Article by Dr. G. Shaw.

[Guest guest]

Dr Gina Shaw, MA AIYS (Dip. Irid.)

at True Health

 

Aches? Pains? Nausea? You’ve Been Pesticide Poisoned!

by Dr Gina Shaw

 

Most of you are aware that there are poisons in non-organic food, but are

you

aware that you might be experiencing ill-health right now due to pesticide

poisoning? Do you get unexplained headaches, even though you are on a

healthy diet? Do you suffer unexplained aches and pains, mental confusion,

cold and flu-like symptoms, chronic tiredness, etc? Although these symptoms

can often be caused by other things, it may be that your body is attempting

to detoxify from toxic pesticide residues which you may have unwittingly

consumed. Remember: If it’s poisonous to small animals i.e. insects, it is

also quite likely to be poisonous to us too!

 

Indeed, blood disorders such as leukemia, anemia, etc. have increased with

the use of deadly pesticides. In fact, over 500,000 illnesses in the US

alone are reported to be as a result of serious pesticide poisoning.

However,

since you may not have become ill directly after consuming pesticide-laden

food, you may not have noticed their effects. Unfortunately, it is pretty

hard to avoid having pesticide poisoning these days since agrobusiness has

reached most areas of the world now and winds and rain carry toxins in the

atmosphere which will inevitably pollute organic crops too. For instance

banana plantations in Costa Rica are widespread, and the small-scale organic

producers are tucked in between the non-organic farms. What does this mean?

This means that it is inevitable that even organic bananas carry pesticide

residues. Of course, this may not be an isolated example.

 

Disturbing isn’t it? Don't give up hope though! There are ways of avoiding

seriously endangering our bodies from pesticides - the easiest one of course

is to have as much organic produce as possible (organic farming is much

kinder to animals and has less of a negative impact upon our environment

too). Growing your own is often more practical than you realise. I have

only a small patio but have managed to grow the following over the last few

years: peas (both winter and summer varieties), strawberries, tomatoes,

cucumber (1 - the rest died!), spinach and lettuce.

 

According to the Environmental Working Group and according to recent

research, the safest foods to eat as far as non-organic foods is concerned

(i.e. they contain the least amount of pesticides) are the following:-

 

Avocados

Corn

Onions

Sweet Potatoes

Cauliflower

Brussel Sprouts

Grapes (domestic only)

Bananas

Plums

Green Onions

Watermelon

Broccoli

 

(Please note I do not necessarily endorse the consumption of all of these

foods)

 

Twelve of the most pesticide-laden foods include:

 

Strawberries

Bell Peppers

Spinach

Cherries

Peaches

Mexican Cantaloupe

Celery

Apples

Apricots

Green Beans

Imported Grapes

Cucumbers

 

Is it better to eat organic?

Absolutely. No doubt about it. Aside from containing less pesticide

residues, recent research shows that organic food contains many, many times

more nutrients than non-organic. Researchers at Rutgers University

purchased

selections of fresh produce at supermarkets and health food stores in the

U.S. and analyzed for them for mineral content. Up until then there was very

little hard evidence to support this supposition. Rutgers researchers

expected the organic produce to be slightly higher in comparison, but even

they were astounded. The amount of iron in the organic spinach was 97% more

than the commercial spinach, and the manganese was 99% greater in organic

food. Many essential trace elements were completely absent in the commercial

produce whereas they were comparatively abundant in their organically grown

counterparts.

 

Dr Gina Shaw, M.A., AIYS (Dip. Irid.)

at True Health

Visit my web pages at www.vibrancy.homestead.com/pageone.html

 

 

 

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