Don’t End Up Eating Bug-filled Produce, Choose Naturally Organic Ones!

Let's Not Eat More Bugs than Veggies-Go Organic!

Every day you go to the supermarket, you find that the produce is all bright and colorful-the red bell peppers, the lush green broccoli and blood red strawberries-and you wonder how the produce industry manages to keep fruits and veggies coming from different parts of the world fresh till they are placed for sale at the grocer’s shop. What you don’t know is the umpteen torture and forgery these produces are subjected to before reaching your house. They are completely drenched in pesticides, brightened using coloring agents and ripened artificially. The term ‘organic’ was popularized when the world was captured by these unhealthy ideas and purchasing organic products has become the norm among some people.

When the Entire World Ate Organic Food
Our ancestors’ agricultural methods naturally produced organic products and there was minimal need of health care and supplements during their period. But now, we fashionably establish to others that we eat only hand-picked vegetables and organic dal, yet we face numerous health problems.

In the right kind of environment, everyone would be eating everything that is organic. The more organic foods you eat, less the chances of being attacked by pesticides. We might not be bugs attacking the crops, but contrarily we end up eating produce that is all dressed up with the stuff.

While there are researches existing that link pesticide ingestion to ADHD, infertility issues and lower sperm count, there needs to be further probing in these fields to establish strong connectivity. Going organic is not completely going to safeguard us as one study has found that organically produced fruits and vegetables did not differ in nutritional composition, but they did have a 30% lower risk of pesticide contamination.
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Let’s accept that going organic is expensive and all of us cannot bear the cost of going 100% organic. It is better that we pick and choose the most important organic products that ‘must’ be purchased. The best way to choose them is to look for produce that have maximum pesticide residue.

1. Strawberries rank No.1 in pesticide residues with more than 98% of them having residue and a single sample containing around 20 different pesticides.
2. Spinach is the proud owner of the second position as this leafy green contains twice as much pesticide residues by weight than any other crop.
3. Nectarines occupy the third place as they are said to contain 98% of pesticide residue.
4. Apples rank fourth in the list because of their thin skin. The rule of thumb is to prefer choosing organic produce with a thin skin, for instance apples, celery and strawberry and buy non-organic produce that have thick skins like pineapples and melons.
5. Peaches, pears and grapes are better when organic ones are purchased as they have a thin skin.
6. Hot peppers, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes too fall into the category for their thin skin again.
7. Organic peanut butter is better as pesticides can enter the thin shells of the peanut.
8. Poultry, beef and pork can be organic too. This ensures that the livestock are not injected with hormones or antibiotics, not given foods with pesticides or chemical fertilizers and raised in conditions that are similar to their natural habitat.

Organic agriculture, foods and consumptions is positive for the environment and for our health. Eating 100% organic food might not be practical. Use your discretion and choose the necessary organic products. There are other good quality foods that are healthy without organic stamp over them. It is up to the individual to distinguish needs from wants. Our goal must be to include at least 2 cups of fruits and 2.5 cups of vegetables every day regardless of whether they are organic or not to fulfill the requirements of a balanced diet. An RDN is the right person to help you plan a well-balanced diet that would help you stay fit for life along with some simple exercises. Get in touch with reputed RDNs at www.firsteatright.com to plan such meals.

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