Avoiding Pesticides at the Supermarket

Certain fruits and vegetables are grown with the help of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that keep insects, weeds, and fungus away from crops, making for a higher percentage yield but also creating a greater danger to consumers.

Pesticides and similar chemicals are carcinogens that disrupt living cells' ability to function. When enough cells are compromised (when exposure is too high or goes on for too long), cancer, hormone damage, birth defects, and neurological disorders can occur [Reduce Your Exposure to Pesticides in Food Through
Smart Food Choices]. Overexposure to farm chemicals is a serious health concern and many fruits and vegetables can be contaminated.

According to the Environmental Working Group "consumers could cut their pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent by avoiding the most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead." There's more. "Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose a person to about 15 pesticides a day, on average. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose a person to fewer than two pesticides a day. " [When Should You Buy Organic?]

It's difficult to remove pesticides at home. Washing and peeling fruits and vegetables is not enough to remove all toxic residue. Toxins don't simply settle on the surface, or the peel. They can also seep into the cells and inner flesh of some fruits and vegetables. Peeling may also remove most health benefits, as many vitamins and minerals are concentrated in the skin. [The Dangers of Pesticides]

The best way to avoid pesticides is to keep them out of your house altogether. This may mean paying a little more for organic produce, giving up some of your favorite snacks and staples, or planting your own garden.

Your only line of defense against pesticides is knowing which plants have them, and which likely don't. But you can still have a diet rich in produce while keeping your family safe if you educate yourself on what goes into a fruit or vegetable, as well as what comes out of it.

The most pesticide-contaminated food is celery, and the least pesticide-contaminated food is onion [EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides]. Both vegetables are used in numerous recipes and meals and can improve health, but walk into any grocery store and the onion you buy is far less likely to contain toxic residue than a stalk of celery. The difference can greatly impact your health. It's important to know what foods are safe and what foods aren't.

Apples are one of the most widely eaten fruit in America. Apples are served every day at many schools, and the old saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is still in the minds' of many health conscious consumers. But apples bought in bags or off shelves at local stores are often polluted with dangerous chemicals meant to kill living tissue, and these chemicals lack the intelligence to know the difference between the cells of an insect and those of a human.

Blueberries are one of the healthiest "super foods". Blueberries have many cancer-fighting properties and are great by themselves or added to a meal. But will their vast amounts of antioxidants neutralize the tainted effects of sprayed-on pesticides?

By replacing apples and blueberries with healthier produce from farther down the list (kiwi and raspberries or plums and oranges), or organically grown produce from a local market or your own garden, you can help assure the health of your family. You can prevent cancer and other diseases and also improve mood and body image.

Even if some of your favorite foods are in the danger zone (the dirty dozen as the EWG calls it), you can find many options that are safer and also similar in vitamin and mineral content. Potatoes have the eleventh highest rate of pesticide contamination, but sweet potatoes are the fourteenth safest, and a bonus, are more nutrient-dense.

Avocados are one of the richest sources of healthy fats, and contain the lowest levels of pesticides. Tropical fruits like mangoes and pineapple are filled with vitamins and fiber, without huge doses of herbicides and fungicides. Asparagus and cabbage are filling, and also safe to eat. Bananas are one of the cheapest fruits on store shelves, made up of a starchy carbohydrate similar to potatoes, with a mix of fiber, protein, and vitamins that are essential for good health. The potassium in a banana is very important for the heart and nervous system.

Every decision you make has an effect on your overall well being, but you don't have to sacrifice all store-bought produce out of fear.

Making common-sense choices is most important. Pesticides have been in our food supply for decades, and though cancer and other diseases seem to be on the rise, most of today's danger isn't just what we eat but how much we eat. Obesity is still one of the largest indicators of poor health. Fat cells store toxic chemicals [Calbom, pg. 16, 18, 101-102], and the less extra weight we carry on our bodies the more efficiently our organs can work to filter out harmful substances.

Our bodies are amazing at what they do, constantly detoxifying cells, and as long as we make healthy food choices most of the time, keep active and fit with exercise, and maintain a low weight, a few apples or a bag full of blueberries won't kill us.

But it's better to be safe than sorry.

Sources:

1.Reduce Your Exposure to Pesticides in Food Through
Smart Food Choices, Grinningplanet.com
2.When Should You Buy Organic?, http://www.ewg.org/node/8792
3.The Dangers of Pesticides, Globalhealingcenter.com
4.EWG's Shopper's Guide to Pesticides, Foodnews.org
5.Calbom, Cherie, and Calbom, John. "Juicing, Fasting, and Detoxing for Life," New York: Wellness Central, 2008, print: pg. 16, 18, 101-102