Buying Organic

There are certain key foods that are more important to buy organically grown, because some crops are more heavily treated than others. Of produce grown in the U.S., as much as 70% has been found by the FDA to have some pesticide residues.
Since there is no labeling that discloses chemicals used in growing, storing or shipping, we don’t know what was done by each farmer to each crop. What we have learned from countless of research studies on people who work on farms and in pesticide manufacturing is that real adverse health effects are linked to the use of pesticides.

25 Important Foods to Buy ORGANIC...
These are listed in an order from the highest level of health risk:

Baby Foods: Possible effects of neurotoxins on developing infant.

Milk and Butter: Pesticides are stored in fats and can be passed on to us.

Strawberries: 70% had residues, highest content of endocrine-disrupters—on average, 300 lbs of pesticide per acre.

Bananas: Baby’s first food—banana sprays highly toxic.

Peaches, Cherries, Nectarines and Apricots: About 70% of each of these stone fruits had residues.

Apples: Contained a large number of different pesticides.

Melons: Mexican Cantaloupe 76% residue; Honeydew 69% residues.

Red Raspberries: 56% had residues, 31% had 5 different residues.

Imported produce: Sprays used that are banned in the US—buy US produce—in season.

Bell Peppers: 64% had residues, highest level of neurotoxins.

Leafy Greens (lettuces & spinach): Treated with systemic pesticides that cannot be washed off, these are the most carcinogenic and most-endocrine-disrupters.

Green Beans: Heavily treated, with mostly systemic pesticides.

Tomatoes: On some samples, 30 different pesticides were found.

Cucumbers: Second highest level of carcinogenic pesticides.

Rice: Conventional fields heavily treated.

Corn: receives an excessive amount of US pesticides.

Oats: Also may be overtreated.

Whole Wheat: More than 90% of all wheat samples had pesticides (FDA).

Eggs: Factory farming increases bacteria, decreases nutritional quality.

Seafood: Many rivers & estuaries polluted—find out the source!

Meats: Animals often raised with hormones, antibiotics and other drugs.

Coffee: Sprays aren’t always burned off in roasting.

Wines: Grapes & wines frequently treated with chemicals and sulfites (allergenic).

Buy organic foods, especially those listed within; Plant your own garden or help with a community garden; Shop at Farmer’s markets & get to know your local growers; Eliminate pesticides from your own home and garden; Cut way back on meat & dairy; Read up on chemical concerns and their effects on humans and our planet; Get involved—write letters to the FDA, EPA, and your local and national legislators—remember your dollar is your vote. Vote Healthy!

Support Organic farming and its advocates.

RESOURCES:

The Organic Trade Association www.ota.com

Committee for Sustainable Agriculture www.csa.efc.org

Environmental Working Group www.ewg.org

Mothers and others www.mothers.org/mothers

NCAMP Nat’l Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides

Diamond Organics www.diamondorganics.com

Walnut Acres www.walnutacres.com

Seeds of Change (800)95-SEEDS