Food needs to look attractive or it just does
not sell. That is why farmers spray it down with pesticides, dye it and coat it
with waxes. The same treatment is not given to food that is grown for mass
commercial canning. This is why,
sometimes, canned food can contain less pesticides than fresh or frozen
foods. Also when foods are processed,
they are often super-heated and peeled, which helps remove many pesticide
residues.
This does not mean you should eat exclusively
canned food, but if fresh, organic produce is not available, it may actually be
a better choice.
Every year more than two billion pounds of
pesticides enter our environment. Yet only 10% of the pesticides approved for
use on food have been adequately tested for use in humans. They are known carcinogens that cause
impairment of the liver, kidneys and brain. They also block the absorption of nutrients
that are vital to healthy growth and development.
Pesticides also disables our ability to fight
off infectious organisms, may impair fertility, and contributes to miscarriages
and birth defects.
Pesticides are particularly lethal for children
who tend to eat a small variety of foods rather than a great selection. This
increases their vulnerability to consuming a pesticide, unless the limited food
is one that is well known for not being sprayed down with chemicals.
To
protect you and your family from eating pesticides do the following –
·
Be sure to remove the outer
leaves of lettuces and cabbages and peel your fruits and vegetables if they are
not organic
·
Thoroughly scrub unpeeled
vegetables and rinse well with water
·
Soak foods that are hard to
wash without damaging them in water. Examples would be grapes, strawberries, broccoli,
lettuce and spinach. For foods that are more difficult to wash — like
strawberries, grapes, broccoli, lettuce, and spinach.
·
Buy prewashed produce
whenever possible
·
Stay away from mouldy,
bruised or overripe produce
·
Trim all fat from meat as
it the fat that contains the most
chemicals
·
Eat skinless chicken as the
skin of animals also retains pesticide
·
Eat local to avoid waxes
and preservatives that help produce grown far way survive the long trip to the
grocery store.
·
Purchase produce in season.
Food grown out of season usually comes from another country and is covered with
wax more pesticides.
The foods that contain the highest levels of pesticides according to the Environmental
Working Group definition of the Dirty
Dozen in the United States are: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples,
blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, kale/collard greens,
potatoes, and imported grapes.
The foods that have the lowest pesticide residues are: onions, avocado, sweet corn,
pineapple, mangos, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe,
watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato, and honeydew melon.[1]
To lead a healthy and active lifestyle, make
shopping for pesticide-free items a priority.
For more information about the Healthy & Active Program please
visit our website at www.healthy-active.com. You may also call
us in Toronto at (41) 440-2217 and ask for Adrienne Wright Bulow or Dr. Michael
Rahman or email us at adrienne@healthy-active.com.
[1]
Baby Center Medical Staff “Pesticides in Your Baby’s Food’, Babycenter 1997.
< http://www.babycenter.com/0_pesticides-in-your-babys-food-what-you-need-to-know_1408813.bc?page>
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