours, so it isn't added to your figure.

   Also carried, not counted (2)

   • Sweet potato, baked · 114 g · no amount measured for this food
   • Cereal, ready to eat, Corn Flakes, Kellogg's · 84 g · category default, shown for context, not counted

4. Lead

   +11%

   In children it acts on the developing brain; in adults, on blood pressure and the kidneys.

   Adds 11% to the average adult's intake

   No safe dose has been found, so there's no line to stay under, only less or more. This diary adds 11% to the average adult's intake, mostly from Oats, rolled, cooked with water.

   • Oats, rolled, cooked with water1,250 g+2.6%23%
   • Rice, white, long-grain, regular, unenriched, cooked without salt744 g+1.7%15%
   Show 18 more foods

   • Apple, Fuji, with skin, raw1,080 g+1.5%13%
   • Spinach, raw180 g+0.9%7.7%
   • Whole-wheat bread, commercial, sliced352 g+0.7%6.4%
   • Sweet potato, baked114 g+0.6%5.3%
   • Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, whole (solids and liquids)240 g+0.6%5.3%
   • Beef, ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned220 g+0.5%4.3%
   • Broccoli, raw273 g+0.5%4%
   • Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked (baked or broiled)240 g+0.4%3.3%
   • Pasta, cooked (boiled, drained), enriched (spaghetti, macaroni)210 g+0.3%2.5%
   • Almonds, raw150 g+0–0.2%2.1%
   • Banana, raw708 g+0.2%1.8%
   • Kale, cooked260 g+0.2%1.6%
   • Chicken breast, skinless, meat only, roasted270 g+0.2%1.5%
   • Yogurt, plain, whole milk350 g+0.1%1%
   • Whole milk (reference)1,750 g+0.1%0.8%
   • Tuna, canned (white/albacore), in water, drained240 g+0.1%0.5%
   • Egg, whole, hard-boiled100 g+0.1%0.4%
   • Lentils, boiled396 g+0%0%

   The average adult's intake from their whole diet: 0.5 µg/kg bw/day. We don't know yours, so it isn't added to your figure.

5. Ochratoxin A

   +2–7.2%

   Acts on the kidneys.

   Adds 2–7.2% to the average adult's intake

   No safe dose has been found, but this is a small addition: 2–7.2% on top of the average adult's intake, mostly from Rice, white, long-grain, regular, unenriched, cooked without salt.

   • Rice, white, long-grain, regular, unenriched, cooked without salt744 g+1.3–4.7%66%
   • Pasta, cooked (boiled, drained), enriched (spaghetti, macaroni)210 g+0.7–2.5%34%

   The average adult's intake from their whole diet, across the agency's surveys: 0.00166–0.00603 µg/kg bw/day. We don't know yours, so it isn't added to your figure.

   Also carried, not counted (1)

   • Almonds, raw · 150 g · shown for context, not counted

Carried, not counted

Hazards your foods carry with no amount the audit can add up: the dataset has no concentration for them, or shows them only for context. They're listed so you know they're there.

• Bisphenol A (BPA)

  A chemical in some can linings and plastics that can pass into food.

  • Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, whole (solids and liquids) · 240 g · shown for context, not counted
• Dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs

  Long-lasting pollutants that build up in animal fat: fish, meat, eggs and dairy carry most of them.

  • Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked (baked or broiled) · 240 g · no amount measured for this food
  • Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, without salt, drained solids · 140 g · category default, not measured for this food; no amount
• Patulin

  A mould toxin in rotting apples, and in apple juice made from damaged fruit.

  • Apple, Fuji, with skin, raw · 1,080 g · shown for context, not counted
• Potato glycoalkaloids (solanine)

  A big dose in one meal upsets the stomach.

  • Potato, french-fried, frozen, restaurant prepared, fried in vegetable oil · 117 g · category default, not measured for this food; no amount

What this check didn’t cover

These 4 foods aren’t reviewed yet. We haven’t checked them ourselves: their hazards count only where their food group has a default, and their nutrients are as the databases list them.

• Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, without salt, drained solids
• Potato, french-fried, frozen, restaurant prepared, fried in vegetable oil
• Cereal, ready to eat, Corn Flakes, Kellogg's
• Peanut butter, natural

Enough, and how much gets in

Was it enough? Each nutrient’s listed amount, a day on average, against the reference intake: Health Canada’s figure for adults aged 19 to 30, the higher of the men’s and the women’s. Reference intakes are amounts to eat on a typical mixed diet, its usual absorption already built in, so they’re compared with the listed amount, never the absorbed one. The absorbed figure answers another question: which foods give less than their label says. 1 entry has no weight or no match, so a “short” below may read low.

A day, on average over 7 logged days. Struck: what the label lists, from foods where a study measured how much gets in. Written: what those studies found reached the body. Everything else is listed, not absorption-adjusted.

• Protein

  Enough. 86 g a day, about one and a half times the 56 g an adult is advised to eat. That’s 0.8 g a day per kilo of body weight, at 70 kg.

