Should You Eat More Fruits and Vegetables? The experts always say consumers don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. However, if you are not eating the best organic foods, the answer may not be so simple.
Many of us believe the summer season offers us the opportunity to eat healthier. This is understandably true for fruits and vegetables. Because the variety and abundance of produce options are here for the taking.
There is no excuse. You should eat more fruits and vegetables!
But wait, you might be eating unhealthy produce. Pesticides can make healthy fruits and vegetables unhealthy. So you may want to be picky when you select healthy natural foods. This is true for meat too. Natural sustainable meat is the best choice as part of the best organic foods to choose.
Pesticide Statistics
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports traces of 29 different pesticides in the average American’s body. In fact, “We’re exposed to a cocktail of chemicals daily,” says Michael Crupain, M.D., M.P.H., director of Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center.
Moreover, The World Health Organization estimates that there are 3 million cases of toxic poisoning each year and up to 220,000 deaths related to pesticide exposure.
When not eating the best organic foods, who is at most risk for having high pesticide levels? Certain groups such as children, pregnant women, and the sick or aging may be more sensitive to the effects of pesticides than others.
The Best Organic Foods Vs. Non-Organic Produce
High levels of weed and bug sprays can make produce dangerous to health. However, there is debate over the nutritional superiority of organic vs. non-organic fruits and vegetables. Learn more about organic foods.
Non-organic fruits and vegetables are sprayed with weed killers (glyphosate) and pesticides (organophosphates, OP). These compounds are toxic and are similar to nerve gas.
Organically grown produce has lower detectable levels of pesticide residue. And the best organic food options are grown local and organic.
Organic farmers are allowed to use “natural or synthetic” pesticides. So local farmers markets where you can ask the farmers questions about farming practices may be the ideal way to purchase produce.
Best Organic Foods Are Not Linked to These Conditions
What happens when you are not eating the best organic food? Unfortunately, produce sprayed with pesticides containing harmful chemicals wreak havoc within your body. Pesticides disrupt hormones and affect how the nervous system functions.
Medical Issues Linked To Pesticide Ingestion
If you are not eating the best organic foods and, instead, consume produce sprayed with toxic pesticides, it builds up in the body. As a result, these toxins affect the nerves and disrupt hormones. As a result, risks for mild and serious health conditions arise. Some of these conditions include:
- Parkinson’s disease
- Reduced motor skills
- Cancer
- Liver toxicity
- Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss
- Mood swings
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Digestive issues
- Obesity
- Hormone disruption
- Reproduction and fetal development issues including autism
- Excessive perspiration
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Low blood pressure
- Muscle weakness
- Fatigue
More Toxic Exposure
Toxins or unhealthy pesticides are found in domestic produce as well as foods that are imported from other countries such as Mexico or Chile. No matter which geographic location your the food comes from, buy the best organic food or conventional choices (containing none to very minimal amounts of residual pesticides). Healthy natural meats are also a wise choice.
Consuming unhealthy pesticides is not the only issue. While the weed and bug killers are being sprayed, the residue infiltrates the air we breathe and the water we fish (think about the seafood you eat).
Believe it or not, glyphosate is also used in personal care products containing cotton, such as tampons or Q-tips. So all this exposure can add up.
Choosing The Best Organic Food Or Not
There are ways to identify organic foods. However, if you cannot buy the best organic food, you can still help lower pesticide residue? Before eating fruits and vegetables, rinse them with running water. It will help wash away surface residue and bacteria. You can also, peel the skin off.
Nevertheless, it is difficult to completely rid the produce of toxic weed killers and insecticides.
Cherry Picking The Best Organic Foods
Many of the fruits and vegetables with the highest amount of residue are those we consume year round. “The Dirty Dozen and Clean 15” are lists created by The Environmental Working Group to help the consumer make healthier choices.
The “Dirty Dozen” Produce with high amounts of toxic residue or unhealthy pesticides
- Apple
- Peach
- Nectarine
- Strawberry
- Grape
- Celery
- Spinach
- Hot Peppers
- Cherry
- Tomatoes
- Pears
- Kale
The “Clean Fifteen” Better rated produce options
- Avocado
- Eggplant
- Pineapple
- Cabbage
- Onion
- Asparagus
- Honeydew
- Broccoli
- mushroom
- Cantaloupe
- kiwi
- asparagus
- sweet corn
- papaya
- Sweet Peas (frozen)
The Best Organic Food Wrap Up
The choice is yours. Will you cherry pick the best organic foods and conventional fruits and vegetables? Or will you choose to include unhealthy pesticides in your diet? Use these links and tools to understand how to live healthy and without toxins.
#Best Organic Food #Healthy Foods #Diet and Nutrition #Healthy Eating Tips #Valerie Goldstein #eating to fuel health
