Another Compelling Reason to Go Organic with your Produce. This is About your Kids

(this is an entry I wrote from my pregnancy blog. There are bits that may sound repetitive, but please read through this. I hope it will help you not blow off organic produce. IT MATTERS!)

Will an Apple a Day Keep the Doctor Away?

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to talk about a very dirty word...PESTICIDES!!!!!

You have heard me talk some about toxins and their impact on our health. Well, one of the biggest toxins we face and consume every day are pesticides. Are pesticides safe for us in any amount? Would you let your toddler take just one puff of a cigarette?? 

Didn't Think SO!

Now, call me extreme, but 

This:

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And This:

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THIS

Yes, that was extreme, but the visuals are for impact and I hope that you will hear me out. 

Multiple studies have been done on the impact that pesticides have on our health. They screw up our endocrine systems impacting fertility, thyroid function, estrogen dominance, obesity, etc. They mess with our DNA and are linked to cancer, and a host of other disorders such as parkinsons, fibromyalgia, asthma, allergies, ADHD, and other learning disabilities. 

One study done by the CDC in 2005 reported that pre-school aged children eating conventional (pesticide ridden) fruits and vegetables have concentrations of pesticides in their urine that are SIX TIMES HIGHER than those children who only ate organic produce. 

We want to hold our heads high as parents who feed our children a well-balanced diet. Admit it, you puff up a little bit when your child is relishing in an apple or eating his or her spinach. And we SHOULD be proud of that. Fruits and vegetables are packed with life giving nutrients and antioxidants. So yes, one would think that an apple a day might keep the doctor at bay, but it seems that an apple a day might just be giving your doctors their pay. 

What is the point in eating produce that is drenched in pesticides?!!!

Since we are on a roll with apples, let me give you a snapshot of what you may be consumings when you bite into that waxy shiny apple. 

42 Pesticide Residues Found by the USDA Pesticide Data Program

Human Health Effects:

5 known or probable human carcinogens 19 Suspected hormone disruptors 10 Neurotoxins 6 Developmental or reproductive toxins Kind makes you want to think twice before taking a bite, huh? How are pesticides impacting our children's abilities to learn?
Report: Attention Deficit Disorder and Pesticides on Food A new study out of Harvard shows that even tiny, allowable amounts of a common pesticide class can have dramatic effects on brain chemistry.Organophosphate insecticides (OP’s) are among the most widely used pesticides in the U.S. & have long been known to be particularly toxic for children. This is the first study to examine their effects across a representative population with average levels of exposure. Conclusion :: Kids with above-average pesticide exposures are 2x as likely to have ADHD. To read the full report http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/peds.2009-3058v1 Another study done in Mexico on children exposed to pesticides.  PLEASE LOOK CLOSELY AT THIS PICTURE Enough said! A picture is worth a thousand words I don't know about you, but this is frightening! Do I think that we are exposing our kids to pesticides in the amount that these children probably were. No, not at all. BUT pesticides are just one of many other toxins that we are bombarded with every day all day long. It's all linked. These toxins cause neurological inflammation among many other things and I think it's no coincidence that our children are suffering from learning disabilities and behavioral problems more than ever. But there's hope! "Does eating organic make a difference? When researchers compared the levels of pesticide breakdown products in the bodies of children who eat organic and conventional diets, they found children who eat mostly organic foods carry fewer pesticides in their bodies. The good news is that some of these pesticides break down fairly quickly, which means increasing your consumption of organic foods can have an immediate impact on your pesticide exposure levels." http://www.whatsonmyfood.org/howmuch.jsp#1 I can speak from personal experience that cleaning up your child's diet can change his or her life. My precious girl is like a different child after switching to organic foods, supplementing well, and taking certain highly allergic and genetically modified foods out of her diet. Tears. Of course her transformation is credited to occupational and home therapies and lots of focused prayer. But it's all linked.  We are whole people. We are physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, relational beings. Let's be good stewards of every aspect of who we are.  My challenge to you. Walk past the conventional produce and only buy organic. Is it a bit more pricey. Yes. But if we don't buy it and support our farmers then prices won't go down. And as cliche as this may sound....Can you really put a price tag on your families health? No Way! Invest in your children's futures by feeding them well. Serve them a plate of love every meal. :)