Pesticide contamination is a topic that has often come under the glare of the media and although many organizations are trying to put a stop to the use of pesticides, effective alternatives are yet to be found.
Agricultural boards like the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture), FDA and scientists internationally are analyzing the extent of exposure in humans and animals and coming forward with a list of the most pesticide retentive foods known as 'The Dirty Dozen'. All food items on this list are rich sources of as many as five to thirteen different pesticides that are retained and absorbed by the produce and can't be washed or peeled away.
According to the Pesticide Data Program (Blythe 2010), when analyses of dozens of samples of chemically grown produce were carried out, 35 pesticide residues were found in almost each of 15 produces such as apples, strawberries, sweet corn and grapes. These pesticides that are designed to kill pests like plants, fungi or insects, have been linked to various hormonal imbalances, neural toxicity, cancers and irritation in eyes, lungs and skin in humans. Here's a guide that shows you the 12 most pesticide retentive foods that must be bought organic if you don't want your body to transform into pesticide processing power plants.
The Dirty Dozen
- Celery: Absence of a protective skin causes celery to be directly exposed to the harmful effects of pesticides that get quickly absorbed into their systems followed by ours. Added to celery, there's also Spinach that is loaded with pesticides. The former sports a staggering 64 different varieties of pesticides while the latter has as many as 48.
- Peaches: Delicately skinned, peaches contain almost 62 different fungicides and pesticides which also include captan and iprodione, a cancer linked fungicide and methyl parathion, a neurotoxin pesticide.
- Strawberries: Seasonal fruits often tend to get imported or even when home grown, they are treated chemically. Strawberries sport almost 59 pesticides, of which captan and iprodione are probable carcinogens. Additionally, they are contaminated with vinclozolin that suppresses the normal role of androgen (a male hormone) and also endosulfan, a DDT relative that imitates estrogens and affects the hormone levels of the body.
- Apples: Always close to the toppers in contamination, apples do little to keep the doctor away especially when they are grown commercially. Since peeling anyway ruins the nutritional content of fruits, apples must be bought organic owing to the high pesticide usage in their cultivation resulting in almost 42 different pesticide residues.
- Blueberries: With a disturbing 13 pesticides on a single sample, Blueberries are desirable fruits that pose a huge threat of chemical contamination in humans due to their high pesticide residue content. The fruit is treated with as many as 52 pesticides and fungicides, so it can be a good idea to avoid it altogether or opt for organic versions of this berry on the shelves.
- Nectarines: Almost 95.1 percent of nectarines contain two pesticides and 80.6 percent contain pesticide residues. Rating as another top tree fruit loaded with contamination, nectarines join the brigade of apples and peaches with 33 different varieties of pesticides to contribute to their farming and following into the food chain unchecked.
- Bell Peppers: A shocking 95 percent of bell pepper produce contains as many as 49 different pesticides. Since they are prone to infection, conventionally grown bell peppers are heavily sprayed with insecticides that easily permeate through their thin skins and get contained. Most of these eligible insecticides are neurotoxins that definitely do more harm than what the Vitamin A and C can do to us.
- Kale: Known to be one of the low maintenance vegetables, kale rarely needs pesticides. Still researches show that samples of kale contain high pesticide residue. Essentially, organic is what you must shift to.
- Grapes: Vineyards are treated with different pesticides at different stages of their growth period. The thin grape skin offers not much resistance to the pesticide entry hence contributing to their richness in pesticide and fungicide contents. And please do not ignore the fact that wine is a grape product. Move to organic versions please.
- Potatoes: A favorite among kids, potatoes come loaded with chlorothalonil, primarily dangerous to kids. The contamination percentage also is responsible for asthma and asthma related problems among kids. Laced with as many as 37 insecticides, green and organic potatoes should be the only choice.
- Eggs: No chicken bears eggs these days in commercially grown poultries without hormonal and antibiotic meds. These are easily passed onto the extensively consumed eggs. Going organic on this one would mean lesser foreign and potentially hazardous hormones in our body.
- Milk: Only after treating the cows with antibiotics and hormones do they become unnaturally high yielding. Early puberty and many hormonal abnormalities result from supplements like bovine growth hormone (rBGH) that are fed to the cows for high milk production. Go organic with your milk, without any second thoughts.
Abandoning these food items is a short term solution and all you need to do is move to their organic substitutes. You can carry the Dirt Dozen list next time along with you to the vegetable shop. Also, you can pep up on your consumption of the ‘Clean Fifteen' that comprise of onions, sweet corn, sweet peas, asparagus, cabbage, eggplant, sweet potatoes, avocados, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, watermelon, grapefruit, honey dew and cantaloupe.
