How Harmful Are Pesticides To Your Health

August 31, 2016Nutrition Tips For Everyday Living

What Are Pesticides?

When you throw yourself on consuming apples, berries,carrots, etc,you’ll probably feel great, knowing that you’re giving your body the nutrition it needs, but not knowing that they are full with pesticides.

Fruits and vegetables are one of the healthiest things you can eat. But do you ever wonder what’s coating those bright, delicious foods?

Most produce looks just as tasty and juicy to bugs as it does to us, so farmers spray them during the growing process to keep pests away.

They are basically chemicals designed to keep bugs, fungi, and other pests, from eating produce and plants. They are sprayed on crops in the field, and those chemicals are still on the skin of produce we buy at the grocery store.

How Harmful Are They?

For most people, they aren’t enormous concern. Pesticides in food are regulated so that they can’t be applied to produce in harmful amounts.

The risk of health problems is significant mostly for young children.

Because they’re smaller and have less body weight, more of this anti-pest product gets absorbed, causing stronger effects.

They can build up in the body after many years of exposure.It’s another reason why they are particularly dangerous for pregnant women and young children. Ingestion or pesticide exposure can cause:

Problems with motor skills
Behavioral problems and disorders
Delayed developmental growth

Intoxicated Food

Any produce that is typically eaten with the skin on, is going to have more toxins. If you peel it off, as you would with oranges or bananas, you’ll get rid of most of toxins.

Some foods tend to have higher concentrations of pesticides, including:

Peaches and nectarines
Cherries, strawberries, grapes, and raspberries
Pears and apples
Potatoes
Spinach
Bell peppers and celery

By contrast, there is other produce with a lower concentration of pesticides:

Avocado
Mangoes, kiwi fruit, papaya, and bananas
Cauliflower and broccoli
Asparagus
Onions
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Sweet peas

How To Limit Your Exposure

What should you do to limit your exposure to pesticides, especially if you are pregnant or feeding a child? Well,you should consider buying organic. Organic foods are grown without any pesticides or harmful chemicals.

There are also some produce cleansers and sprays that help remove pesticides. Or, you can vigorously scrub produce with a brush under running water to get pesticides off skins.

Just a quick rinse won’t do.You have to really scrub. That, of course, is difficult to do on soft produce like berries. For those products, buying organic might be your best choice. Along with eliminating pesticide exposure from your products, many people find that organic produce simply tastes better.

Advise

It may not be possible to completely eliminate exposure to small amounts of pesticides, but if you are concerned, buy organic when possible, and choose conventionally grown produce that contain lower amounts of pesticides or can be peeled before being eaten.