Pesticides
Whether pesticides are harmful to humans is still a leading debate in the produce world. Because of pesticides, the average farm land yields 200 percent more than it did before they were introduced 70 years ago; quite an incentive for some people to ignore the potential health hazards.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) however, considers 60 percent of herbicides, 90 percent of fungicides and 30 percent of insecticides to be carcinogenic. Pesticides have been shown to have many negative effects on our health like: neurotoxicity, disruption of our endocrine system, and immune system suppression.
The following foods tend to be most contaminated and should be bought organic as often as possible:
Fruit:
- Apples
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Nectarines
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Pears
- Rasberries
Vegetables:
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Green beens
- Lettuce
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Pumpkins
- Spinash
- Squash
There is no doubt that eating organic is better, but if you don’t have access to organic or if it’s too expensive, it’s still better to eat conventional vegetables and fruit rather than to avoid them altogether.
Excerpt from the book Wellness On The Go www.drnathaliebeauchamp.com