  86 g a day listed in all.

  58 g 51–53 g a day derived?

  Of that, 58 g comes from roast chicken breast, ground beef, whole milk and cooked farmed salmon and 6 more, the foods a study measured. This is about how much of it would get in, at the rates the studies measured. Derived: some of your portions sit more than twice away from the dose a study tested, so applying its percentage is an assumption. Some studies didn't report the dose they tested. For protein the percentage is digestibility: the share digested and absorbed by the end of the small intestine.

  • Chicken breast, skinless, meat only, roasted12 g98% absorbed · load not reported · 92% absorbed · tested at 22,150 mgderived
  • Beef, ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned8.5 g100% absorbed · load not reported · 94% absorbed · load not reported · 90% absorbed · load not reported
  Show 8 more foods

  • Whole milk (reference)8.2 g96% absorbed · load not reported · 92% absorbed · load not reported
  • Salmon, Atlantic, farmed, cooked (baked or broiled)7.6 g96% absorbed · load not reported
  • Whole-wheat bread, commercial, sliced6.2 g71% absorbed · load not reported
  • Almonds, raw4.6 g72% absorbed · load not reported
  • Oats, rolled, cooked with water4.5 g83% absorbed · load not reported
  • Rice, white, long-grain, regular, unenriched, cooked without salt2.9 g95% absorbed · load not reported
  • Yogurt, plain, whole milk1.9 g93% absorbed · load not reported
  • Egg, whole, hard-boiled1.8 g94% absorbed · tested at 25,000 mg · 90% absorbed · load not reported · 86% absorbed · tested at 22,500 mg · +2 studiesderived

  The other 28 g a day, from canned albacore (white) tuna; lentils; Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, without salt, drained solids; Peanut butter, natural and 10 more, is listed, not absorption-adjusted: we have no study on file that measured how much of it gets in.

• Calcium

  Short. 706 mg a day, about two thirds of the 1,000 mg an adult is advised to eat.

  706 mg a day listed in all.

  598 mg 211–223 mg a day derived

  Of that, 598 mg comes from whole milk, whole-wheat bread, plain whole-milk yogurt and cooked kale and 3 more, the foods a study measured. This is about how much of it would get in, at the rates the studies measured. Derived: some of your portions sit more than twice away from the dose a study tested, so applying its percentage is an assumption.

  • Whole milk (reference)308 mg32% absorbed · tested at 312 mg
  • Whole-wheat bread, commercial, sliced82 mg82% absorbed · tested at 13 mg · 75% absorbed · tested at 15 mg · 70% absorbed · tested at 10 mgderived
  Show 5 more foods

  • Yogurt, plain, whole milk63 mg24% absorbed · tested at 523 mg · 25% absorbed · tested at 250 mg · 24% absorbed · tested at 200 mg · +1 studyderived
  • Kale, cooked56 mg41% absorbed · tested at 288 mg
  • Almonds, raw54 mg14% absorbed · tested at 287 mgderived
  • Broccoli, raw18 mg48% absorbed · tested at 83 mg
  • Spinach, raw17 mg5.1% absorbed · tested at 200 mgderived

  The other 108 mg a day, from oatmeal, lentils, white rice and Fuji apples and 13 more, is listed, not absorption-adjusted: we have no study on file that measured how much of it gets in.

• Iron

  Enough for men, short for women. 12 mg a day: above the 8 mg advised for men, under the 18 mg advised for women.

  12 mg a day listed in all.

  7.5 mg 0.37–0.62 mg a day derived

  Of that, 7.5 mg comes from lentils, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread and ground beef and 6 more, the foods a study measured. This is about how much of it would get in, at the rates the studies measured. Derived: some of your portions sit more than twice away from the dose a study tested, so applying its percentage is an assumption. Some studies didn't report the dose they tested. Iron absorption depends on the whole meal and on your iron stores: these are the percentages each study's meal gave, not a prediction for yours.

  • Lentils, boiled1.9 mg2.4% absorbed · load not reported · 3.2% absorbed · load not reported
  • Oats, rolled, cooked with water1.6 mg4.4% absorbed · load not reported
  Show 8 more foods

  • Whole-wheat bread, commercial, sliced1.3 mg4.6% absorbed · tested at 1 mg · 15% absorbed · tested at 1 mg · 7% absorbed · tested at 1 mg · +1 study
  • Beef, ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned0.9 mg8.3% absorbed · load not reported · 7.6% absorbed · load not reported · 14% absorbed · tested at 3 mg
  • Almonds, raw0.8 mg1.8% absorbed · load not reported
  • Kale, cooked0.3 mg11% absorbed · load not reported
  • Spinach, raw0.3 mg1.4% absorbed · load not reported
  • Broccoli, raw0.3 mg26% absorbed · load not reported
  • Rice, white, long-grain, regular, unenriched, cooked without salt0.2 mg1.4% absorbed · tested at 8 mgderived
  • Banana, raw0 mg34% absorbed · tested at 3 mg · 49% absorbed · tested at 2 mg

  The other 4.7 mg a day, from Cereal, ready to eat, Corn Flakes, Kellogg's; roast chicken breast; pasta; canned albacore (white) tuna and 10 more, is listed, not absorption-adjusted: we have no study on file that measured how much of it gets in.

