The abundance of quality food we enjoy in Australia is important to all of us; from those who grow it to those that eat it, and for the sustainability of those who will grow and eat it in the future.  It is our responsibility as producers, consumers and Australian citizens to protect the integrity of our farming and agricultural practises which provide us with our foods. These are skills we can’t afford to lose. Dr. Ann Wigmore, one of the pioneers of the raw food movement once said, “…food can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison”. When we think of the potential dangers of chemical farming practises, e.g. pesticides, the lack of nutrients in our soil compared to 1 generation before us, together with the increase of disease management medications such as antibiotics, plus growth hormone practises required to meet regulations in domesticated animals for mass production; it is easy to understand the truth behind her powerful statement.

So how do we limit our exposure to these nasties?

When using non organic fruits and vegetables it is really important to remove pesticide residues as best as possible. Place foods in a solution of 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar, and actively wash the food, rinse with clean water, pat it dry and store either in a refrigerator or cool dark area of the pantry. Grow as much at home as you can, even if it is a bunch of parsley for your smoothie, containing vitamin A and C, iron and calcium. Remove plastic packaging from foods as quickly as possible after purchase; as the hormone disrupting chemicals in the plastic can easily leach into foods. Buy fruit and veg from your local farmer’s markets as they supply foods in season; which means they are abundant and at times, more affordable. Certified organic and biodynamic foods are grown using sustainable farming practises that seek to minimise interventions including chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, heavy metals, medications and pollutants, while enhancing maximum nutritional quality through soil enhancement, ripening of foods on the plant and natural biological cycles in farming management. This has shown some significant results in our foods containing greater nutrient and phytochemical content. Organically and bio dynamically grown foods contain less pesticide residue, contain lower levels of heavy metals, including cadmium and contain higher levels of polyphenolic compounds and antioxidants. Buying certified organic and biodynamic foods is not always available and convenient for a number of reasons. When this is the case, consider using the Environmental Working Groups (EWG) clean 15 and dirty dozen cheat sheets.

• The clean 15 highlights 15 fruits and vegetables that have been shown through research to lose the highest amounts of pesticide and insecticide residues; therefore these 15 are ok to be sourced from non-organic sources from time to time.
• The dirty dozen highlights the 12 fruits and vegetables that have been shown through research to retain the most amounts of pesticide and insecticide residues, even after washing etc; therefore wherever possible these items should be sourced organically.

While there is limited evidence that directly links the increased consumption of chemicals in foods, and the decreased quality of farmed foods to poor health outcomes; it seems highly reasonable to accept. Pesticide research is emerging which may have associations with Parkinson’s disease, neuropsychiatric disorders including ADHD, potential cancers and hormonal endocrine disorders and infertility.

So why take the risk when there are plenty of options available to maintain GR8 health!