Go Organic

Go Organic

More & more people are opting to buy organic produce and thereby reduce their chemical intake.
To buy organic is often a little more expensive, however the increase in chemical awareness, increase in allergies and in chemical sensitivities is pushing this trend.

It has been shown in RMIT University research studies that people opting to eat 80% certified organic food for one week are showing a reduction in their urinary pesticide levels by around 90%. Chemical contamination in our bodies is not only from the foods that we eat, we also are contaminated by chemicals in the air (pollutants), household chemical cleaners, make-up & other beauty products and other sources as well. Don’t forget some of the chemicals many people take in voluntarily or non-voluntarily is through smoking.

With all of these contaminants as well as chemicals in foods, should we try to reduce the chemical load by eating as chemically free as possible, or trust that our bodies will rid us of contaminants through it’s normal waste elimination functions. Not all chemicals are eliminated however, some may build up in our organs & this is when we may find negative health effects and need medical assistance to resolve the problems.

Some sources of chemical contamination in our bodies may be from:

  • Eating large fish species (eg: Large Tuna, Marlin or Swordfish) as larger fish eat smaller fish and have also been in the water longer thereby ingesting more chemical contaminant than smaller varieties.
  • Eating produce sprayed to deter pests & to prolong shelf life
  • Some plants, if grown in chemically contaminated soil, will ‘absorb’ the chemicals through their root system and deposit the chemical in the resultant fruit.

Some of the easy ways to help to avoid a few of those harmful chemicals are:

Don’t use too many chemicals in household cleaning,
Eat organic produce whenever possible & viable,
Wash produce before using it (even when it’s organically grown),
Eat smaller fish species and limit consumption of ‘steaks’ from larger species,
Grow your own produce when you can,
Avoid cooking in old plastic containers in the microwave,
Open the window if chemical vapours are in the room,
Wash your hands after using chemicals & follow chemical label directions,
Don’t smoke!

In our world today it’s hard to avoid all chemicals, but if we limit our exposure where we can, we will certainly help our bodies avoid negative health effects in the future through chemical build up in our organs.