The availability of the organically grown foods has been steadily growing over the past two decades. Having said that, when it comes to buying organic foods, people are usually on a spectrum. There are folks who buy organic regardless of the price. Than there are those who buy organic foods when they are on sale.
I believe, the decision to buy organically grown foods should not be solely based on either the potential health benefits or the (higher) cost of the organic products. Instead, we need to consider the health implications of continued consumption of foods that are grown conventionally.
The organically grown foods contains relatively higher levels of nutrition due to better soil quality and farming practices. But more importantly, organically grown foods (for the most part) are not sprayed with harmful pesticides / insecticides. On the other hand, most commonly grown fruits, vegetables, grains etc are sprayed with harmful pesticides, herbicides, fungicides etc. One of the most used pesticide / herbicide is “Round Up”. Round-Up was owned by the Monsanto (recently acquired by “Bayer” for $ 62 billion. Bayer is a pharmaceutical firm famous for products like Aleve, Alka Seltzer, Clairtin, Aspirin and many others. It's interesting to note why a pharmaceutical firm buy a company that sells pesticides?
When it comes to Monsanto, it is hard to come up with any other firm that has impacted the health of our entire planet. Monsanto was a chemical firm that is famous for inventing DDT, Agent orange and many other chemicals that were later found to be so hazardous to human health that they were effectively banned from production and Monsanto had to pay large sums of money to settle the law suits.
In mid 1970's Monsanto came up with the pesticide “Roundup / Glyphosate” which is still being sprayed on fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, cotton etc in most parts of the world. Recently, in USA, a class action suit was allowed to continue against Monsanto and it's use of Glyphosate pesticide in causing cancer and other health issues.
After years of research, WHO has declared Glyphosate herbicide as a probable carcinogen (Cancer causing) agent. Many countries in the world are either completely stopping the use of Glyphosate or severely limiting its usage.
A number of reputed research studies have linked Glyphosate with severe health problems such as:
Increasingly linked with autism disorder (the rate of autism has sky rocketed in the last 30 years)
Increasingly linked with many types of cancer
Kills our friendly gut bacteria
Degrade the GUT lining on contact
Linked with reproductive issues
Increases the risk of thyroid disease
Increases the risk of kidney failure
Disrupts the functioning of Endocrine glands
Worsens gluten sensitivity
Since it's production in 1974, over 300 million pounds of Glyphosate has been sprayed on different crops across United States. In the last 2 decades, it's usage has multiplied many folds and is now also being used as a “ripening agent” on many types of grains and other vegetables such as wheat, oats, rye, lentils, peas, flax, potatoes, buckwheat, and millet. Sprayed crops like soy and alfalfa are fed to factory-farmed livestock which is passed on to us when consumed in the form of flesh or dairy products.
According to EcoWatch, it is estimated that 75% of rainwater is potentially contaminated by Glyphosate This finding is not a surprise based on the large amount that is sprayed every year. More alarming is the fact that Glyphosate residue is being found in foods that are not even directly sprayed including cookies, crackers, popular cold cereals and chips commonly consumed by children. Even some of the breast milk samples contained Glyposate residue.
According Dr Zach Bush, who is the leading authority on Gut health, the most dangerous effect of Glyphosate is on our thin gut wall which is supposed to protect what goes inside our blood stream. Exposure to Glyphosate can also result in a breakdown of the blood-brain barrier which can result in many types of neurological symptoms.
Some recommendations to minimize the harmful effects of pesticides such as Glyphosate:
Using baking soda or salt as a disinfecting agent:
Soaking produce for 20-30 minutes in water with a tablespoon of baking soda (even salt) is shown to eliminate a vast majority of harmful pesticides that are on the skin of the produce. However, in those cases where the pesticides residue has penetrated the skin of fruits or vegetables, it wont be of much use.
Use vinegar as a cleansing agent
Soak and wash the non-organic produce with a good quality Vinegar such as Apple Cider Vinegar to neutralize some of the harmful effects of pesticides.
Buy Organic foods ( specially the dirty dozen )
Please think before buying non-organic foods for yourself or for others. Many times we buy our children/friends NON-ORGANIC strawberries, apples grapes, peaches, pears, etc. They are sprayed with pesticides. Another big one is potatoes. The french fries that we enjoy at fast food places are also sprayed with Glyphosate. I'll reiterate, these are heavily sprayed crops which can potentially devastate the Gut bacteria and the the Gut lining. Even a little bit exposure over an extended period of time can have long lasting effects on health.
Avoid GMO foods
Most non-organic packaged foods such a s cereals, snacks, deserts, sodas etc have ingredients that are either sprayed with Glyphosate or contain GMO ingredients.
Summary:
In summary, I'll leave you with this thought. Our health is the biggest gift that we have. If we believe that a potent poison like Glyphosate which is sprayed on many commonly consumed food sources to kill bugs and weeds will not have any significant impact on our own health, we are mistaken. At present, Organic foods surely costs more, but it's cost has come down over the years. As we continue to support our local farmers and the organic movement at large, the cost will come down even more, and soon a day will be there where there only be organic foods available for consumption.
Comments