My grandmother always said that the day would come when I’d appreciate the life I lived with her in the Trinidad countryside. She was right. That day came a long time ago. Back then, the beach was my playground, climbing trees and scaling down trunks was my version of a slide, the ocean was my swimming pool, the river was my tap water, and my plate was filled with food from clean, pesticide-free soil and environment. Oh, how I which I had it all at my disposal, now. Grannie knew what she was talking ’bout.
Hence, it’s really bittersweet to write articles like these. Though I’m thrilled to be able to seek out and find life enhancing information for myself and to bring to you. Conversely, I’m sickened that issues like, yucky pesticides in our foods is even a reality.
Rightly so, there are growing concerns in our communities that even small amounts of pesticides found in our foods can cause adverse effects to our health, and especially to the health of children and the developing fetus.
Why Are Pesticides Bad?
Pesticides are toxins; poison that’s used to kill living things like bugs, weeds, and other undesirable organic matter. And, it’s found everywhere in our environment. But what’s really alarming is that pesticide residues are also found on some of our favorite foods. Once they enter the body, the pesticides are stored in the colon and there it slowly diffuses to other parts of the body. The result of years of studies and testing has shown that its use has been linked to ailments such as,
ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder)
Alzheimers
Birth Defects
Cancers including, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Breast, Liver, Lung
Pesticides are also considered endocrine system disruptors, which means they can cause hormone imbalances such as infertility and birth defects.
How Can You Protect Yourself From The Effects Of Pesticides In Foods?
Eating clean organic foods is the surest way to protect you and your family from the adverse effects of pesticides. You can check out this post, that features the Dirty Dozen foods, which should always be bought organic and The Clean Fifteen foods, which doesn’t have to be organic.
This is not meant to keep you from eating your favorite foods. It’s information that meant to empower you so you can make more informed choices. Information is a gateway to success, in this case, success to a healthier and safer lifestyle. The more you know, the more you’re able to do. Now it’s up to you. For more information on pesticides on foods, visit the EWG’s (Environmental Working Group) website.
Dixie Lincoln- Nichols is a biological science educator, health and wellbeing consultant and Qigong instructor. Her work has been featured in media outlets like, Oprah Mag, SELF, Yahoo and more. She is the founder of Inside Outer Beauty Market, a multi-cultutal retailer curating and creating products to support the body inside and out. Visit the site at www.iobeautymarket.com
