Should You Be Eating Organic?
Since we are full swing into the season of fruits & vegetables growing abundantly in our backyard gardens and at our local farm markets I wanted to touch on a controversial subject – ORGANIC vs NON-ORGANIC produce.
It only stands to reason that when you consume toxins and pesticides, your body – mainly your Liver – has to work extra hard to process these chemicals. When these toxins remain in the body they circulate in the blood and become absorbed by the cells. Long term pesticide use has been linked to Cancer, respiratory illness, neurological disorders such Parkinson’s, and increased risk for dementia.
High levels of cadmium (toxic metal) are found in non-organic produce and as this builds up over time we now know that high levels of heavy metal toxicity triggers certain seniors diseases.
The average person has a minimum of 50 pesticides in their blood! That is frightening based on the disorders listed above.
Not only is consuming organic produce beneficial for our health but the planet as a whole. There is less run off of toxins into the sewer systems that eventually end up in our lakes and drinking supply. Its a win for everyone.
I have had many a debate over the authenticity of organic labelling – how do we really know and how is it governed. These are good questions to ask and although Government sites show how and what constitutes an Organic farm one has to wonder if there really are enough Government employees to police all farms claiming Organic status to make sure they are keeping up with Organic practices after they’ve obtained their initial designation. I’ll leave that up to you to research and decide for yourself.
One thing is for sure, organic produce can be expensive but this is due to the low yield that farm markets produce because they are not using growth enhancing chemicals. Not everyone has a budget that allows organic produce.
The ENVIRONMENT WORKING GROUP publishes a list of foods that you should and don’t need to spend money on in the Organic category. Use this list to help you decide where to focus your hard earned dollar when buying Organic produce.
Foods that have thicker skins and where the skins are not consumed are generally not necessary to buy organic:
- AVOCADO
- CORN – in husk
- PINEAPPLE
- SWEET PEAS
- KIWI
- WATERMELON
- GRAPEFRUIT
- BANANAS
Foods that are essential to buy Organic as they are heavily sprayed:
- APPLES
- STRAWBERRIES/BLUEBERRIES
- TOMATOES
- CELERY
- GRAPES
- NECTARINES
- KALE
- CHERRIES
Finally, ALWAYS wash your produce! Simply rinsing with water is not enough to dissolve the pesticide molecules. Ever notice your grapes or apples are still white after being rinsed with water? You need to use a product that lifts the pesticide off the surface. Not only are we washing to eliminate pesticides but to wash off dirt from growing, shipping & handling. I personally use a commercial veggie wash product but there are several homemade vinegar/baking soda/water recipes around that claim good results. Maybe I’ll try it when my commercial product runs out!
Now it’s time for me to go finish off my “washed organic” cherries!! Enjoy the bounty of the season and be sure to wash your produce! Until next time…..