If I had to pick one life changing event this year, it would have to be attending ShiftCon in Los Angeles. To say it was eye opening would be an understatement. When you have a multitude of aha moments over three days it makes you feel as though you’ve been living under a rock.
But to repeat the message that so many of those wonderfully enlightened intelligent people I met because of Shiftcon told me “it’s not your fault”. And that my friends is the problem.
We are led down a path not knowing how treacherous it can be with all the twists and wrong turns we’re ushered towards by brands selling their products. Knowledge is a powerful thing, and it’s the one thing the Food Industry hopes we never stumble upon. One of the biggest issues e have to face is truth in labeling of ingredients, and many companies don’t want to comply because they’re afraid that if you ever find out whats in their products, you’ll never buy them again.
You probably think I’m over exagerating to prove a point, but the fact is you couldn’t handle the entire truth at one sitting, at least I couldn’t. It’s something you need to consume in small doses so you can make changes gradually, otherwise it would simply be overwhelming and consuming. And that would not do anyone any good. So lets think of this as Baby Steps to Better Health.
Today I’m going to talk about Fruits and Vegetables and the dangerous pesticides that many of them contain.
If any of you grew up in the sixties, what I’m about to tell you will seem inexplicably impossible, although unfortately it is the truth. The EPA has just approved the use of 2-4 D which is one of the two ingredients in Herbicide Orange most comonly known as Agent Orange.
As quoted in EWG’s Post dated June 24, 2014
Dow’s Enlist® Duo, an extraordinarily potent weed-killer designed to kill the new generation of so-called “superweeds” that have adapted to withstand blasts of Monsanto’s popular weed-killer RoundUp.
Enlist Duo is composed of two harsh pesticides: 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, a herbicide invented in 1946 and long known to be toxic to people and the environment, and glyphosate, the main ingredient in RoundUp.
I’m sorry but my only response to this is WTF! Are they crazy and are we crazier for allowing this! There are better ways to control weeds than these super toxic chemicals that we’re using. And this is why you here so much about non GMO labeling and why you should use GMO corn or soy. And why when buying highly sprayed produce you need to buy Organic.
There are easy ways to start and the first is to know what is safe to eat and that you don’t have to spend extra on to buy Organics if your budget doesn’t allow. This is a list of the Clean 15 that The Environmental Working Group puts out every year. You can sign up on their site to get email updates and notification alerts.
Then we have the list of the highly sprayed items that you need to buy organic. This list is called the Dirty Dozen, and Dr. Andrew Weil has added two additional to his list.
We all have to start somewhere on our journey to eat better and this is a good place to start.
If you’d like to know more about the dangers of these products here are some good resources:
More recipes from my site
My Journey to Better Health and Weight Loss- How to make Red Snapper en Papillote – Restaurant Style Recipe
- How I Chose to Live my Life with a Can Do Attitude #Sponsored
- My Four Week Weight Loss Journey with Nutrisystem for Men – Week 4
- Tangerine Curd Recipe and Dessert Ideas
- How to Make Blackened Shrimp Nachos and Salad
Betty Ann Quirino @Mango_Queen says
Good points! This is a very informative and good piece. Must share this on the networks. Thanks for putting this together, Chef Dennis…hope your week is going great!
Joyce says
The farmers here at our outdoor market say that all the sweet corn is GMO. I asked them and they seemed to be honest and said that even if they had GMO free it becomes infected by the other fields that are GMO.
anna says
it’s so sad that we have to watch out for this sort of thing. anything to make a buck, i guess. i am bookmarking this page for future reference when i go food shopping! my kids love apples and strawberries.