|
 Home
About
Us
eBay
Training
Workshops
Free
Stuff
Courses
Services
Articles/Training
Resources
Contact
Us
Systems
|
Ten Healing Foods and Tips
by Amy Amsden- Fortunemaker
Buy Organic when you can. If not- then wash
carefully.
When choosing healthy and healing foods,
there are some key aspects of of fodd's nutritional value and healthfulness
to consider. - we want ones that are high in supportive nutrients and
that are clear of toxic chemicals. Consuming foods as they are grown from
nature is where to begin - fresh fruits, wholesome vegetables, hearty
whole grains, lively legumes, nutritious nuts and seeds, some low-fat
dairy, and non-toxic animal proteins, from eggs to flesh if these are
desired. We also want to make sure the main foods you eat are not filled
with additives or exposed to pesticides and other chemical sprays, or
contaminated in other ways, such as from the water, soil, or industrial
treatments.
The key foods to buy organically grown and/or manufactured from organic
ingredients are:
- Those that are commonly heavily treated,
such as strawberries and animals;
- Those where you consume the parts that
are sprayed, as in leafy greens or broccoli;
Those that you consume frequently, whereby
you'll get higher accumulated exposure over time, as in apples or bananas.
Ideally, our entire diet could be made up of wholesome, healthy organic
and clean foods. Live foods make a live body.
Ten Healing Foods includes:
Strawberries
Strawberries are red and energizing, rich in vitamin C and carotenoids
(beta-carotene and others). But this fruit is the most heavily contaminated
produce food in the U.S., according to data from a number of environmental
groups, including a 1993 study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG
of Washington, DC) and an analysis by the Pesticide Action Network of
North America (PANNA). Strawberries in California are treated with more
than 300 pounds of pesticides an acre, and some areas of the country use
up to 500 pounds per acre. As a comparison, conventional farming currently
uses about 25 pounds of pesticides an acre on the average crop. Also,
some growers may be spraying the harvested strawberries for shipping.
This adds to the amount of chemical concentration in the fruit. Strawberries
were also found to have the highest level of hormone-affecting pesticides,
including benomyl, vinclozolin, and endosulfan. Methyl bromide is another
common toxic spray used on strawberries. Note that out-of-season strawberries
may be even more heavily treated because they come from other countries
and are sprayed before shipping.
Leafy Greens, such as Lettuces, Spinach, Kale, and Chard
These foods are considered vital and nutritious. They contain folic acid
as well as calcium, iron and other minerals. However, sprayed chemicals
tend to remain on the leaves of these vegetables, which is potentially
more harmful since we eat those leafy parts. In FDA studies, spinach was
the most frequently found leafy green to contain the more potent pesticides,
especially the organophosphates (neurotoxins) and permethrin (noted as
mildly carcinogenic).
Grapes
All grapes contain cleansing fibers, B-vitamins and vitamin C, plus some
minerals from the soil. Red grapes contain many phytonutrients, including
the healthy proanthocyanadins, which appear heart protective. Unless they
are organically grown, however, grapes may receive multiple applications
of a variety of chemical agents during their growing period. Many fruits,
including grapes, ripen quickly and attract insects and molds. Thus, they
tend to be more heavily treated in order to get them to the market (and
to protect the financial interest of the grower). FDA research indicates
that imported grapes are even more heavily treated than the U.S. samples.
During winter and early spring, almost all grapes available in the U.S.
are from Chile, and these are found to have an exceptionally high percentage
of pesticide residues (79%). They also have a higher percent of the carcinogenic
pesticides, captan and iprodione. However, U.S. grape growers use high
amounts of sulfites and the fumigant, methyl bromide, so these are all
good reasons to buy organic grapes and grape juices.
Rice
This is the most frequently consumed food on the planet. And this high-fiber,
low-fat staple has many B-vitamins and minerals, including the important
anti-oxidant, anti-cancer mineral, selenium. You should seriously consider
buying organically grown rice and rice products, especially if it is one
of your staple foods. The dangerous herbicide 2,4,5-T was sprayed on rice
before being banned in 1984, and many persistent water-soluble herbicides
and insecticides have been found to contaminate the ground water near
major rice fields, such as in California's Sacramento River Valley.
Cruciferous Vegetables (Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, and
Cauliflower)
Because of their healthy anti-cancer phytonutrients, vitamin and mineral
content, high-fiber and low-calories, these are excellent foods to eat
regularly. But since we eat the parts that may have been sprayed with
carcinogenic chemicals, it's best to eat the organically grown versions
of these vegetables.
Apples
A staple in many diets, they contain cleansing fiber, detoxifying pectin,
and many nutrients. However, most apples have been found to be nearly
as contaminated as strawberries. Forty eight different pesticides were
detected by FDA testing in nearly 2500 samples from 1984 to 1991, while
36 different chemicals were found in their 1992 to 1993 evaluations. Nearly
half of these 36 were either neurotoxic or carcinogenic chemicals. In
the FDA analyses, apples and peaches were the two crops with the greatest
number of different pesticides per crop--seven! Fortunately, a shift away
from spraying the orchards is occurring in some areas; about 70% of the
apple growers are using organic practices and integrated pest management.
If you buy non-organic apples, be sure to peel them and discard the skin
before you eat them since most of the chemical residues are on the apple
skins. Just rinsing them with water doesn't do the job!
