Farming tractor spraying a field
I hear this question all the time when discussing the fact that organic produce is so much more expensive than traditionally grown options. I also hear questions like:
“Why do we need to buy organic anyway? Is it really that much better?”
Well, you don’t HAVE to buy organic. However, there are certain items that you should. While others aren’t completely as necessary. Before outlining them, I want you to consider some of the hidden dangers that lurk in our produce.
Pesticides are used for the eradication of pests. They are extremely toxic substances that are sprayed all over produce to kill any bugs on the food in that in addition pests that may be trying to eat the produce.
Herbicides are for the eradication of weeds and other plants that interfere with the growth of the crop. Fungicides are used to eliminate the growth of fungus or diseases that attack the crops.
Pesticides have been linked to many human health conditions, such as:
There are also dangers like:
However, these conditions are more likely to occur in those individuals applying the chemicals.
Most concernedly for the general population are the compounding effects due to long-term exposure or ingestion.
Pesticides are responsible for causing my types of cancer, such as:
Click here to read, “The Important Role Fruit Stickers Play On Our Health!”
So, how do you stretch your dollar while still protecting your health? Listed are fruits and vegetables you should really buy organically and those you can get away without paying extra for organic.
This list of The Dirty Dozen are the most heavily sprayed products and should be purchased organically if at all possible:
This list of the Clean 15 can be purchased as conventionally grown produce, as the risk of toxic accumulation and contamination is significantly lower.
Meat should always be purchased organically whenever possible. You should also try to source out meat that is free range (chicken), grass fed (beef), wild caught (fish) and everything grown antibiotic free.
This is because these animals, especially cattle and pigs, are so large, they have a much greater ability to accumulate higher degrees of toxins. For example, they need to eat hundreds of pounds of feed to grow into adulthood. If they are continually eating feed that has been coated in pesticides while it was growing, they are accumulating these toxins rather quickly.
Add to that the antibiotics and growth hormones in their feed, you are setting yourself up to ingest a toxic stew if you are purchasing meat that is not organic. I always recommend that if you are going to eat meat, it should be organic!
Organic meat is very expensive at the grocery store, so buy right from the farmer! Try to find a local farm that raises animals ethically and organically. Click here to read, “What Meat Do You Eat?” for further information.
For Further reading on ways to live and eat clean, click here to read, “Clean Living – How To Detoxify Your Life!”
With Sources from:
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/queen-of-green/faqs/food/what-are-the-dirty-dozen-and-the-clean-fifteen/
http://www.toxicsaction.org/problems-and-solutions/pesticides
Jo-Anne Richardson has almost a decade of experience managing a chiropractic office and educating patients on how chiropractic can allow your body to express optimal health. She is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and holds a Degree in Communications. She loves to experiment with raw vegan recipes, loves to salsa dance, travel and learn new holistic health information to share tips with everyone who visits the office.
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