Organic Food - Foods Vulnerable to Residues

There are certain fruits and vegetables that still retain residues from harmful artificial fertilizers or pesticides even though they have already been banned for a long time. This is because the residues can remain in the soils for decades, and the roots of the plant take up these residues.

According to the findings of the USDA’s Pesticide Data Program (PDP), covering testing done in 2004, over three-quarters of the conventional produce contained residues (78%), while 16% of the organic samples contained residues.

For example, conventional apples were found to contain, on average, 3.6 residues, while the one positive organic sample had a very minute level of the post-harvest fungicide thiabendazole. The level of residue found in the one positive organic apple sample was 0.0002 parts per million, while the mean thiabendazole residue found in 641 positive conventional samples was 0.43 ppm, over 2100 times higher than the level found in the organic sample.

Why Residues Found in Organic Food
Pesticides are ubiquitous and mobile across agricultural landscapes. Many positive organic samples in the PDP tests contain low levels of pesticides used on nearby conventional crops that have moved across field boundaries by drift or through use of contaminated irrigation water. Soil-bound residues of persistent pesticides used years ago, before the farmer switched to organic methods, account for a large portion of the residues found in vegetables and root crops, especially squashes.

Cross-contamination is the main cause of low-level fungicide residues. The movement of a post-harvest fungicide applied to conventional apples reached organic apples. This could have occurred in a cold storage facility, or it might have happened during trucking or even in a store if a box of treated conventional apples were placed too close to a box of organic apples.

Therefore, it is very important that special measures must be in placed to separate the handling of conventional and organic produce in order to prevent this sort of inadvertent cross-contamination.

Removing Residues
When eating non-organic or conventional fruits and vegetables, it is advised that you wash them thoroughly to remove as much residues as possible, and that peel fruits and root of vegetables.

• Experts recommends peelings the skin of fruits. But note that two-third of the fibre and most of antioxidants are usually found in the peel of apples, for example.
• At a minimum rinse all fresh produce under tap water for at least thirty seconds. The mechanical action of rubbing the produce under tap water is likely responsible for removing pesticide residues.
• However, a study had shown that mild detergents or fruit and vegetable washes do not enhance the removal of pesticide residues from produce above that of rinsing with tap water alone.

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Organic Food - Harmful Chemicals in Foods

Food grown with the aid of artificial fertilizers and pesticides contains toxic chemicals that can cause serious harm to our health and environmental problems.

Fertilizers are supposed to help in producing healthy crops, but research has shown that artificial fertilizers reduce the nutritional value of fruit and vegetables, and lower human reproductive function.

Pesticides include insecticides, molluscides (to kill slugs and snails) and nematicides (to kill worms).

Residues from these fertilizers or pesticides can remain in the soil for decades and are likely taken up by the root of corps.

Here are some harmful fertilizers or pesticides:

Organophosphates
This type of insecticide interferes with an insect's nervous system and is the most widely used group of pesticides. They are acutely toxic, affecting the nervous system and disrupting hormone function. High levels of methyl parathion and azinphos methyl have been found on a wide range of fruit and vegetables. The US has now eliminated the use of methyl parathion on certain corps and reduced allowable residues for azinphos methyl.

Methomyl
An insecticide that is found in many fruits and vegetables. Its use is restricted because of its high toxicity to humans. It is a suspected endocrine disruptor and a potential groundwater contaminant.

Lindane
This insecticide is an endocine disrupter and has been linked to breast cancer and anemia. It is applied in spray form to treat a number of food corps, and is also used to control ticks on livestock. It is presently banned in more than 50 countries, and is under consideration for inclusion in the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, which would ban its production and use worldwide.

Maleic Hydrazide
This is sometimes sprayed onto onions and potatoes to stop them from sprouting (but it may cause the sprouting to occur inside the vegetable, which is probably worse). It is toxic to humans. Animal studies have shown damage to the liver and central nervous system. There are concerns about its safety because it contains minute quantities of a known toxin, hydrazine, which may leach into water supplies.

Food Waxes
Fruits and vegetables may be coated with one of a number of waxes to maintain freshness and improve their appearance. Paraffin wax, a petrochemical derivative, may interfere with digestion and the absorption of vitamins. Other coatings include carnauba wax, the same wax that is used on cars and floors and shellac.

Effects of Banned Chemicals
Although there are increasing number of chemicals been banned but their residues can remain in the soil for decades and are taken up by the roots of some plants.

For example, Dieldrin - this insecticide accumulates in human body fat and has been linked to reproductive disorders and cancer. Besides fruits and vegetables, it may also be found in fish, dairy products, and animal meats.

So as the old saying, we are what we eat. If we enjoy uncontaminated and fresh food, this is going to reflect in our health, vitality and energy. And eating organic food is the best for our health and well-being.

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Organic Food – Organic Fruits & Vegetables

Organic Crops have higher nutrition
According to some studies, the today's conventional farmed fruits and vegetables contain much lesser vitamin and minerals, as compared to 50 years ago. For examples,

• An average potato has lost all of its vitamin A, more than half of its vitamin C, iron and riboflavin, quarter of its calcium.
• Broccoli loses almost two-third of its calcium and one-third of its iron.

