Category Archives: Uncategorized

EWG’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen

Every year the Environmental Working Group publishes a list of fruits and vegetables to avoid because of their high levels of pesticides as well as a list of safer options.

The  twelve worst foods on the EWG list absorb the highest levels of pesticides and should be replaced with organic versions or other choices.

dirty-dozen

The fifteen safest choices are the least likely to contain dangerous levels of pesticides.

clean-15

 

 

 

Pesticides: Invisible Poison or Overreaction?

It’s undeniable that food culture looks different from how it did even fifty years ago. While more choices exist than ever, actual freedom to choose is limited by our resources and knowledge. Health and government experts promote  fruit and vegetable consumption, which is certainly important from a nutritional perspective. However, sometimes the situation is a bit more complex; what offers nutrition may also bring toxic substances.

We believe that the more you know, the more you can decide what risks you’re willing to live with.

Some fruits and vegetables have been found to carry more than acceptable levels of pesticides (including multiple pesticides), which should make us pause before grabbing them off the shelves. You can find a link to these fruits and vegetables here (and a list of generally safer choices here).

We can’t see the effects of pesticides around us immediately or on a daily basis, so it may seem easy to ignore the threat. However, pesticide use is growing rapidly around the world; agricultural operations are dumping poisons in record amounts, and regulatory organizations are struggling to keep up with the new chemical combinations constantly emerging.

Many of these chemicals affect not only animal and plant life, but the water and soil.

Chemigration,the process of mixing pesticides with irrigation water, is particularly damaging to the environment.

chemigration

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) has outlined chronic health conditions due to pesticide poisoning around the world.

We don’t want to feel defeated.

We believe it’s possible to lower the risks associated with high pesticide levels without driving ourselves crazy. On this site, we offer information and resources to make informed decisions. Not only is it totally worth it, but it’s easier than it seems.