Organic is Better Food

Organic foods also have a higher nutritional value, which is important for growing children as well as adults. An organically grown apple can have as much as 300 percent more vitamin C and 61 percent greater calcium content than a conventional or non organic apple. The amount of calcium in organic spinach is seven times greater than in non organic spinach, and the potassium is an astounding 117 times greater in the organic. In addition, Alyson Mitchell, PhD, food chemist and associate professor who led a 10-year research study at the University of California, Davis, found that organic tomatoes have as much as 97 percent more cancer-fighting antioxidants as conventionally grown tomatoes.

Given all these facts, why do farmers still use pesticides? Well, mostly it's because they believe it will save more crops from insects, weeds, and disease. But that's not true. Before the 1950s, farmers lost about one-third of their crops each year. Today, even with over 21,000 pesticide products to choose from and pesticide costs exceeding billion a year, farmers still lose one-third of their crops!

Organic Fruit

Some nutrition experts say that most of any chemical residue on a non organic piece of fruit can be peeled away with its skin. But this sidesteps another important issue: "Pesticides sprayed on our fields poison one in seven farm workers every year, and 800 to 1,000 farmers and farm workers die annually from pesticide exposure," says Anna Lappe, food activist and best-selling author of Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen. "By peeling away a pesticide-laden skin, we may be protecting ourselves, but we are failing to protect those who provide us with our food."

What You Should Know:

- Pesticides are toxic to us and the environment.
- A 1997 study from Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City found that women with high levels of DDE (a derivative of DDT) in their blood were four times as likely to develop breast cancer as women with low levels.
- Pesticides are known to harm the human neurologic system as well as deplete the Earth's protective ozone layer, which can lead to skin cancer.
- Non organic peanuts, potatoes (even after they're peeled), and coffee have the largest concentration of pesticides of any food.

3 Ways to Make a Shift:

1. Eat organic whenever possible.
2. Find your own farmer.
3. Join a CSA (community-supported agriculture) farm or plant your own garden.

* Eat Organic Whenever Possible

Here is a list of a dozen fruits and vegetables that most likely contain pesticide residues. Be sure and choose organic before you eat any of these:

Fruits and Vegetables to Buy Organic:

Peaches
Apples
Pears
Green beans
Grapes
Strawberries
Raspberries
Spinach

This list is based on studies by the Consumers Union (CU) and the Environmental.

Working Group (EWG), which analyzed the amounts and toxicity of pesticide residues found in conventionally grown food samples by the USDA and the FDA. While most of these foods don't exceed safety limits for a dose of a single pesticide, most contain multiple pesticide residues. For example, the FDA detected 30 different pesticides on strawberries they sampled; apples had 50 different kinds of pesticides.

The CU and EWG say that children are most at risk when eating produce that has combined exposures. The Environmental Protection Agency says pesticides block the body's uptake of nutrients critical for proper growth and wreak havoc on development by permanently altering the way a child's system functions. It's been reported that 1-year-olds eat three times as many fresh peaches, per pound of body weight, as do adults, and more than four times as many apples and pears.

10 Non organic Fruits and Vegetables with the Fewest Traces of Pesticides:

Onions
Frozen peas
Frozen corn
Asparagus
Cabbage
Avocados
Mangoes
Kiwis

Wash non organic produce well. Try using a product called Veggie Wash. It is 100 percent natural and uses ingredients from corn, coconut, and citrus to remove wax, pesticides, soil, toxins, and fingerprints. Be sure to wash organic produce, too. Even though they may be relatively low in pesticides, they can grow near conventionally farmed produce and become exposed through "second-hand" spraying.

Organic is Better Food

Beth Greer, Super Natural Mom, is an award-winning journalist and holistic health advocate. Beth's new book, Super Natural Home, shows how making small lifestyle shifts can make a huge difference in your health and well-being. For more information on Beth and Super Natural Home, visit: http://www.supernaturalhome.com

Recommend : kitchenaid gourmet essentials 2 quart tea kettle all clad lasagna pan kitchenaid 10 piece cookware set