• Zinc

  Enough for women, short for men. 10 mg a day: above the 8 mg advised for women, under the 11 mg advised for men.

  10 mg a day listed in all.

  5.8 mg 0.9–1.4 mg a day derived

  Of that, 5.8 mg comes from ground beef, oatmeal, whole milk and white rice and 1 more, the foods a study measured. This is about how much of it would get in, at the rates the studies measured. Derived: some of your portions sit more than twice away from the dose a study tested, so applying its percentage is an assumption. Some studies didn't report the dose they tested.

  • Beef, ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned2 mg14% absorbed · load not reported · 21% absorbed · load not reported · 26% absorbed · load not reported · +1 study
  • Oats, rolled, cooked with water1.8 mg12% absorbed · tested at 1 mg · 18% absorbed · tested at 1 mg · 8.4% absorbed · load not reportedderived
  Show 3 more foods

  • Whole milk (reference)1.1 mg28% absorbed · load not reported
  • Rice, white, long-grain, regular, unenriched, cooked without salt0.5 mg21% absorbed · tested at 1 mg · 25% absorbed · load not reported · 25% absorbed · tested at 4 mgderived
  • Chicken breast, skinless, meat only, roasted0.4 mg34% absorbed · load not reported · 25% absorbed · load not reported

  The other 4.2 mg a day, from whole-wheat bread; lentils; raw almonds; Peanut butter, natural and 15 more, is listed, not absorption-adjusted: we have no study on file that measured how much of it gets in.

• Vitamin B12

  Enough. 4.3 µg a day, about twice the 2.4 µg an adult is advised to eat.

  4.3 µg a day listed in all.

  1.6 µg 1 µg a day

  Of that, 1.6 µg comes from whole milk, hard-boiled eggs and roast chicken breast, the foods a study measured. This is about how much of it would get in, at the rates the studies measured. Some studies didn't report the dose they tested.

  • Whole milk (reference)1.3 µg65% absorbed · load not reported
  • Egg, whole, hard-boiled0.2 µg24% absorbed · load not reported
  Show 1 more food

  • Chicken breast, skinless, meat only, roasted0.1 µg65% absorbed · load not reported · 63% absorbed · load not reported · 61% absorbed · load not reported

  The other 2.7 µg a day, from cooked farmed salmon; ground beef; canned albacore (white) tuna; Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, without salt, drained solids and 13 more, is listed, not absorption-adjusted: we have no study on file that measured how much of it gets in.

• Selenium

  Enough. 122 µg a day, about twice the 55 µg an adult is advised to eat.

  122 µg a day listed in all.

  15 µg 11 µg a day

  Of that, 15 µg comes from roast chicken breast and whole milk, the foods a study measured. This is about how much of it would get in, at the rates the studies measured. Some studies didn't report the dose they tested.

  • Chicken breast, skinless, meat only, roasted11 µg71% absorbed · load not reported
  • Whole milk (reference)4.8 µg73% absorbed · load not reported

  The other 106 µg a day, from canned albacore (white) tuna; cooked farmed salmon; Fish, tuna, white, canned in water, without salt, drained solids; whole-wheat bread and 17 more, is listed, not absorption-adjusted: we have no study on file that measured how much of it gets in.

• Magnesium

  Enough for women, short for men. 376 mg a day: above the 310 mg advised for women, under the 400 mg advised for men.

  376 mg a day listed in all.

  127 mg 30–34 mg a day derived

  Of that, 127 mg comes from raw almonds, whole-wheat bread, raw spinach and cooked kale, the foods a study measured. This is about how much of it would get in, at the rates the studies measured. Derived: some of your portions sit more than twice away from the dose a study tested, so applying its percentage is an assumption. Some studies didn't report the dose they tested.

  • Almonds, raw55 mg27% absorbed · tested at 177 mgderived
  • Whole-wheat bread, commercial, sliced39 mg24% absorbed · tested at 88 mg · 13% absorbed · tested at 88 mgderived
  Show 2 more foods

  • Spinach, raw24 mg27% absorbed · load not reported
  • Kale, cooked9.3 mg37% absorbed · load not reported

  The other 249 mg a day, from oatmeal, whole milk, bananas and lentils and 16 more, is listed, not absorption-adjusted: we have no study on file that measured how much of it gets in.

What grabs minerals so less gets in ?

Compounds that grab minerals in the gut, where the dataset has them measured for your foods.

Flags, not subtractions. Oxalate grabs calcium and matters most if you've had calcium-oxalate kidney stones; phytate does the same to iron and zinc. Nothing here is taken off the absorbed figures above.

Where every number comes from

Each figure above links here. Study details and source notes are in English.

Information about foods, not medical advice. If a number here worries you, take it and its source to your doctor or a dietitian.