TED – Toxic Baby
10 facts on the dangers of pesticides
Pesticides
Pros
Cons
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If pesticides are toxic, why are they used in agriculture?
Pesticides are developed with the aim of helping the farmer protect crops from
damage and thus increase the yield, or the storage life of crops. Different
pesticides may do so by preventing the growth of weeds or damage to crops by
insects, rodents and molds.
Is the use of pesticides necessary?
Supporters argue that pesticide use is necessary to keep the cost of food
production low and to maintain an abundant, affordable supply of fruits and
vegetables in the market. However, opponents argue that since pesticide-free
agriculture has never been tried on a large enough scale, we really do not know if
the cost of food production would increase, or by how much. Researchers have
studied the profitability of farms that do not use synthetic pesticides and found
that results can vary depending on the kind of crop and region of the country.
There are other advantages of using pesticides. For example, pesticides can help
prevent some types of food poisonings. Food that is damaged by insects is more
easily attacked by mold. Pesticides that prevent insect-damage also help prevent
the growth of a mold that produces a natural, but potent cancer-causing poison
called aflatoxin in food.
When to buy organic?
I will show you 29 pictures of fruits or vegetables. 14 of the
fruits /vegetables/fungi you should buy organic (if
economically possible) due to high amounts of pesticide
residue. 15 are pretty clean from pesticide residue and the
non-organic is considered safe.
1. Celery
2. Kiwi
3. Watermelon
4. Domestic Cantaloupe
5. Apples
6. Onions
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
8. Peaches
9. Sweet Corn
10. Strawberries
11. Pineapples
12. Imported Nectarines
13. Kale/Collard Greens
14. Green Beans
15. Avocado
16. Cabbage
17. Sweet peas
18. Grapes
19. Spinach
20. Lettuce
21. Asparagus
22. Mangoes
23. Sweet Potatoes
24. Cucumbers
25. Mushrooms
26. Grapefruit
27. Eggplant
28. Domestic Blueberries
29. Potatoes
Correct Answers
Let’s see how you did!
1. Celery
ORGANIC
2. Kiwi
3. Watermelon
4. Domestic Cantaloupe
5. Apples
ORGANIC
6. Onions
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
ORGANIC
8. Peaches
ORGANIC
9. Sweet Corn
10. Strawberries
ORGANIC
11. Pineapples
12. Imported Nectarines
ORGANIC
13. Kale/Collard Greens
ORGANIC
14. Green Beans
ORGANIC
15. Avocado
16. Cabbage
17. Sweet peas
18. Grapes
ORGANIC
19. Spinach
ORGANIC
20. Lettuce
ORGANIC
21. Asparagus
22. Mangoes
23. Sweet Potatoes
24. Cucumbers
ORGANIC
25. Mushrooms
26. Grapefruit
27. Eggplant
28. Domestic Blueberries
ORGANIC
29. Potatoes
ORGANIC
Virtual Field Trip to the Supermarket
I will show you slides of different
foods. You have a budget but you can
purchase organic foods for the dirty
dozen + two.
You can either pay the market or
potentially pay later on in future
doctor and hospital fees
Quiz Wiz Questions 1-29.
Write O for Organic or N for Non-organic
1. Kiwi
2. Celery
3. Domestic Cantaloupe
4. Watermelon
5. Onions
6. Apples
7. Peaches
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Strawberries
10. Sweet Corn
11. Imported Nectarines
12. Pineapples
13. Green Beans
14. Kale/Collard Greens
15. Cabbage
16. Avocado
17. Grapes
18. Sweet peas
19. Spinach
20. Lettuce
21. Mangoes
22. Asparagus
23. Sweet Potatoes
24. Mushrooms
25. Cucumbers
26. Grapefruit
27. Eggplant
28. Potatoes
29. Domestic Blueberries
Quiz Wiz Answers for 1-29
Let’s see how you did!
1. Kiwi
2. Celery
3. Domestic Cantaloupe
4. Watermelon
5. Onions
6. Apples
7. Peaches
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Strawberries
10. Sweet Corn
11. Imported Nectarines
12. Pineapples
13. Green Beans
14. Kale/Collard Greens
15. Cabbage
16. Avocado
17. Grapes
18. Sweet peas
19. Spinach
20. Lettuce
21. Mangoes
22. Asparagus
23. Sweet Potatoes
24. Mushrooms
25. Cucumbers
26. Grapefruit
27. Eggplant
28. Potatoes
29. Domestic Blueberries
Tips
Wash all your fruits and vegetables. Wash ‘em
until they squeak! Pesticides can also be
absorbed from the ground water where plants
are grown. This will saturate the produce with
pesticides internally, so washing has its limits.
But it makes sense to remove as much of the
pesticide burden as you can, and there’s really
no reason not to wash off what you can.
Don't Buy Shiny Produce. Apples, cucumbers,
bell peppers and others are often treated with a
glossy wax that seals in pesticides/fungicides
making it much more difficult to remove toxic
residues. Produce should not have a smooth
glassy texture.
Avoid Produce from Abroad. South America and
Mexico have fewer restrictions on pesticide use.
Produce from other countries can be much
more contaminated than that grown in the US,
not that our standards are really adequate.
Be Careful with Peanuts. Peanuts grow fungus very
easily, and most commercial distributors spray huge
amounts of fungicide to control the problem. Avoid
peanuts and peanut products not organically grown and
stored without spraying, as it is impossible to totally
remove fungicides once applied. Buy organic peanut
butter or switch to almond or cashew butter. If you have a
Vita-Mixer, buy organic peanuts and make your own
peanut butter. Some health food stores have the grinders
for making your own nut butters. Freshly ground tastes
better and is free from the big sugar loads in most
commercial peanut butters.
Eat Cilantro, Pumpkin Seeds & Sunflower
Seeds. These all contain compounds help
remove and detoxify pesticides from your
system. Include them in your diet as often as
possible.
Add Plant-Derived Detoxifiers. Chlorella, blue
green algae, cilantro or barley grass are all
powerful detoxifiers. Add them to your diet.
Supplement with Iodine. Iodine plays a role in
detoxification, and it also enhances estrogen
breakdown and excretion. This is especially
important in ethnic minorities with a higher
predisposition for hypothyroidism. When thyroid
levels are low, more estrogen accumulates and it
can promote fat accumulation and development of
cancer. Bear in mind that many environmental
toxins have estrogenic effects, and that high
cumulative lifetime exposure to estrogenic
compounds is associated with increased cancer risk.
• PEELING and TRIMMING: Peel fruits and
vegetables when possible to reduce dirt,
bacteria, and pesticides. Discard outer leaves
of leafy vegetables. Trim fat from meat and
skin from poultry and fish because some
pesticides residues collect in fat.
• SELECTING A VARIETY OF FOODS: Eat a
variety of foods, from a variety of sources.
This will give you a better mix of nutrients and
reduce your likelihood of exposure to a single
pesticide.
Cooking off pesticides?
Most pesticides are complex organic molecules and
these tend not to be very heat stable. But reliably
breaking down all pesticide molecules would likely
require prolonged exposure to temperatures well over
100ºC, so you can’t rely on ordinary cooking to remove
all traces.