Pesticides and GMOs are evident in many foods and vegetables. It doesn't matter what type of food is being consumed, the risk is always there. Unfortunately, an individual can walk into a food store, purchase raw foods, and not realize that the raw foods they have purchased are chalk full of pesticides and GMOs. This is not healthy at all.
Pesticides are used to control pests on crops. There are such chemicals as powders to kill ants, pellets to kill slugs, weed killers, fungi and mold killers, animal and bird repellants, and so many more. What is disturbing is that some of these chemicals cannot be simply washed off of raw foods. Part of them sticks around and ends up inside of the individual who eats these raw foods.
As for GMOs, they are genetically modified organisms. They are plants and animals that have been genetically altered to have traits that do not come natural to them. Perhaps this genetic altering involves altering the size that a tomato grows to be or genetically altering a cow to be larger so that more beef can be taken from it. A person should not ever have to ingest something that has been genetically altered because a person does not know what consequences may exist when taking something in that is not natural.
Evaluating Pesticides and GMOs
Fortunately, people are beginning to realize that residual levels of pesticides do exist in foods, especially those foods that are considered non-organic. This causes us to experience a chemical “body burden” because these chemicals really do have an effect on the human body. What is unfortunate is that kids are affected by this burden more than adults are. It is because their systems are smaller and less developed than an adult's. Here are the effects of pesticides: birth defects and low birth weight, an interference in child development and cognitive ability, neurological problems, hormone function disruption, may cause different types of cancers such as leukemia, brain cancer, and cancer of the kidneys. Even farm workers suffer from the effects of pesticides. There are also birds, insects that benefit plants, and wild animals that are harmed as well.
The good news is that pesticide intake can be reduced, and when it is reduced it has a noticeable effect on the body. However, GMOs present a new concern. A plant may not be influenced by pesticides, but it could be genetically altered. Since 1999, research has been conducted on various farms and the results have shown that GMOs fail to deliver the promised benefits. The United States alone has had to fork out $12 billion in lost sales, subsidies, and product recalls because of contamination. In India, they experienced a 100% loss in cotton that was genetically altered.
Contrary of many claims, GMOs have not been deemed safe. There have been “growths” found in the stomachs and in the small intestines of young rats in laboratory tests. There is also evidence that there have been plants engineered with what is called the “suicide gene” that causes male sterility. Super-viruses are also formed through genetic engineering. All of these are reasons to say “no” to GMOs.
Resolving the Issue
The one way to resolve the issue of taking in pesticides and GMOs is to choose organic raw foods. These are foods that are raised very carefully without the use of pesticides. The farmers use special techniques to keep harmful insects and animals away. There is no chemical usage at all. If you are purchasing from a farmer's market, it is important to ensure that the farmer the raw foods are being purchased off of is an organic farmer. If not, stay away because you do not know what and how many pesticides have been used on the fruits and vegetables they are selling.
Every raw food imaginable is available in organic form, so it is important to ensure that the foods say “organic” on them. If not, you’re running the risk of encountering pesticides and GMOs, which can cause an incredible number of health problems in both children and adults. When embarking upon a diet that is high in raw foods, a person runs a high risk of ingesting foods that contain pesticides and are GMOs. Fortunately, avoidance is easy with organic foods now having their own sections within supermarkets and clearly being labeled so that you can protect yourself and your family against the ill effects of raw foods that contain pesticides or have been genetically altered.
Summary
Most fruits and vegetables in the local department store have been exposed to pesticides or are genetically altered in some way. The health issues are many and can go as far as causing one or more of many cancers. The only way to avoid this is to ensure that raw foods being purchased are foods that have an “organic” label on them. That way an individual can ensure that the raw foods are 100% pure.
By TTS Cofounder Botanical Chef Omid Jaffari
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