On the other hands, a study had indicated that organic crops contained significantly more vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus as well as significantly less nitrates than conventional crops. In addition, there were non-significant trends showing less protein but of a better quality and a higher content of nutritionally significant minerals with lower amounts of some heavy metals in organic crops compared to conventional ones.

In a French study on the nutrient qualities of twelve foods grown in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France, the organic foods had showed increased quantities of vitamins A, B, C and E. Furthermore, elements such as zinc, minerals such as calcium, and fibre were also increased.

Conventional Farmed Crops Potential Harmful to Health
There is a strong association between exposure to chemical agricultural herbicide and breast cancer.

• Atrazine, a common ingredient in herbicides, is found causing breast cancer in rats, chromosomal breakdown in the ovaries of hamsters, and hind-limb deformities in frogs.
• A Finnish study also showed that women with high level of a lindane-like (lindane, an agricultural insecticide) residue in their breasts would have ten times more likely to have breast cancer than women with lower levels.

A study by the University of Washington found that children with primarily organic diets had significantly lower organophosphorus pesticide exposure than did children with primarily conventional diets. Their finding showed that children who consumed primarily organic produce exhibit lower pesticide metabolite levels in their urine than children who consumed conventional produce. It is consistent with known agricultural practice because organic foods are grown without pesticides. Therefore, consumption of organic produce represents a relatively simple way for parents to reduce their children’s pesticide exposure.

Determining the safety of a conventional farming method is not always easy and may take a very long time. For example, some of the pesticides widely used in the past, such as DDT, were found to have caused serious heath problems in children. This did not become evident until 30 years later after the substance was banned for environmental reasons. This means that we may not see the full effects of the new, subtler poisons conventional farmers used on their crops for a long time.

Organically Farmed Crops Better for Health
A study by Scottish scientists found that organic vegetable soups contain almost six times as much salicylic acid as non-organic vegetable soups. Salicylic acid helps fight hardening of the arteries and bowel cancer and is the main ingredient in aspirin. It is produced naturally in plants as a defence against stress and disease. Due to the widely use of pesticides in conventional farming, plants don’t have to resist bugs and therefore, they generate less salicylic acid. As a result, they pass less on to us. The same scientists found vegetarian Buddhist monks had significantly higher concentrations of salicylic acid in their blood as compared to meat-eaters.

Tips for Parents
If you are not sure how to go organic, perhaps, you can try starting with foods that will have the greatest impact.

You may download A Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce list from the Environmental Working Group at www.foodnews.org. It provides a guide to the fruits and vegetables that have the highest and lowest levels of pesticides and helps you to figure out which types of fruits or vegetables you should begin with so as to protect your children's or family's health.

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Organic Food – Fish Dishes

Fish is an excellent source of protein, vitamin B, antioxidant selenium and minerals. Oily fish with low in saturated fat, such as salmon, mackerel and tuna also has good source of healthy omega 3 fatty acids which may help to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Some oily fish can contain harmful chemicals, such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). Dioxins are by-products of certain industrial processes and PCB are pollutants used mainly in the production of electrical equipment. They are no longer permitted in the UK, but may still be present in the environment, including fish. Dioxins and PCBs do not have immediate effect on health, but there is concern that higher than recommended levels in the diet over a long period of time may increase the risk of cancer.

Fortunately, levels of PCBs and dioxins have started falling recently, and supermarkets conduct stringent tests to ensure that the oily fish they sell fall within or below the minimum levels that are acceptable.

Organically Farmed Fish
Organically farmed fish live in pure water and are usually occupying no more than 2% of the water available. When fish are crammed so close, they can be very stressful, and are more susceptible to infections. Therefore, the key to organically farmed fish is freedom of space, which removes the need to suppress disease. So the fish are usually alert and healthy and have a real flavor.

For an example, organically farmed salmon have far more space than regular farmed fish. They live in waters that are carefully monitored for purity and have powerful natural tides to swim against. Organic salmon feed contains far less oil than conventional feed, allowing the fish to put on weight naturally and slowly. Adding crushed prawn shells rather than artificial coloring to their feed gives them their salmon-pink hue. No pesticides or routine antibiotics or medication are used, and the fish are individually culled by hand, which is swifted and less stressful.

Many people find that the organically farmed fish have more flavor and better texture and are less flabby and oily.

Tips for Parents – Benefits of Oily Fish
Many experts now believe that the balance of Omega 6 (found in plant oils) and Omega 3 fatty acids (found in oily fish like mackerel and salmon) in children's diets may be crucial for health. The bulk of children's polyunsaturated fat intake currently comes in the form of Omega 6s. However, experts believe that it's the level of omega 3s that needs to be improved.

Children who had taken part in a few trials of fish oil supplements appear to have better concentration, learning ability and behavior, however more research is needed.

Eating oily fish regularly can help to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Try to put oily fish on the menu once or a maximum of twice a week from the age of 9 months.

The current recommendation is at least two portions of fish a week – one of which should be an oily fish. However, it should be noted that there are safety limit on the amount of oily fish one should eat. Boys, men and women who are not going to become pregnant in the near future can eat up to four portions of oily fish a week. Girls, women who may want to have children in the future and breast feeding mum should eat no more than two portions of oily fish a week.

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