CHOOSE ORGANIC FOOD

Since the mid 1970’s Bob and I have eaten mostly organic whole grains, vegetables and fruits.  We have also avoided refined sugars and synthetic additives.  From time to time have been vegan, vegetarian, and even followed a Tibetan “white” foods diet for a month. Like many people now closer to 60 than 30 we have seen organic food shops develop from hippy coops to mega supermarkets, and the choice of organic move from being counter culture to an accepted way of taking care of yourself and the planet.  For myself, I can say I have journeyed from being a tight brown rice eating macrobiotic to a happier, rounder omnivore. I will eat anything given with love or just plain anything available when travelling but still prefer low sugar, non-dairy and wheat free items.  My attitude has become much looser and I can honestly say most of the time I am happy with my broader choices.  Recently, however, I have been wondering if I have been too neurotic all these years.  Then, as chance would have it, an article from Organic Gardening Magazine popped up on my email and I realize I have been on the right track all along and I felt proud about the way I fed my three kids.  I also felt inspired to share the “bones” of the piece on this blog.

 

Let’s be clear all pesticides are designed to kill living things.  They kill by the introduction of:

·         nerve gases that work by disrupting the bug’s nervous system

·         chemicals that unbalance of key reproductive hormones

·         stunting of a plant's ability to absorb life-sustaining trace minerals from the soil so the bugs that eat them are weakened

These chemicals are designed to be harmful to life and to weaken vitality of all living things.  They don’t just get sprayed onto food they get right into our food taking their life diminishing toxins with them and lowering mineral levels.  If you have ever wondered why organic produce tastes better than commercially raised items it is because of the mineral content.  The higher the mineral content is the better, stronger and sweeter the taste of the food.

If you have thought "the dose makes the poison" think again.  Science is now proving that incredibly tiny doses could set a person up for health problems that might not crop up until decades down the line. As these chemicals make it into our air and water our food, cleaning products and cosmetic choices (things we can better control) become ever more important.

If you are still sitting on the fence read the list of illnesses that are now linked to pesticide use.  Then check the list called the DIRTY DOZEN, produce that has the highest level of pesticide sprays and the CLEAN FIFTEEN the least sprayed produce.

SEVEN HEALTH PROBLEMS LINKED TO PESTICIDE USE.

 

1.    Diabetes - tolyfluanid, a fungicide used on farm crops, creates insulin resistance in fat cells and overweight people with higher levels of organochlorine pesticides in their bodies also faced a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

 

2.    Cancer
More than 260 studies link pesticides to various cancers, including lymphoma, leukemia, soft tissue sarcoma, and brain, breast, prostate, bone, bladder, thyroid, colon, liver, and lung cancers, among others.

 

3.    Autism & Other Developmental Diseases
Many insecticides effectively kill bugs by throwing off normal neurological functioning. That same thing appears to be happening in some children. Children with organophosphate pesticide breakdown materials in their urine were far more likely to live with ADHD than kids without the trace pesticide residues.

 

4.    Obesity
Pesticides interfere with your body's ability to regulate the healthy release of hormones. More than 50 pesticides are classified as hormone disruptors, and some of them promote metabolic syndrome and obesity as they accumulate in your cells.

5.    Parkinson's Disease
More than 60 studies show a connection between pesticides and the neurological disease Parkinson's, a condition characterized by uncontrolled trembling.

6.    Infertility
Atrazine, a common chemical weed killer used heavily in the Midwest, on Southern sugar cane farms, and on golf courses have been linked with increased miscarriage and infertility rates. While other pesticides cause a plunge in male testosterone levels.

7.    Birth Defects
Babies conceived during the spring and summer months, a time of year when pesticide use is in full swing, face the highest risk of birth defects.

The Environmental Working Group has released an updated list of the DIRTY DOZEN the fruits and vegetables with the worst pesticide levels.

• Apples
• Celery
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Nectarines (imported)
• Grapes (imported)
• Sweet bell peppers
• Potatoes
• Blueberries (domestic)
• Lettuce
• Kale/collard greens

Avoid these if you can, wash them very well if you cannot.  If you cannot afford organic everything organic then try shopping for more on the CLEAN FIFTEEN list.

• Onions
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapples
• Avocado
• Asparagus
• Sweet peas
• Mangoes
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe (domestic)
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Watermelon
• Sweet potatoes
• Grapefruit
• Mushrooms

Remember, the market responds to demand.  The more people asking for clean food, pure water and fresh air as a birthright the more it will happen.  Bob and I, personally, have seen amazing changes in the last forty years.  The trick now is to get organic produce to be affordable and make organic items more widely available.  That might mean growing your own.  Basic health and beauty should never be only for the 1%.  The 99% can always find ways to plant seed.  Organic Gardening Magazine might be the best place to start.  I just ordered mine for the year.