Organic Food - Chemicals In Food

Food grown non-organically with the aid of pesticides and fertilizers contains traces of toxic chemicals that can cause serious health and environmental problems.

Fertilizers & Pesticides

Fertilizers are designed to help plants produce luscious and healthy crops, but research has shown that artificial fertilizers reduce the nutritional value of fruit and vegetables, and lower human reproductive function.

Harmful preservatives and cosmetic chemicals are also sprayed onto fresh food to increase shelf life and to improve their appearance to the consumer.

Pesticides include insecticides, molluscicides (to kill slugs and snails), and nematicides (to kill worms). Other chemical treatments include herbicides, fungicides, fumigants, defoliants, and plant-growth regulators. Residues from these products can remain in the soil for decades and are taken up by deep-rooting vegetables.

Food Vulnerable to Resides

There are certain fruits and vegetables that retain more chemical residues than others. See the list below to see which are best to buy organic.

HIGH	MEDIUM	LOW
Peaches Squash	Apples Bananas Grapes Green Beans Milk Peas Spinach Strawberries	Apricots Chocolate Eggs Fish Grains Lettuce Oranges Meat

 

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