In today’s world, nearly all the food we eat is laden with pesticides. The risk of pesticides depends on two things: exposure and toxicity. The exposure is the amount you get in or on your body, or the amount that is released into the environment. The toxicity is a measure of how poisonous the pesticide is to people or to the environment. Good article from The National Pesticides Information Center on Minimizing Risks
Photo by John Lambeth
Pesticides often contain more than one ingredient, and each one may have different toxicity. One easy way to estimate the toxicity of a pesticide product is to look at the keyword. Most pesticides will have either the word CAUTION, WARNING, or DANGER on the label, and that word reflects the toxicity of the product:
CAUTION represents the lower toxicity products
WARNING indicates medium toxicity products
DANGER stands for the highest toxicity products
Surprisingly, even organic produce may contain some pesticide residues due to the location of organic farms near conventional farms. It is important to buy organic produce especially those on the “Dirty Dozen” list. Regardless of whether it’s conventional or organic, washing your produce is vital. Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 list (download)
Even products that are low in toxicity can be hazardous if the exposure is high enough.
Photo by Retha Ferguson
Recipes to Reduce Pesticide Exposure
Fruits & Vegetable: The two simplest and least expensive natural produce cleaners are plain white vinegar and salt. For most produce with skin, simply fill your sink with water and add 1cup vinegar; OR, mix 1oz salt with 100oz of water and soak for 15-30 minutes. Scrub gently and rinse.
Lettuces and Greens: These are more delicate and difficult to wash. For greens, dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in 2 cups of water and add the juice of one lemon. Spray this on the greens, let sit for about a minute, and then add them to a sink of diluted vinegar water. Soak for about 15minutes, rinse in cool water and. Dry completely.
Berries: The most delicate and difficult to clean because they take on the flavor of anything they come in contact with. Mix 2 cups of water with ½ cup fresh lemon juice and spray on the berries. Make sure they are well coated and then soak in fresh water for about 15 minutes. Dry completely and store!
In our world that continues to grow in toxicities, it is important to reduce toxic exposure wherever possible. Being aware and mindful is of what we put in and on our bodies is crucial! Link to Science-based information and facts to help guide your produce choices.