Almonds and Sunflowers Seeds
These nutrient-rich life forms of Nature contain most vitamins and minerals
as well as the vital essential fatty acids (EFAs). They also can hold
more pesticides and other chemicals in their oils, since many are attracted
to oil more than water. They are compact essences of nutrition with many
B-vitamins, minerals (even hard-to-find minerals like zinc and selenium),
and healthy, tissue-feeding essential oils. It is wise for humans to consume
the freshest low-salt samples of these "mini-vitamins." Add
to this list some pumpkin seeds, walnuts, pine nuts, and sesame seeds.
Tomatoes & Sweet Peppers
These "fruits of the vine" are full of healthy nutrients that
include vitamin C, B-vitamins, carotenoids, and other phytonutrients,
especially the prostate-helpful and tissue-supporting lycopenes. Both
red and green bell peppers were found to have many pesticide residues
from the most neurotoxic of the pesticides. In the FDA's measurement of
both U.S. and Mexican crops, 64% of peppers contained at least one pesticide,
while 36% contained two or more. These vegetables also may be waxed which
makes it difficult to remove the residues and other chemicals within the
waxes. One study found that as many as 30 different pesticides are used
to spray tomatoes. Because the skins of tomatoes are thin and absorbent,
and since this is a staple in many salads, soups and sauces, tomatoes
are worth buying organically grown. At certain times of year, the price
of organic plum tomatoes is competitive with non-organic varieties. And
farmer's markets may be the best source of all for fresh unsprayed tomatoes,
or better yet, grow your own.
A couple other classes of fruits and vegetables that are healthy for us
are also best looked for and consumed from organic growing and shipping
practices include:
Tropical Fruits
Although wonderfully tasty and high in carotenes and continuing many other
nutrients and enzymes, pineapples, papayas and mangoes are very attractive
to tropical pests and may be more heavily treated during cultivation,
storage, and shipping. Because of their thin skins, they tend to absorb
the sprays, creating higher levels of chemical contamination. We call
these systemic pesticides, and they cannot be washed away such that they
get into our systems as well.
Imported Produce
This usually out-of-season produce is often heavily treated for easier
growing and shipping to the United States. There is also risk of higher
toxicity from the use of chemicals that have been banned in the U.S. Cantaloupes
and other imported melons were found to have a high concentration of pesticides
in two thirds of tested samples. In Mexican cantaloupes, 48% had two or
more residues.
Baby Foods
Whenever we are feeding an infant, we want to make sure we do not stress
their sensitive and vulnerable systems with chamicals.
Shop Locally when possible or gorw your own
Ideally, it is healthiest to eat foods grown and cultivated near our area
and in the season they are harvested. Seasonal eating is one of the keys
to a balanced and wholesome diet. These foods are the freshest, often
the most economical, and usually less treated, even non-organic, because
they don't need to be protected for shipping long distances. Eating as
much as possible from Nature, the bounty of Mother Earth, is a key message
for healthy nutrition.
Other Healing Foods that may or may not be available organically grown
include: oily (omega-3 oils) fish like Salmon, Olives and Olive Oil, Wild
Berries or Blueberries, and Garlic and Ginger.
Important note about Milk Products and Eggs; also Wheat and Corn
Because pesticides are pervasive and stored in higher amounts in the fats
of food, dairy products tend to retain higher levels of residues and chemicals
from feeds and other sources. This is not well researched yet; but I prefer
not to add any extra hormones, antibiotics or chemicals to our bodies.
Milk is a common source of the herbicide atrazine (a known endocrine-disrupter)
and the growth hormone BGH which has been genetically engineered to boost
milk production.
Eggs are one of the more bio-available proteins especially for
growing folks, pregnant women, and those needing a protein source, especially
if you digest them well and aren't allergic to them. They have many nutrients
that feed the body tissues, the sexual glands, sperm and eggs, and hormones.
However, eggs are typically produced in factory farms where the hens often
live in crowded, unhygienic conditions. This may be one of the reasons
that salmonella bacteria are found in eggs so frequently. More than two
million eggs each year are contaminated, resulting in more than a half
million cases of food poisoning. Factory farm eggs also may be lower in
nutrients than organic ones, and they don't taste as good as farm fresh
eggs from the free-ranging chickens that are not fed antibiotics. Our
best egg option is organic eggs, which are now becoming more available.
Wheat is another staple in the American and world diet. It has
many vitamins, minerals, and fiber. However, in a recent review of pesticide
residues, 91 percent of the wheat sampled by the FDA contained pesticide
residues! Wheat can be one of the most heavily treated grains, because
it is stockpiled as a basic commodity and fumigated periodically to keep
down pests. When it is milled, the outer coating--the bran included in
whole wheat bread and cereals--is the portion that receives the most chemical
treatment. The bran and germ portion of the wheat also retains the most
residues. It has been suggested that some forms of so-called wheat allergy,
which has been associated with learning problems and difficulty in concentrating,
may actually be a neurotoxic reaction to the pesticide residues in the
grain. These pesticides are by definition neurotoxins that is how they
affect the insects they are intended to destroy.
Corn contains most B vitamins, especially niacin, and adds helpful
fiber to the diet. A primary staple in the American diet, corn is typically
heavily treated. Locally grown fresh corn tends to be treated less, so
sweet corn on the cob is likely safer than corn byproducts, which may
have more contamination. However, corn is still heavily treated with the
herbicide atrazine and it is also typically sprayed after harvesting.
Overall, it's important to eat healthy to Stay Healthy! and Enjoy what
you do choose to consume and it's ok to not be perfect in all we eat!
|
|
